Comrade Lin Biao:

I have received the report from the General Logistics Department that you sent on May 6th. I think this plan is very good. Is it possible to send this report to all military regions, asking them to immediately convene cadres at the army and division levels to discuss it together, and submit their opinions to the Military Commission, then report to the Central Committee for approval, and then issue appropriate instructions to the entire army. Please consider and decide. As long as there is no world war, the army should be a great school. Even under the conditions of a third world war, it is very likely to become such a great school. In addition to fighting, it can also do various kinds of work. During the eight years of the Second World War, in the various anti-Japanese base areas, didn't we do it this way? This great school studies politics, studies military affairs, and studies culture. It can also engage in agricultural and sideline production. It can also run some small and medium-sized factories, producing some products it needs and products for equivalent exchange with the state. It can also engage in mass work, participating in the socialist education and "Four Cleanups" movement in factories and rural areas; after the "Four Cleanups" are completed, there is always mass work to be done, so that the army and the people are forever united as one; it must also participate in the cultural revolution struggle to criticize the bourgeoisie at any time. In this way, the several items of military studies, military agriculture, military industry, and military-civilian affairs can all be combined. But the allocation must be appropriate, with a primary and secondary focus. For the three items of agriculture, industry, and civilian affairs, a unit can only combine one or two items, and cannot combine all of them at the same time. In this way, the role played by several million troops will be very great.

Similarly, workers are also like this, with industry as the main focus, but also combining military affairs, politics, and culture. They must also carry out the "Four Cleanups" and participate in the criticism of the bourgeoisie. In places where conditions permit, they must also engage in agricultural and sideline production, like the Daqing Oilfield.

Peasants take agriculture as the main focus (including forestry, animal husbandry, sideline occupations, and fisheries), but also combine military affairs, politics, and culture. When conditions permit, they should also run some small factories collectively, and also criticize the bourgeoisie.

Students are also like this, with study as the main focus, combining other things, that is, not only studying literature, but also studying industry, studying agriculture, and studying military affairs, and also criticizing the bourgeoisie. The school system should be shortened, education should be revolutionized, and the phenomenon of bourgeois intellectuals dominating our schools can no longer continue.

Commercial, service industry, and Party and government organ personnel, all those who have the conditions, should also do this.

What is said above is no longer any new opinion or invention. For many years, many people have already done this, but it has not yet been popularized. As for the army, it has already done this for decades, but now it needs to be further developed.

Mao Zedong

May 7, 1966