(August 23, 1966)
The main question is what policy to adopt toward the so-called disorder in various places. My opinion is, let there be disorder for a few months. Resolutely believe that the majority are good, and the bad are a minority. It does not matter if there is no provincial Party committee, there are still prefectural Party committees and county Party committees! *Renmin Ribao* published an editorial, saying that workers, peasants, and soldiers should not interfere in the student movement. We must promote civil struggle, not violent struggle.
It seems to me that the disorder in Beijing is not severe. The students held a rally of one hundred thousand people, dragged out the culprits, and were thrown into panic and confusion. Beijing is too civilized, issuing appeals. Hooligans are also a minority; do not interfere now. The Central Committee of the League was reorganized. Originally, we planned to hold a meeting for the reorganization, but now the situation is unclear; let us discuss it again in a few months. Making decisions in a rush has caused many losses—rushing to dispatch work teams, rushing to struggle against rightists, rushing to hold a rally of one hundred thousand people, rushing to issue appeals, rushing to say that opposing the new Municipal Committee is opposing the Party Central Committee. Why cannot it be opposed? I put up a big-character poster, Bombard the Headquarters. Some issues must be decided quickly, such as workers, peasants, and soldiers not interfering in the students’ Great Cultural Revolution. If they take to the streets, let them take to the streets. What does it matter if they write big-character posters on the streets? If foreigners take photographs, let them take photographs. It is nothing more than photographing our backward aspects. What does it matter if the imperialists speak ill of us?