Return to the Premier to send out.
Mao Zedong
 March 20

[I] On March 11, 1967, Nie Rongzhen, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central
Committee, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Vice Premier of the State
Council, and Director of the Science and Technology Commission, and Director of the
National Defense Science and Technology Commission, wrote a report to Mao Zedong and
others, stating that, "According to our understanding, many research institutes within the
defense industry and the Chinese Academy of Sciences responsible for national defense are
experiencing leadership collapse, research work has stalled, and Third Front construction is
plagued by numerous problems. This situation must be swiftly corrected." He recommended
that these units be taken over by the military, with the National Defense Science and
Technology Commission responsible for this work. Scientific research and production should
be quickly resumed in the spirit of promoting revolution, war preparedness, work, and
production. After the takeover, the issue of changing the current leadership system, which
had been strongly demanded by the masses during the Cultural Revolution, would be
addressed. He suggested that, while resuming production, the defense industry
departments and the relevant defense research institutions within the Chinese Academy of
Sciences should be comprehensively and appropriately adjusted and reorganized, taking into
account the criticism and revision of the original text. The report also set out five principles
for this adjustment and reorganization. On March 18, Premier Zhou Enlai wrote a report to
Mao Zedong and others, stating that, in accordance with the Chairman's instructions and
after consultation with relevant comrades, he had announced to the National Defense
Industry Office and defense industry departments that he intended to implement military
control. The proposed method was for each department to send a three-person military
control representative team, utilizing existing organizational leadership. Simultaneously, he
would encourage all revolutionary mass organizations to conduct open-door rectification
and achieve a grand unity of the proletarian revolutionary faction. He would assist leading
cadres at all levels who needed criticism to review and present themselves, and deal with
them accordingly, ultimately achieving the "three-in-one" combination of revolution in all
departments. Regarding the research institutes and institutes within the defense industry
departments, as well as the research institutes under the Academy of Sciences that carried



out defense tasks, he agreed with Comrade Nie Rongzhen's opinion and submitted them to
the National Defense Science and Technology Commission for military control. He also
generally agreed with the principles of adjustment and reorganization he proposed, pending
final approval. The State Council's departments of industry and commerce, finance and
trade, agriculture, forestry, and health are following the Chairman's instructions and are
lining up separately. They plan to impose martial law in even those departments where work
is paralysed. The same measures will be adopted for the defense industry departments.
After consultation, they will be submitted separately for approval. Mao Zedong's comments
were written on Zhou Enlai's report.