Comrades Lin Biao and Enlai [1]:
Please read this document [2]. All railway bureaus experiencing disorder should be placed
under military control to quickly restore normal order. All railway bureaus operating well
should also send military representatives to learn from their good experiences and promote
their application. Furthermore, automobiles, ships, and port loading and unloading must
also be regulated. It's wrong to only manage industry and ignore transportation. Please
study this matter and make your own decisions.
Mao Zedong
March 19th

[1] Lin Biao, then Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party
of China, was re-elected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC
Central Committee at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th CPC Central Committee and was
soon named Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee. Enlai, refers to Zhou Enlai.
[2] The document refers to "Serious Chaos in Transportation at the Qiqihar Railway Bureau."
It states that the Qiqihar Railway Bureau is experiencing severe congestion along its routes,
receiving numerous urgent requests for supplies daily from across the country. To meet
these demands, the bureau must ship out over 5,100 railcars daily, but currently can only
handle 1,700 to 1,800. Over 200 railcars of incoming supplies are also unable to be unloaded
daily. Accidents at the bureau have increased significantly. By March 15th, 326 accidents had
occurred, a 50% increase over the same period last year. This high number of accidents and
the magnitude of the losses in such a short period of time are unprecedented in the
bureau's history. The main causes of these problems are: lax discipline and a lack of
compliance with orders; the proliferation of factions (over 200 organizations across the
bureau), which not only increases the number of staff without work, but also leads to
frequent arguments that disrupt work; some individuals emphasize breaking the mould,
arbitrarily disregarding essential rules and regulations; and leading cadres, driven by fear,
abandoning leadership. On March 18, the bureau's military representatives intervened in the
Cultural Revolution and established a frontline production command centre, combining the
"three-in-one" approach. They also planned to establish command centres in each branch
bureau to replace the long-paralysed leadership structure. However, with only a little over
40 military representatives across the bureau, the situation remained challenging, and they
urgently requested that the garrison send more cadres to strengthen leadership.