Reprint and distribute to all comrades at the enlarged meeting of the Military Commission.
Making mistakes is inevitable, but as long as they are earnestly corrected, everything will be
fine. Sichuan arrested too many people and declared a large number of mass organizations
reactionary. These were mistakes, but they corrected them quickly, as this document
demonstrates. Now another trend has emerged: some people say that everything the army
did there was wrong, leaving some military personnel involved in supporting the Left,
military control, and military training feeling embarrassed and ashamed. When faced with
such situations, we must remain calm, openly admit our mistakes to the masses in a realistic
and truthful manner, and immediately correct them. Furthermore, we must provide positive
education to both the army and the masses to put them back on the right track. I believe
this trend will not be as severe as it was in February, because both the army and the masses
have gained experience. The great People's Liberation Army will surely gain the support of
the broad masses.
Mao Zedong
April 23
Lin and Zhou [2] will handle it after reading it.

[1] On April 20, 1967, Liang Xingchu, commander of the Chengdu Military Region of the
Chinese People's Liberation Army, wrote a report to Chen Boda, head of the Cultural
Revolution Group of the CPC Central Committee, and others stating that, in accordance with
the central government's directives, 27,865 individuals arrested, detained, or held for
investigation had been released in Sichuan as of April 19, representing 85% of the total. On
April 21, Zhou Enlai instructed that the report be "printed and distributed to Chairman Mao,
Vice Chairman Lin, and all comrades from the Central Committee who attended the Sichuan
Conference." Mao Zedong wrote this comment while reviewing it.
[2] Lin refers to Lin Biao, then Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the
Communist Party of China. He 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. Zhou refers
to Zhou Enlai.