Central Committee Telegram in Reply to the Wuhan Military Region Party Committee on the Wuhan "July 20 Incident"

(July 25, 1967)

Comrades Lin,[1] Zhou,[1] the Cultural Revolution Group, and all comrades of the Central Committee:

The draft reply is as follows; please discuss and decide.

To the Party Committee of the Wuhan Military Region of the Chinese Communist Party:

Mao Zedong

July 25, 17:00 hours

Your telegram of July 24, 20:10 hours, along with the full text of the attached Wuhan Garrison Proclamation,[2] has been received. The Central Committee has discussed it. We hold that: (1) The stance and policies you have now adopted are correct. The proclamation may be published. (2) As for cadres who have committed serious errors, including Comrade Chen Zaidao,[3] whom you and the broad revolutionary masses wish to overthrow, so long as they no longer persist in their errors, earnestly correct them, and are subsequently understood by the broad revolutionary masses, they may still stand up and join the ranks of the revolution.

(3) Work must be done among certain military personnel and the "Million Heroes"[4] who remain ideologically unconvinced, so that they change their stance. (4) Work must be done among the leftists, so that they do not seize the opportunity for retaliation. (5) Be vigilant against troublemaking by bad elements; disruption of social order is not permitted.

The Central Committee

July 25

--- Notes

[1] Lin refers to Lin Biao, then Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, who was re-elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee and soon after referred to as Vice Chairman of the Central Committee. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai.


[2] Refers to the telegram sent on July 24, 1967, by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Wuhan Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and reported to the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the Central Military Commission, the Central Cultural Revolution Group, and the All-Army Cultural Revolution Group, along with the attached Proclamation of the Wuhan Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The proclamation stated that on July 20, in Wuhan, a "serious political incident" occurred involving an assault on the residence of Xie Fuzhi (then alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council, and deputy head of the All-Army Cultural Revolution Group) and Wang Li (then member of the Central Cultural Revolution Group and deputy editor-in-chief of *Red Flag* magazine), who were representatives sent by Chairman Mao to Wuhan to handle issues of the Cultural Revolution. This incident "was instigated by a very small number of people with ulterior motives within the army and the 'Million Heroes'," and Chen Zaidao and others "were the chief culprits of the said incident." "Our military region leadership committed directional and line errors in the work of supporting the left." This proclamation was publicly posted on July 26 and published in *People's Daily* on July 29. On November 26, 1978, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party forwarded the "Request for Instructions on Handling the Wuhan 'July 20 Incident'" by the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Revolutionary Committee, and the Party Committee of the Wuhan Military Region. The report stated: "After long-term investigation, it has been proven that the 'July 20 Incident' was entirely a major event personally planned and provoked by Lin Biao and the 'Gang of Four' to oppose Chairman Mao, oppose Premier Zhou, oppose the Party and disrupt the army, and incite masses to struggle against masses, in order to achieve their criminal aim of sabotaging the Cultural Revolution and usurping Party and state power. It was a component part of their conspiratorial activities." "After the incident occurred, Lin Biao and the 'Gang of Four' defied the instructions of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, labeling the 'July 20 Incident' as 'a thoroughly counter-revolutionary incident,' using all propaganda tools under their control to fabricate counter-revolutionary public opinion and carry out a counter-revolutionary encirclement and suppression of the broad military and civilian population in the Wuhan area. They falsely accused Comrades Wang Renzhong and Chen Zaidao of being the 'behind-the-scenes bosses' of the 'July 20 Incident'; branded a large number of leading cadres as 'a small handful of capitalist roaders within the Party'; slandered the 8201 Unit as a 'rebel army'; labeled the main leading comrades of the Wuhan Military Region as 'a small handful of capitalist roaders within the army,' and the family members of many comrades in the unit were also slandered as 'family members of the rebel army'; vilified the 'Million Heroes' as the 'Hundred Bandits' and a 'counter-revolutionary organization,' with the leaders of this mass organization branded as 'a small handful of bad ringleaders,' and the family members of many members of this organization slandered as 'family members of the Hundred Bandits'; even the broad cadres and masses who sympathized with the 8201 Unit and the 'Million Heroes' were brutally persecuted. Some had their homes searched, some were dragged out and struggled against, some were detained for long periods, and some were beaten and injured or killed." "The Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Revolutionary Committee, and the Party Committee of the Wuhan Military Region have studied the 'July 20 Incident' multiple times and unanimously hold that this incident was a conspiratorial event fabricated by Lin Biao and the 'Gang of Four' out of their need to usurp Party and state power, completely distorting facts, reversing the relationship between ourselves and the enemy, and confusing right and wrong. It should be openly declared completely rehabilitated. All slanderous and false accusations imposed on the People's Liberation Army and the broad cadres and masses due to the 'July 20 Incident' should be completely overturned; comrades who were persecuted should all be rehabilitated and their names cleared; for those beaten, injured, or killed, matters such as compensation and pensions should continue to be properly handled according to Party policy."


[3] Chen Zaidao, then Commander of the Wuhan Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.


[4] "Million Heroes" was a mass organization in Wuhan at the time.