Comments on the Central Military Commission and the Central Cultural Revolution
Committee's proposal to establish training courses for armed cadres in various provinces
[1]
(August 18, 1967)

Follow the instructions. After the first batch is piloted, the scope and methods for the
second batch will be determined. By then, some changes may be necessary.
Mao Zedong,
August 18

[1] This comment was written on a draft document submitted by Zhou Enlai for review on
August 17, 1967. The draft stated that, in accordance with Chairman Mao's directive
regarding the effective implementation of training courses for cadres at all levels above the
People's Armed Forces Department, we envision a training method primarily based on the
Rectification Movement and the "Four Majors." This involves reading Chairman Mao's
works, central documents, and other relevant materials; inviting central leaders to speak;
inviting revolutionary leftists to share their struggle experiences; combining large, medium,
and small meetings; linking practice with ideology; and engaging in criticism and selfcriticism. The training process could be divided into four batches, tentatively scheduled for
two months each, to align with the central government's approach to resolving provincial
issues. The training would be directly led by Lin Biao, Vice Chairman of the Central Military
Commission of the Communist Party of China, with assistance from Chen Boda, Head of the
Central Cultural Revolution Group. Each provincial training course would have a small
leadership team, selecting a group of rebels from the army and local Red Guards to
participate. On August 19, the Central Military Commission and the Central Cultural
Revolution Group issued this document.