Lin, Zhou, and other comrades from the Cultural Revolution have read this. If he wants to
call back, please send him a call in the name of the Cultural Revolution. Let them know that
they have received the letter of the 15th and agree with their opinions.
Mao Zedong
September 17th
I think it’s OK!
Chairman Mao

[1] This article was written in a report submitted to Mao Zedong on September 15, 1968, by
Yao Wenyuan, a member of the Cultural Revolution Group of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China and Deputy Director of the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee.
The report stated that Zhang Chunqiao (then Deputy Head of the Cultural Revolution Group
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director of the Shanghai
Revolutionary Committee) and I had visited the No. 17 National Cotton Mill today to hold an
investigation meeting on the issue of Party rectification and Party building. This mill was a
key revolutionary stronghold in Shanghai, and the leadership had undergone a major
overhaul. Of the seven previous Party committee members, four had been overthrown, two
had been merged, and one had been sidelined. Of the current 13 Standing Committee
members of the Revolutionary Committee, ten were Party members, seven of whom rose
from ordinary Party members to rebel against the capitalist-roaders, were tested in the
movement, and were elected to the Draft Committee by the masses. Because the leadership
core had been replenished with fresh blood, they were able to find better candidates for
recruitment. The current problem was who approved new Party members seeking
admission? Comrade Chunqiao and I both agreed: "In units with such conditions, with the
approval of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee, the Party organization within the
Revolutionary Committee (i.e., 10 Party members among the 13 Standing Committee
members) could perform the functions of a Party committee or a temporary Party
committee and have the authority to approve new members. I wonder if this could be tried
as an experiment. Please advise." Next to this passage, Mao Zedong wrote a note, which is
the second part of this article.