Issued in the name of the Military Commission.

[1] The draft of the "Instructions on Strengthening the Organizational Discipline of Our
Army," submitted to Mao Zedong and others for review by the Central Military Commission's
Office on August 16, 1969, pointed out that while the current military situation was
excellent, "a few units, a few personnel, and even some middle and senior cadres still exhibit
serious anarchism, bourgeois factionalism, and a lack of organization and discipline." To this
end, the following requirements were put forward: 1. The entire army must closely adhere
to Chairman Mao's great strategic deployment and resolutely oppose the "theory of multiple
centres equals no centre" and any actions that undermine centralization and unity,
organizational discipline, and the practice of each doing its own thing. 2. Education on
organizational discipline and laws and regulations must be conducted throughout the army
to raise awareness among all personnel of the importance of discipline and to dispel any
erroneous ideas and muddled concepts. 3. Individuals who seriously violate laws and
discipline and refuse to mend their ways despite repeated admonitions must be subject to
necessary disciplinary sanctions. 4. Cadres at all levels, especially middle and senior cadres,
must strengthen their leadership and take the lead in observing and upholding discipline.
Conscientiously implement the principle of combining strict management with patient
persuasion, and strictly distinguish between the two types of contradictions. Fifth,
strengthen organizational discipline as a key component of the revolutionary development
of the troops, constantly and repeatedly addressing it. When Mao Zedong reviewed this
directive, he changed the signature from "Military Commission Working Group" to "Central
Military Commission" and wrote this comment. The Central Military Commission issued this
directive on August 22.