Notes on Zhou Enlai’s Report to the Meeting on Criticizing Chen and Conducting Rectification Campaign
Comments on the Request for Instructions2)
(April 1971)
Read. Basically agree.
For the time being, it does not seem necessary to communicate this to grassroots Party members.
I will not be going out these few days.
We can drop the matter.
Printed from Mao Zedong’s handwritten draft.

Notes
〔1〕 This meeting was held in Beijing from April 15 to 29, 1971. A total of 99 leaders from the central government, local authorities, and the armed forces attended, along with 143 others who were also participating in the Central Military Commission symposium. The meeting involved an exchange of experiences from various regions regarding the criticism of Chen and the rectification campaign. “Chen” refers to Chen Boda. See note [2] on page 115 of this volume.
〔2〕 This text was written on Zhou Enlai’s report dated April 24, 1971, addressed to Mao Zedong and others. The report stated that the meeting on criticizing Chen and conducting the rectification campaign had been underway for nine days, during which comrades in each group had spoken repeatedly, engaging in criticism and self-criticism, and expressing their desire to strengthen unity on the basis of Mao Zedong Thought. The five members of the Central Military Commission Office had all submitted self-criticisms. Overall, the meeting had deepened understanding and self-examination. Starting today, the groups were to begin exchanging experiences in criticizing Chen and conducting self-education, and to discuss how, upon returning to their respective localities and sectors, they could further disseminate these ideas to the grassroots level. At the closing session, it was proposed that the Politburo should summarize the outcomes of the meeting and outline several key points for transmission to the standing committees of the military region Party committees, the standing committees of the provincial, municipal, and regional Party committees, or the Party core groups, as well as to the corresponding Party and government organs directly under the central leadership—especially to the central committee members and alternate members stationed in various localities and units. Simultaneously, they intended to deliberate on “how to convey the criticism of Chen and the rectification campaign to grassroots Party members” (Mao Zedong drew a horizontal line beneath these words in quotation marks and wrote a comment, namely Text 2). “The meeting hopes that Chairman Mao and Vice Chairman Lin will grant them an audience; even better would be if they could say a few words to everyone. However, some participants also suggested that they should not press for this, so as not to interfere with the Chairman and Vice Chairman’s attendance at the May Day celebrations and their viewing of the fireworks display on Tiananmen Square.” (Next to this passage, Mao Zedong drew a vertical line and wrote another comment, namely Text 3.) “Regarding the above proposals, we are unsure whether they are appropriate and request the Chairman’s instructions. Should the Chairman have any new ideas, we would also appreciate his guidance; we would be particularly grateful if he could arrange a meeting with us.” Next to this sentence, Mao Zedong drew a vertical line and wrote a comment, namely Text 4.