Comments on Lin Mohan’s Letter [1]
(July 2, 1975)
To the Central Committee:


Regarding the case of Zhou Yang, it seems appropriate to handle it leniently: assign him a job, and for those who are ill, provide them with rest and medical treatment. Prolonged detention is not the right approach. Please discuss and decide accordingly.


Enclosed is Lin Mohan’s letter.
Mao Zedong
July 2, 1975
[1]


Lin Mohan was formerly Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Deputy Minister of Culture. During the Cultural Revolution, he was wrongly branded as one of the so-called “representatives of the literary and art black line.”
On June 24, 1975, he wrote to Mao Zedong, stating that at the end of May the Central Committee had announced the lifting of surveillance over him and restored his freedom. This deeply moved him, as it demonstrated that the Party truly cared for its cadres. He expressed his hope to remain in the Party, vowing to study Marxism-Leninism and Chairman Mao’s works diligently, humbly regard himself as a pupil of the masses, and dedicate everything he had to the cause of the Party and the people.
[2]


Zhou Yang was formerly Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Writers Association. During the Cultural Revolution, he was wrongly labeled as one of the so-called “representatives of the literary and art black line.”
In 1979, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee approved a decision made by the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Culture, which pointed out that during the 17 years following the founding of the People’s Republic, the work of the Ministry of Culture had been predominantly successful, and that there had never been any “literary and art black line” or “representatives of the black line” such as Zhou Yang. All those who had been persecuted and slandered due to the fabricated “literary and art black line” case were to be completely rehabilitated. Following this, Zhou Yang was released.