Who were the participants in the Zhu De criticism meeting? Why is the Chinese Communist Party still covering this up? (Internet photo)
In the memoirs of Marshal Zhu De after the “Gang of Four” was crushed, and even in the memories of his Family members, there are only flashes and incoherent accounts of his situation during the “Cultural Revolution“.
Finally, in the recently published book “The Later Years of the Founding Marshals”, edited by Xu Nonghe, it is revealed that Zhu was severely criticized at a panel meeting of the expanded Politburo of the Central Committee. The book contains the following account.
In his speech at the panel meeting, Zhu emphasized the need to study seriously the works of Marx and Lenin and to study materialistic dialectics. He said, “If you hear the Tao, you can die at night. I also have Time to read, read the 32 books designated by Chairman Mao, must read. I am ready to spend a year to read them all, even down to read it through. Chairman Mao also accepted the theory of Marxism-Leninism ……” before he could finish his words, he was interrupted. Lin Biao revisited his speech at the Shanghai meeting last year about the “summit” and attacked him for being ambitious and using Marxism to oppose Chairman Mao. Kang Sheng also attacked Zhu De for “wanting to surpass Chairman Mao” and for “having joined the Party organizationally but not ideologically, he was still a non-party member.”
Thus, it seems that Zhu De was indeed criticized at the enlarged meeting of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from May 4 to 26, 1966. But once again, the details of the meeting are incoherently omitted here. In fact, Lin Biao’s speech criticizing Zhu De was widely circulated in pamphlets such as “Raising the Great Red Flag of Chairman Mao’s Thought” and “Selected Speeches of Comrade Lin Biao” published by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. But Kang Sheng’s speech and this “group meeting” were mentioned for the first time. It was never heard of when Zhu De was criticized as a “black commander” during the Cultural Revolution, and it was never heard of during the post-Cultural Revolution criticism of Kang Sheng and the Gang of Four. The “Black Commander” was never mentioned in the post-Cultural Revolution criticism of Kang Sheng and the “Gang of Four”. The strange thing is: since the vicious attack on Marshal Zhu De is Lin Biao, Kang Sheng’s stream, after the crushing of the “Gang of Four” should be openly angry denunciation is, the opposite approach can only show that there are unspeakable hardships.
As we all know, the enlarged meeting of the Politburo in May 1966 has always been regarded as a symbol of the official launch of the Cultural Revolution. At this meeting, the Politburo of the CPC adopted by unanimous vote on May 16 the “Notice of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China” (i.e., the May 16 Notice), which later became known as the “programmatic document” of the Cultural Revolution. Two days later, Lin Biao delivered his famous May 18 speech, which later became known as the “coup d’état”. On May 23, the Politburo of the Communist Party of China once again voted unanimously for the Decision of the Enlarged Meeting of the Politburo, formally removing Peng Zhen, Luo Ruiqing, Lu Dingyi and Yang Shangkun from their posts. Then, on May 24, the CPC Central Committee issued the “Explanation on the Errors of Comrades Lu Dingyi and Yang Shangkun”, which stated that “the meeting decided that the Central Committee would set up an ad hoc review committee to further examine the anti-Party activities of Comrades Peng, Lu, Luo and Yang and their abnormal relations with each other”, but in fact had already branded them as an “anti-Party group”. In fact, they had been branded as an “anti-Party group”. This notice was sent to the county committee and above, and to the army at the regimental level and above. This is how the fire of the Cultural Revolution burned in the upper echelons of the CCP.
Then, why did such an important meeting take place to severely criticize Zhu De, who had already faded out of politics at that time? Who chaired the meeting and who attended it? Why is the Chinese Communist Party so shy and secretive about this?
Records of Zhu De’s criticism meeting
In the archives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, there is a record of the meeting labeled “19660523”. This document records the meeting of the enlarged Politburo on the 23rd of May 1966, where the severe criticism of Marshal Zhu De took place.
Place: Hebei Hall of the Great Hall of the People
Moderator: Liu Shaoqi
Zhu De was first ordered to make a review because of his negative attitude towards the criticism of Peng, Luo, Lu and Yang: “I have made two reviews of my past mistakes, the first was after the Gao Rao issue occurred, and I made a review at the meeting. The second is after the Peng Dehuai issue, in the enlarged meeting of the military commission made a review, that review is a little longer.”
Zhu De went on to talk about his past mistakes, namely the problems on Jinggang Mountain in the 1920s and the “Seventh Congress” of the Fourth Army of the Red Army. Zhang Dingcheng, Lin Biao, Chen Yi, and Zhou Enlai spoke and interjected one after another. Chen Yi’s speech criticizing Zhu De’s history was very intense and long.
Lin Biao: Peng Dehuai turned out to be united with this and that, making this mistake and that mistake, all for personal ambition. The right-leaning opportunists must be thoroughly exposed and struggled to the end to stink him up, or not. This is good for you and the party, so that you can change for the better, otherwise it is not possible. The Lushan meeting uncovered this problem and solved this problem, is a great victory. Eliminate one of the biggest hidden dangers of the party. The President has spoken several times about the possibility of a split in the party, effectively referring to Peng Dehuai – Zhu De. The Lushan meeting also considered whether to completely uncover it and weighed the pros and cons, and concluded that it should be firmly uncovered to eliminate this hidden problem, otherwise it would continue to develop, and in case the President reaches a hundred years, there would be a bigger problem. Now reveal, start a resolute struggle, defend the general line, educate the whole party, consolidate the party central committee headed by Chairman Mao, this is the interests of the whole party, the whole army and the whole people. To expose the struggle to the end, you change or not change. Of course we want you to change.
Zhu De you are ambitious, you review is not enough. There are people who think it is his own review, but it is not! The Party Central Committee decided to let him take off his pants, not to review can not. You do not know, Chen Yi criticized him is not too much. He also disobeyed Chairman Mao, he wanted to be the leader. Gao Gang thing, he also advocated rotation, want to be the chairman, their own ability to do?
You have not been the commander-in-chief for a day, after the Nanchang Uprising, is anarchy, chaos, is Chen Yi command to Jinggang Mountain; before the Zunyi Conference is Li De command; later is Chairman Mao command; war period in the front command (according to: also not Zhu De command). The Liberation War was commanded by the President. You are no good, but think you are okay. You are out of command, down Jinggang Mountain to the south to fight, three battalions lost two, defeated the war no way, or the President to pick you back.
Lin Biao again led the problem to Peng Luo Lu Yang problem: “Last year after the issue of Luo Ruiqing, in the Shanghai meeting he (referring to Zhu De) also said, can not say that Mao Zedong Thought is the peak of the world Marxism-Leninism, the peak will develop? Probably the pinnacle is not Chairman Mao, but you Zhu De himself, or Khrushchev.”
Chen Yi: “Zhu De I have to ask you: are you going to stage a coup?”
Zhu De: “I don’t have the power or the guts to stage a coup.”
Chen Yi: “I see that you want to be crowned in yellow robes and become emperor. You also strongly praised Khrushchev. You have very big ambitions.”
Ulanhu: “What is even stranger is that he (referring to Zhu De) also said that one cannot be definitive after the coffin is covered. We speak of Khrushchev’s opposition to Stalin as wrong, as revisionist. He said, we still have to get along with the Soviet Union, and he could not leave us.”
Bo Yibo: “Zhu Laozi often spoke of orchids. He said that since ancient times, people who are not politically successful have to plant orchids.”
Zhu De: “Speaking of which, am I ambitious now? I am eighty years old, climbing slopes also need people to pull, walking also can not, and still talk about doing things? …… things I can not manage, not to mention the yellow robe to add. I for our class always love and care, always want it to support forever.”
Zhou Enlai: “Against Chairman Mao I have led. Ningdu meeting was also led by me. Although Comrade Bishou came from the rear, because I replaced Chairman Mao’s political commissar well. This is the biggest mistake and sin of my Life. I also committed the Wang Ming line, and I participated in the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee. So my biggest fault was the four-year-long Zunyi Conference from 1931 to 1935. This is the most painful thing in my life. Then the Luochuan Conference, then Wang Ming’s return, and the Wuhan era from the end of 1937 to 1938, were all serious mistakes of a line nature. Of course there were other mistakes. After liberation, he also made mistakes against advances and so on. These things are all comrade Zhu De together well.”
“As for Comrade Zhu De’s account that is even more. From Jinggang Mountain until the fight to Meixian, are blind activism, warlordism, rogueism. Then there was the Lisan line, which you also committed. Then there was the Wang Ming line for four years, and then there was the Luochuan Conference. At that time Wang Ming did not come back, that is still not against Chairman Mao, you did not lead? Then Wang Ming came back. The second Wang Ming line until the Sixth Plenary Session, and later there are some ‘remnants’. Decades of history, Comrade Zhu De struggled with Zhang Guotao, the first half should be attributed to Comrade Liu Bosheng’s promotion. If there is no Comrade Liu Bosheng there, the yellow robe, you can withstand? The second half was the joint promotion of Comrade He Long, Comrade Bishi, and Comrade Guan Xiangying, before going north. Without that, you even slipped to the west of the river.”
“After the liberation, that much more. Chairman Mao often said, high Rao Peng Huang, you have been involved in the matter well. You go around expressing opinions, is a dangerous thing. …… we are not at ease, the Standing Committee has such a time bomb, Chairman Mao is also worried. Chairman Mao said, you are running the dragon, but you talk everywhere. You want to talk, you have to write a script, discuss with us. …… so you are not reliable, can not be trusted. The Nanchang Uprising, that is, there is a mistake well. I said in the presence of Nyerere, the head of the bourgeois state: Nanchang Uprising, I have mistakes. He was surprised to hear that: You had mistakes? There were mistakes, urban views. Therefore, today I tell you my dissatisfaction with you (Zhu De), I hope you all supervise.”
Finally Deng Xiaoping announced the Central Committee’s decision on the treatment of Peng, Luo, Lu and Yang, the participants unanimously approved.
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