CONFIDENTIAL
3 -
consistently opposed Mao and his policies for many years,
and efforts are now being made to associate him directly
with Peng Chen (the ex-Mayor of Peking who was disgraced
last year). Many of the charges are obviously nonsense.
A lesser victim associated with this attack is the
General Secretary of the Party, Teng Hsiao-p'ing.
4. At the some time, the Red Guard press and posters
have continued to make unofficial attacks against a number
of Vice-Premiers. The most prominent of these have been
T'an Chen-lin (an agricultural expert) and Ch'en Yi, the
Minister for Foreign Affairs. It is not yet possible to
say what the outcome of these attacks will be or whether
they will lead to the dismissal of those concerned.
fact that Chou En-lai has taken these Ministers under his
powerful and protective wing might well save them.
5.
The
Instructions from the Central authorities in the form
of editorials indicate that yet another attempt is being
made to impose order and discipline. The "Peking Daily"
of 22 May carried a very strong editorial against
"struggle by force". Although this suggests that the aim
of those running the Cultural Revolution is to damp down
the campaign and possibly also gradually bring it to an
end, it is evident that this policy is running into
difficulties. In particular it is proving extremely
hard for the leadership to control the activities of Red
Guards, who now have a life and momentum of their own,
which is often at variance with official policy. It also
appears that Feking is having difficulty in imposing its
CONFIDENTIAL
/will
Page 60Page 61
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.