From August 25 to September 21, 1966, the "Red Flag Combat Team" of the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics was trapped outside the south gate of the Ministry of National Defense for 28 days and nights, and demanded that the National Defense Science and Technology Commission hand over Zhao Ruzhang, who was the head of the school's "Cultural Revolution" working group, to clarify the issue, which became a major event in Beijing in the early days of the "Cultural Revolution." Although the party committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission at that time did its best to try to resolve the contradictions and avoid adverse consequences, because the senior leaders of the central government, Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and Chen Boda, successively issued instructions with different contents, in the end the National Defense Science and Technology Commission became a typical example of implementing Liu Deng's bourgeois reactionary line. As executive deputy director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and deputy secretary of the party committee, I was suspended from my post for reflection.
What was the truth of this incident? Because Chen Boda and Zhang Chunqiao controlled the absolute right to speak at that time, their arguments were widely disseminated. Chen Boda relished his so-called military order, and when he met with the classmates of the "Red Flag Combat Team" of Beihang University, he said: "So many of you classmates want to see Zhao Ruzhang and Luo Shunchu, and I don't think they have any reason not to see you, so I went to see you, and before I went, I made a military order: I want Zhao Ruzhang to go, and if your classmates hurt you, I will compensate you for your life." Zhang Chunqiao even publicly criticized me by name, accusing me of not listening to Chen Boda's words, not even listening to Chairman Mao's words, and refusing to hand over Zhao Ruzhang. As a result, students who did not know the truth came to Beihang from all over the country and ruthlessly criticized me and Zhao Ruzhang.
No matter how clever Zhang Chunqiao and Chen Boda are, of course what they say is not the truth. As a party to this incident, it is my duty to tell what I know about the incident for the reference of historical researchers.
Before the Cultural Revolution, there were 11 colleges and universities in the national defense industry under the direct leadership and management of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission of the Ministry of National Defense (hereinafter referred to as the National Defense Science and Technology Commission), and Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (now Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics) was one of them. After the "Cultural Revolution" began in 1966, entrusted by the Beijing New Municipal Party Committee, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission sent more than 30 people, including Zhao Ruzhang, deputy director of the Bureau of Academies and Colleges and Universities (including Mao Zedong's eldest daughter and Li Min, a staff officer of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission's Academies Bureau) to form a working group on June 8 to participate in the "Cultural Revolution."
After the working group (which was later increased to more than 60 people) was stationed in Beihang University, a student posted a big-character poster entitled "A Headless Black Line" and wantonly criticized the work of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and some other problems. Many teachers and students were deeply dissatisfied with the distortions and untruths in the big-character posters. The working group then held a five- or six-day "anti-interference" debate on the poster. As a result, most teachers and students did not agree with the views of this big-character poster, and only a few still adhered to the view of "headless black lines" and were in a relatively isolated situation.
On July 28, the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, in accordance with the instructions of the central authorities, decided to abolish the working group of colleges and universities. On the same day, Qi Benyu, a member of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, secretly met with the student representatives of Beihang who held minority views, and he encouraged the students and said: "I don't think many working groups are good, put up big-character posters to expose the matter, and the students will run away with you." The working group is not willing to revolutionarily dismiss their officials, and if they make mistakes, they can leave them for review, and they cannot let them slip away, let them be your students and be educated. "With the support of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, the students with minority views were more motivated to rebel.
On August 11, all the staff of the working group who had been ordered to evacuate Beihang returned to Beihang under the leadership of Comrade Zhao Ruzhang to listen to the opinions of the masses. On August 14, Zhao Ruzhang conducted a review at the teacher-student staff meeting of the whole school. In his review, he said: "When a student posted a big-character poster of "A Headless Black Line", it caused a controversy among classmates. Originally, in the movement, everyone has different opinions, which is normal. The controversy of several different opinions is inevitable, necessary, and beneficial. Our mistake lies in taking this controversy as the main contradiction for a certain period of time, taking the initiative to organize this great debate, and at the meeting of 10,000 people, we pointed out that the big-character poster "A Headless Black Line" was a big poisonous weed, pointed out that it was deliberately slandered, and pointed the spearhead at the Central Military Commission and the Central Committee. This approach is wrong. Originally, whether this big-character poster was a big poisonous weed or not should be determined by the broad masses of revolutionaries themselves, and we should not have drawn a frame or set the tone in advance, nor should we organize a big debate among classmates and among the masses. Zhao Ruzhang also said: "The mistakes in this great debate are caused by us. The students and comrades who participated in the debate were not responsible. They have shown in various ways that their dissenting opinions are completely legitimate and beyond reproach, that their intentions are good, and that their revolutionary enthusiasm is valuable. Responsibility for errors rests entirely with us. We sincerely hope that the revolutionary comrades will understand each other, strengthen unity, and work together against the enemy on the premise of the same general direction. Zhao Ruzhang solemnly announced in front of all the teachers, students and staff of the college: "Here, we apologize to the students who have been named at the conference (referring to the author of the big-character poster "A Headless Black Line") and all the students and comrades who have been criticized because of their suspicion of the working group and the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. All the hats we put on individual students at the end of the debate will be removed. ”
For Zhao Ruzhang's review, most teachers, students and staff are satisfied, but there are still a few students who are not satisfied. In response to the opinions raised by a small number of students, Comrade Zhao Ruzhang reviewed them for the second time at the teacher-student staff meeting of the whole college on August 19. In this review, Zhao Ruzhang focused on reviewing his thoughts and understanding of the situation at that time when organizing the big debate, and made a profound review of the students' opinions on his work and ideological style during his work in Beihang University.
After Comrade Zhao Ruzhang's review, I also spoke. I first conveyed the greetings of Comrade Nie Rongzhen (then Vice Premier of the State Council, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission) to all the teachers, students, and staff of Beihang University, and then on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, I made a review on the issue of sending a working group. I said: "It was our mistake on our part that the working group first proposed to debate the big-character poster of 'A Headless Black Line' and pointed out that it was a big poisonous weed, which was approved by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. As a matter of fact, it is entirely up to the broad masses of the revolutionary masses to discern whether this big-character poster is a big poisonous weed or not, and we should not draw a frame in advance, set the tone, and approve this debate. As a result of this mistake, the enthusiasm of a part of the masses was dampened and the mass movement had undesirable consequences. "Since the working group was appointed by the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, and the debate on 'A Headless Black Line' was approved by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, the mistakes made by the working group were mainly held responsible by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. "The mistake we have made in this 'Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution' is a mistake in direction and a mistake in line. "We welcome any other opinions of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and the working group; we are allowed to be suspicious of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, and we welcome criticism of mistakes, and we welcome criticism from the masses!" After the meeting, with the consent of the vast majority of teachers, students and staff of the college and the newly elected preparatory committee, the working group left Beihang for the second time.
Regarding Zhao Ruzhang's two reviews, some people still have opinions and express dissatisfaction with the lack of answers to some questions. They later formed the Beihang "Red Flag Combat Team".
At about 8 p.m. on August 24, six members of the "Red Flag Combat Team" came to Comrade Zhao Ruzhang's residence and asked for clarification. Zhao Ruzhang agreed to clarify the questions, and put forward several suggestions in accordance with the spirit of the notice issued by the Beijing Municipal Party Committee on August 11: (1) The questions raised by the students can be clarified, and it is hoped that through the preparatory committee, a member of the preparatory committee will participate. (2) The number of students participating in the clarification symposium should not be too large, preferably seven or eight, and no more than ten at most. (3) I hope that the students will first raise the questions that need to be clarified, and let me prepare. (4) A forum is tentatively scheduled to be held at 9 a.m. tomorrow (August 25) in the reception room of the Central Military Commission to clarify the issue, and another time will be discussed if there is a meeting. The six students did not disagree with this.
However, at 9 a.m. on August 25, the "Red Flag Combat Team" of Beihang University sent more than 100 members instead of 10 people. They did not go to the "Cultural Revolution" reception room of the Military Commission, but went directly to the guardhouse at the south gate of the Ministry of National Defense, and openly demanded that the National Defense Science and Technology Commission hand over Zhao Ruzhang to them for handling, claiming that if Zhao Ruzhang was not handed over, they would sit in front of the national defense department until they handed it over. Why did the "Red Flag Combat Team" blatantly violate the agreement they had agreed with Zhao Ruzhang the night before on clarifying the issue, and no one has disclosed the inside story of it. At this time, more than 100 people from the "Red Guards" and "Red Guards" of Beihang University and other mass organizations also heard the news, and they resolutely disagreed with Zhao Ruzhang's clarification of the issue to the "Red Flag Combat Team" alone. The masses of the two factions, with diametrically opposed views, confronted each other outside the south gate of the Ministry of National Defense, and fierce clashes could break out at any time, and the situation was extremely tense. At this moment, it is not difficult for any person in his right mind to imagine what kind of consequences will occur if the National Defense Science and Technology Commission agrees to Zhao Ruzhang's departure at this time.
More than 100 students gathered at the gate of the Ministry of National Defense compound, shouted slogans through loudspeakers, posted big-character posters, and endlessly pestered and insulted PLA soldiers who were carrying out their normal guard duties. After receiving the report on the same day, Vice Chairman Nie Rongzhen angrily said to his secretary: What is the place of the Ministry of National Defense, and how can the "Beihang Red Flag" come in such a nonsense way! I want to tell the leaders of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission that the students asked Zhao Ruzhang to go back to the academy to clarify the issue, and they can go, but the students cannot sit in the Zhantan Temple (where the Ministry of National Defense is located) and must mobilize them to go back to the academy.
Ye Qun, director of Lin Biao's office, also called me to inquire about the situation after hearing the news, but she did not put forward any guiding opinions to the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. just said "If there is a situation, you must report to the forestry office at any time", and hung up the phone.
After receiving Vice Chairman Nie's instructions, the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission immediately dispatched more than 10 comrades, including Pei Jimin, deputy director of the Bureau of Academies and Universities, to form a reception group, and sent Wang Lihua, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and deputy director of the Logistics Department of the Science and Technology Commission, to visit both sides on behalf of the Standing Committee and persuade the students of the two factions to go back to the school first. However, the "Red Flag Combat Team" resolutely disagreed, believing that if Zhao Ruzhang returned to school, it would cause the masses to fight against the masses; the preparatory committee, the "Red Guards," and the "Red Guards" also did not agree with Zhao Ruzhang and the working group going back again, believing that the academy was carrying out "one fight, two batches, and three reforms," and if the working group went back, it would cause a debate on the issue of the working group, divert the general direction of the movement, and be detrimental to unity. Faced with this situation, the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission can only tirelessly and patiently do persuasion work with both sides, try to eliminate differences, and persuade the students to "stop arguing endlessly on trivial issues on the premise of the general direction, so as to strengthen unity." However, it is not easy to get through the work of each faction in a short period of time.
A few days later, Comrade Liu Zhijian, deputy director of the General Political Department of the Central Committee for the Cultural Revolution, told me that Chairman Mao Zedong had also heard about what was happening at the entrance of the Ministry of National Defense. Chairman Mao said: Set up a tent, give him food and water, and open up another battlefield for him to make trouble for a few months. (to the effect)
During the Long March, I worked beside Chairman Mao. I know that Chairman Mao sometimes said the opposite, and sometimes he said the opposite. This time, how should we correctly understand Chairman Mao's true intentions? After repeated consideration, I understand that Chairman Mao meant that the National Defense Science and Technology Commission should handle this incident as soon as possible.
In fact, from the first day, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission prepared boiling water, porridge, and steamed buns for the students. Because of the large turnover of personnel in the "Red Flag Combat Team," there are many people at one time and few people at the other, it is very difficult to grasp the exact number of them, and they often do not have many people when they are counted, and when the meal is about to be served, there is a sudden increase in the number of people, and it is inevitable that the amount of food supplied will be insufficient, but the phenomenon of not being given water to drink or food to eat on a hot day has never occurred. As for whether or not to erect a tent, I don't think it will have a good impact at the door of the Ministry of Defense. The important thing is to solve the problem as soon as possible. On behalf of the party committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, I called on the representatives of the "Red Flag Combat Team" and the Preparatory Committee, the "Red Guards," and the "Red Guards," and discussed with them repeatedly how to clarify the issue. My classmates sat on the floor, and I sat on the floor, and someone asked me to put a newspaper underneath, but I refused.
I first tried to persuade the Preparatory Committee, the "Red Guards" and the "Red Guards" to agree that Zhao Ruzhang should clarify the issue with the "Red Flag Combat Team" alone. However, they resolutely disagreed, on the grounds that the "Red Flag Combat Team" wanted to clarify the issue, and that there were different views among the various factions, and everyone had the right to know the process of clarification, and they had repeatedly and resolutely stated that "if the issue is clarified to the 'Red Flag Combat Team' alone, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission will be responsible for all serious consequences."
Therefore, we put forward the second plan: Zhao Ruzhang clarified the issue with the "Red Flag Combat Team," and the Preparatory Committee, the "Red Guards," and the "Red Guards" sent only a few representatives to participate. After persuasion, the Preparatory Committee, the "Red Guards", and the "Red Guards" reluctantly agreed, but the "Red Flag Combat Team" resolutely disagreed, on the grounds that other combat organizations in the academy had no opinion on Zhao Ruzhang's review and did not need them to participate.
Then, we put forward a third plan: When clarifying the issue to the "Red Flag Combat Team," the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee participated. Unexpectedly, in addition to the approval of the preparatory committee, the "Red Flag Combat Team", "Red Guards", and "Red Guards" did not agree.
On September 8, Premier Zhou Enlai saw that a briefing report of the Central Cultural Revolution Group to Chairman Mao had made a one-sided report on this incident, so he immediately forwarded this briefing to Nie Rongzhen, Zhao Ruzhang, and me for reading, and instructed the National Defense Science and Technology Commission to let Zhao Ruzhang clarify the problem, or even clarify the problem alone.
On the evening of September 9, in accordance with the instructions of Premier Zhou Enlai, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission decided to let Zhao Ruzhang meet with the "Red Flag Combat Team" alone to clarify the issue. Because the "Red Guards" and "Red Guards" resolutely opposed the clarification of the issue alone, and prevented Zhao Ruzhang from attending the meeting, the discussion was fruitless all night, and the clarification meeting was not held.
On September 12, Zhao Ruzhang and I met with representatives of the "Red Flag Combat Team" to discuss how to clarify the issue individually. People on the side of the "Red Flag Combat Team" went in and out, handing notes and whispering to the deputies from time to time, with the result that the "Red Flag Combat Team" deputies had a changeable attitude, and they had just agreed to it, but they immediately repented. We talked all night to no avail.
Since then, in order to clarify the issue to the "Red Flag Combat Team" alone, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission has been trying to persuade the "Red Guards" and "Red Guards" not to participate in the clarification meeting, and they reluctantly agreed, but they still insisted that the Preparatory Committee is the leading body of the cultural revolution of the academy and must send representatives to participate. At this point, the gap between the two sides has been greatly narrowed, and the National Defense Science and Technology Commission feels that if the two sides do any more work, the problem can be solved.
At a time when the National Defense Science and Technology Commission was struggling to persuade the issue to be clarified separately, Zhang Chunqiao of the Central Cultural Revolution Group called Comrade Nie Rongzhen's secretary on September 19 and said that some students at Beihang University had many opinions on the working group, which had been delayed for a long time and could not be resolved. Comrade Boda recently suggested that it would not be good to drag on like this, and that the working group should listen to their opinions, let the minority students finish their opinions, and the working group should seriously make self-criticism.
After listening to the secretary's report, Nie Rongzhen said that the Central Cultural Revolution team did not understand the situation. He asked me to prepare the situation in detail, report to Zhang Chunqiao, and study how to do it well. Subsequently, he called Wang Li, a member of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, to explain, and hoped that the Central Cultural Revolution Group would come forward and persuade the students to return to school.
On September 21, Wang Li telephoned Nie Rongzhen's secretary and conveyed the opinion of Chen Boda, head of the Central Cultural Revolution Group: "On the issue of Beihang University, no matter how many people are found, the leaders must meet with them; Comrade Chen Boda invited Nie Rongzhen to discuss the issue of Beihang in the afternoon. ”
At 3 p.m. that day, Nie Rongzhen asked me to come to Diaoyutai Chen Boda for a meeting. Chen Boda did not allow Nie Rongzhen to explain to me, so he forcibly ordered the National Defense Science and Technology Commission to hand over Zhao Ruzhang to the "Red Flag Combat Team." He said: If the student hurts Zhao Ruzhang, I will pay for my life, and I can make a military order. After that, he really picked up the pen and wrote a military order. After he finished writing, I gave him a detailed report on Zhao Ruzhang's two reviews on August 14 and 19 and the review I made on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission at the teachers' and students' staff meeting of Beihang University on the 19th, and introduced the differences of opinion between the two factions of Beihang University since August 25 and the work done by the National Defense Science and Technology Commission in these days, and made a special note that as early as September 12, I met with Zhao Ruzhang with the representatives of the "Red Flag" in accordance with Premier Zhou's instructions to discuss how to clarify the issue separately. In the face of the facts, Chen Boda was speechless, so he had to tear up the written military order in front of Nie Rongzhen and me, and continue to discuss ways to solve the problem. Because Nie Rongzhen has repeatedly insisted, the premise of clarifying the issue alone is that the "Beihang Red Flag" must be removed from the gate of the Ministry of National Defense compound, otherwise the impact will be too bad. Chen Boda finally decided: Zhao Ruzhang and the representatives of the "Red Flag Combat Team" went to the All-Army Cultural Revolution Reception Station (Sanzaomen No. 1 Cinema Hall) that evening to clarify the issue individually, and he was to persuade the "Red Flag Combat Team" to leave the south gate of the Ministry of National Defense.
In the evening of the same day, Chen Boda came to the Beihang "Red Flag Combat Team" to besiege the base camp of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, the model aircraft school between the south gate of the Ministry of National Defense. Chen Boda openly expressed his support for the actions of the "Red Flag Combat Team," saying: "You are in the minority, and the minority is excellent and advanced. Subsequently, all the members of the "Red Flag Combat Team" were transferred to the reception station of the Cultural Revolution of the whole army. From the morning of August 25 to the evening of September 21, the south gate of the Ministry of National Defense, which had been noisy for 28 days, temporarily returned to calm.
Outside the gate of the reception station of the Cultural Revolution of the whole army, the students of the "Red Guards" and "Red Guards" of Beihang who came to hear the news strongly asked to participate in the clarification meeting. The National Defense Science and Technology Commission sent staff members to repeatedly persuade the students to go back, and earnestly asked the Preparatory Committee not to let students from other combat teams attend the meeting. The staff of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission can only endure the grievances in their stomachs, and they have nowhere to confide.
At the reception station, the "Red Banner Combat Team" and the National Defense Science and Technology Commission had another disagreement. We believe that the meeting should be co-chaired by both sides, and the "Red Flag Combat Team" resolutely disagrees that they must unilaterally preside over it, and the two sides argued for two hours. At this time, we received instructions from the whole army for the Cultural Revolution and agreed that the "Red Flag Combat Team" would preside over the meeting, so we complied.
After the "Red Flag Combat Team" of Beihang University won the right to preside over the meeting, they did not clarify the specific matter with Comrade Zhao Ruzhang, but took out a "written guarantee from Zhao Ruzhang" that they had prepared in advance and insisted that Zhao Ruzhang sign the guarantee. Seeing that the "guarantee" had the words "on call to clarify the issue alone," Zhao Ruzhang felt a little embarrassed; as a soldier, how could he easily guarantee to be on call without approval? Seeing that Zhao Ruzhang did not sign, the "Red Flag Combat Team" began to insult and abuse Zhao Ruzhang in every way, saying that Zhao Ruzhang had gone back on his word and was a great liar. They implemented wheel tactics against Zhao Ruzhang and did not let Zhao Ruzhang sleep for a whole night.
The next night, Comrade Zhao Ruzhang proposed that he could have "three sames" with his classmates, but they tried their best to oppose it, saying that it was a big conspiracy, and tossed around for a whole night, not allowing Zhao Ruzhang to rest. On the morning of 23 September, in order to get Zhao Ruzhang to sign it, the "Red Flag Combat Team" issued 27 serious warnings to Zhao Ruzhang within an hour, saying that Zhao Ruzhang was a revisionist, a right-leaning opportunist, and the main culprit in sabotaging the "Cultural Revolution." At 1 p.m. on that day, the "Red Flag Combat Team" announced that Zhao Ruzhang's freedom of movement was restricted and that Zhao Ruzhang be dismissed. Liu Zhijian, then deputy head of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, and deputy director of the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army, learned of the situation and informed Zhao Ruzhang of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission that he could sign, and Zhao Ruzhang signed the guarantee. The meeting lasted 42 hours, and Zhao Ruzhang couldn't get a little rest and was exhausted.
On the second day (September 24), Comrade Nie Rongzhen convened the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission to study the "Cultural Revolution" in colleges and universities of the national defense industry, and specially invited Zhao Ruzhang to attend. Nie Rongzhen first said at the meeting: "Comrade Zhao Ruzhang, you have been wronged. And expressed condolences. When studying the issue of Beihang, Nie Rongzhen said: "I suspect that there are bad guys in the 'Red Flag', there are 'bulls, ghosts, snakes and gods', and there must be a backstage." ”
At 2:30 p.m. on September 27, Zhao Ruzhang continued to clarify issues with the "Red Flag Combat Team." Zhao Ruzhang asked the "Red Flag Combat Team" to put forward all the questions and questions that need to be clarified and answer them in a unified manner. However, the "Red Flag Combat Team" did not allow it, and Zhao Ruzhang could only answer any question they asked directly, and could only answer "yes" or "no", and was not allowed to explain the reasons and appeal the reasons. When Zhao Ruzhang laid out the facts and reasoned, they immediately stopped Zhao Ruzhang's speech, and even protested and insulted, saying that Zhao Ruzhang was a "bull, ghost, snake and god", a "big villain", and an "anti-socialist", etc., and took advantage of Zhao Ruzhang's unpreparedness to take away Zhao Ruzhang's notebook. As a result, they found the crucial words of Nie Rongzhen written down by Zhao Ruzhang in their notebooks. Now it's terrible, I suspect that there are bad guys in the "Red Flag Combat Team" and there is a backstage, not only the "Red Flag Combat Team" will chase after it, but even the Central Cultural Revolution Team is very angry.
On 30 September, Jiang Qing sent a message through an old subordinate of Comrade Nie Rongzhen: On the issue of Beihang University, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission is becoming more and more passive and deeply trapped, and the situation is changing. Minorities must be strongly supported. If students want to fight Zhao Ruzhang, they will fight, what hat they wear is what kind of hat, don't be afraid, let's talk about it later in the movement. She also said: "The Science and Technology Commission should not push Mr. Nie to the front line, and it is not good to follow the wrong leader and make it a contradiction between the enemy and me." ”
At this point, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, which was thinking about how to be more conducive to clarifying the issue and how to avoid the further aggravation of contradictions among the masses of various factions in Beihang University, was completely unaware that this "Cultural Revolution" initiated and led by the Supreme Leader himself would be an unprecedented turmoil, and that a great deal of the work they had done was denounced as carrying out the "wrong line."
On 30 September, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission wrote a report to the Central Cultural Revolution Group and the Beijing Municipal CPC Committee, truthfully reporting the circumstances of the incident, and reporting them together with Zhao Ruzhang's two reviews at Beihang University, my review at Beihang on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, and Zhao Ruzhang's comments on 24 August on clarifying the issue separately with the "Red Flag" and the guarantee letter he finally signed. The report made the following recommendations: (1) Since the "Red Flag Combat Team" did not allow the National Defense Science and Technology Commission to preside over the meeting to clarify the issue, it was suggested that the Beijing Municipal Committee should appoint someone to attend and preside over it. (2) The meeting to clarify the issue should emphasize the presentation of facts and reasoning, and allow both sides to fully express their opinions, and let go of disagreements. I have issued this report.
Since this report tells the truth about the 28 days and nights of events with detailed materials, and proposes to "allow both sides to fully express their opinions," this is simply working against the wind with the Central Cultural Revolution Group, and the invincible Central Cultural Revolution Group was furious after receiving the report. On the evening of October 1, as soon as I climbed the Tiananmen Tower, I was arrogantly told by a leading comrade of the army who was working in the Central Committee of the Cultural Revolution that the report of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission was wrong and must be withdrawn. Zhang Chunqiao also came over and angrily accused me: If you didn't let Zhao Ruzhang out, you just didn't listen to Chairman Mao! In those days, not listening to Chairman Mao's words was a mortal crime. So I argued fiercely with Zhang Chunqiao. Zhang Chunqiao said that I did not listen to Chairman Mao's words, and I responded to Zhang Chunqiao, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission has never received Chairman Mao's instruction that Zhao Ruzhang can go alone to clarify the problem with the "Beihang Red Flag." Did Chairman Mao say that he wanted Zhao Ruzhang to go out and clarify the issue alone? If so, why did he deliberately blockade the National Defense Science and Technology Commission? If he had not said that he had fabricated Chairman Mao's instructions, then what should he do? The argument between me and Zhang Chunqiao lasted for more than an hour.
The next day (October 2), Liu Zhijian wrote a note to me and Zhao Ruzhang, which read: Chen Boda sent a military order to Mr. Lin, please return it to the secretary of the Forestry Office immediately after reading it. The full text of the military order, dictated by Chen Boda and recorded on a piece of paper by Guan Feng, a member of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, is as follows: "With the attitude of ordinary laborers, if the cadres of the Science and Technology Commission (including Luo Shunchu and Zhao Ruzhang) are killed or injured by the students, Chen Boda is willing to compensate." The signature is Chen Boda's autograph. There is also a line in the lower corner of the military order: "Guan Feng recorded 10 p.m. on September 22." This is a very important detail: on the afternoon of September 21, Chen Boda was there with Nie Rongzhen and I when Wang Li, not Guan Feng, was there. When Chen Boda wrote and tore up the military orders in front of Nie Rongzhen and me, Guan Feng was not at the scene. On the evening of the 22nd, Chen Boda clearly knew that Zhao Ruzhang had met with the "Beihang Red Flag" at the reception station of the Cultural Revolution of the whole army at this moment to clarify the issue, so why did he dictate the military order and ask Guan Feng to record it for him? This is one of them. At 10 p.m. on September 22, Guan Feng recorded this posthumous military order, Chen Boda did not take it out early or late, why did he rush to Lin Biao on October 2, after the debate between me and Zhang Chunqiao, this is the second thing. (In Chen Boda's last reminiscences in his later years, he did not leave any explanation for this, which left another mystery for future generations.) Chen Boda later boasted everywhere that it was because he wrote the "military order" that the National Defense Science and Technology Commission was forced to hand over Zhao Ruzhang. If this is the case, the "Beihang Red Flag" has besieged the National Defense Science and Technology Commission not for 28 days and nights, but for 29 days and nights.
With the support of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, the arrogance of the "Red Flag Combat Team" of Beihang became higher and higher, and they continued to follow the idea of "a headless black line" and kept chasing up. Zhao Ruzhang had to ask me for instructions. In many things, the "Red Flag Combat Team" did not believe that he, the small head of the working group, could do the master, so how should he reply to the questions of the "Red Flag Combat Team"? However, in order not to lead the troubles to Nie Rongzhen, to prevent other leaders from being besieged, and not to affect the normal work of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, I thought about it for a moment and said to Zhao Ruzhang: No matter what questions the students asked, you answered that you only asked me, and it was all my decision, and I must protect President Nie and other leading comrades. In this way, I naturally became the target of the "Red Banner Combat Team". Soon, each word had a large slogan one person high: "Remove Luo Shunchu from his post! "Remove Zhao Ruzhang from his post! Remove Zhao Ruzhang's official!" posted all over the streets and alleys of Beijing. At the same time, the "Red Flag Combat Team" also put forward an unreasonable request for the National Defense Science and Technology Commission to move to Beihang to work.
On October 8, the Central Cultural Revolution Group and the Central Military Commission held a meeting in the East Hall of the Great Hall of the People to study the issue of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. There was a lot of debate at the meeting. Zhang Chunqiao and others insisted that I would resist Chairman Mao's instructions and resolutely branded me as a "three-anti element," but the vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission present at the meeting resolutely disagreed. Chen Yi said: In order to avoid conflicts between the masses of the two factions, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission has taken the right measures. Luo Shunchu went to the students six times before and after, sat on the ground with the students, and discussed solutions, how can it be said that he refused to meet with the students? Lin Biao, who presided over the meeting, had previously sent his secretary to send me and Zhao Ruzhang two briefings of the Central Cultural Revolution Group for circulation, and his attitude was the same as that of several veteran commanders. After the "September 13 Incident," Zhang Chunqiao said at a meeting that Lin Biao said at this meeting that this person (referring to me) had been very good in the past, but now he had no way to do it, which was rather reluctant and regretful, and he did not express indignation at Luo Shunchu at all for not carrying out the chairman's instructions. Lin Biao said not long ago that "whoever opposes Chairman Mao and Mao Zedong Thought will be condemned by the whole party and the whole country." Zhang Chunqiao insisted that I should be dismissed for opposing Chairman Mao's instructions. So, Lin Biao had to take a step back and propose a compromise solution: "Suspend first, be more proactive." (Wang Li, a member of the Central Cultural Revolution Group--- said in his memoirs: Zhou Enlai immediately added that it was not a dismissal, but only a suspension for reflection, not an anti-party, nor a counter-revolutionary, but just a lack of consciousness. At half past eight o'clock in the evening of the same day, at the reception station of the All-Army Cultural Revolution in Sanzamen, Liu Zhijian, on behalf of the Central Military Commission, announced my decision to suspend my post for reflection.
On October 9, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a central work conference. The central topic of the meeting was the criticism of the so-called "bourgeois reactionary line," and the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and I became typical examples of the implementation of the "bourgeois reactionary line."
On the same night, Zhang Chunqiao met with a representative of students from Fujian Province who went to Beijing, and he said to the students: "The students of Beihang University wanted to talk to Zhao Ruzhang, the head of the working group, and waited at the gate of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission for 28 days and 28 nights, but (Luo Shunchu) was gone. We reported to Chairman Mao, and Chairman Mao said that he wanted him to see the students, but he still didn't see him. Later, Chen Boda asked him to live in the school to talk, saying that if the student killed you, I, Chen Boda, would resist the order, and signed and made a military order, but he still didn't dare to go. On October 1, I met Luo Shunchu at the Tiananmen Gate Tower and debated with him, and I became angry and said to him: 'Why don't you listen to Chen Boda's words, even Chairman Mao's words? Zhang Chunqiao's speech immediately spread throughout the country.
After the conclusion of the Central Work Conference, a large-scale campaign to "criticize the bourgeois reactionary line" was launched throughout the country. Zhao Ruzhang and I, who were suspended, came to the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics to practice the "three sames" under the supervision of the "Red Flag Combat Team." Every day, tens of thousands of students flock to Beijing from all over the country with great love for the great leader, come to Beihang University, and mercilessly criticize me and Zhao Ruzhang, who have been named by the "head" of the Central Cultural Revolution Group. In the face of young people who are simple-minded and do not know the truth, Zhao Ruzhang and I can only endure humiliation and bear the burden of humiliation, silently bearing endless humiliation and abuse.
It is regrettable that because Zhang Chunqiao and Chen Boda controlled the absolute right to speak at that time, the truth of the 28 days and nights incident has gradually become little known. However, no matter how clever Zhang Chunqiao and Chen Boda may be, I always believe that the vast majority of the students, faculty and staff members with whom I have come into contact are reasonable, and if it were not for the ulterior motives behind the scenes, this incident could have been properly and satisfactorily resolved with the complete set of successful experiences and policies accumulated by our party in the mass movement and revolutionary practice over the years.