Chapter 67 Topple Tao Zhu and the royalist faction 1967

Journalist: “Wasn’t Tao Zhu a leftist? Why did you want to overthrow him?”

Mao: “Yes, Tao Zhu has always been a consistent leftist. He is capable and tough. In Yan’an, he openly confronted Liu Shaoqi, and in 1953, he criticized Liu Shaoqi’s speech in Tianjin during a meeting. In the early stages of liberation, when Ye Jianying was carrying out peaceful land reform in Guangdong, I had Tao Zhu replace him. Tao Zhu became ruthless when it came to killing people. Later, Guangdong also did well and gained popular support.

In 1959-1960, there was a famine that led to the death of millions of people in the Xinyang region. Tao Zhu was the Secretary of Central-South China and led a working group to investigate. I instructed that the deaths were a result of collusion between the landlord class and local cadres, class revenge, and the persecution of poor and lower-middle peasants. I used ‘class struggle’ and ‘enemy sabotage’ to cover up the famine and shift the focus away from the disaster. He would also know that I was creating lies to divert attention and evade responsibility. However, he dared not deviate from my instructions. In September 1961, Tao Zhu said, ‘Was the Long March difficult? The Great Leap Forward was even more difficult.’ In March 1962, in a report, Tao Zhu was even more direct, saying, ‘We must follow the Communist Party, not an individual.’ This was aimed at me.

At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, I saw that he was sufficiently leftist and firm in the past, so I brought him to work on propaganda in Beijing, alongside Lin Biao. By October 1966, I mentioned him as the fourth-ranking figure. But I didn’t expect that he couldn’t keep up with my intentions, and his thinking remained stuck in the 1950s, aligned with Liu and Deng. He clashed with Jiang Qing and became a conservative.”

Journalist: “Why did you appreciate Tao Zhu so much? You brought him to Beijing and ranked him as the fourth-ranking figure during the early stages of the Cultural Revolution.”

Mao: “I highly valued Tao Zhu for his ruthlessness. He could kill without hesitation. Between 1950 and 1951, when Ye Jianying led the peaceful land reform in Guangdong, if landlords weren’t fought against, they were given land. Tao Zhu once reported to me, ‘In Guangxi, we annihilated 450,000 bandits, killing 40,000, and one-third of them were killable or not.’ I admired his left-leaning nature and found him commendable. So I transferred him from Guangxi to Guangdong, replacing Ye Jianying as the First Secretary, completely changing the course of peaceful land reform in Guangdong. As a result, he removed Fang Fang, the Governor of Guangdong, and brought Zhao Ziyang from the north. I transferred Ye Jianying to the General Staff Headquarters in Beijing because the people of Guangdong couldn’t handle the task of dealing with landlords. They were too soft-hearted to take action against them. Northern cadres completely replaced local cadres in Guangdong, and over 6,000 local cadres were demoted or persecuted. By 1952, 80% of county-level cadres were replaced by cadres from the north or the military.

I was very satisfied with Tao Zhu’s performance in Guangdong, and I had a deep impression of him. I felt that he was trustworthy. In 1958, I instructed him to handle the Huang Jing case in Guangdong, and he successfully completed the task to my satisfaction. That’s why, at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, I appointed him as the Minister of Propaganda, working alongside Lin Biao as a united force to carry out the objectives of the Cultural Revolution. However, I didn’t anticipate that he would fall under the influence of the Liu-Deng faction and clash with Jiang Qing. He was too foolish to understand that Jiang Qing represented me.”

Journalist: “You were urgently transferred Tao Zhu to Beijing?”

Mao: “Yes, on June 1, 1966, Tao Zhu arrived in Beijing and moved into Building 9 of the Diaoyutai. I appointed him as a consultant to the Central Cultural Revolution Group and he became neighbors with Jiang Qing and Kang Sheng. I tried to win him over and convey my intentions to him. Jiang Qing even made it clear that I highly valued him as a messenger. However, Tao Zhu’s temperament did not mesh well with Jiang Qing. On July 24, he moved to Zhongnanhai. He failed to adapt to the current situation and refused to cooperate with Jiang Qing. He was even concerned about Jiang Qing’s lack of official position and suggested that she be appointed as the Deputy Minister of Culture. His thinking was still stuck in the 1950s.”

Journalist: “Tao Zhu does not think that Jiang Qing represents you?”

Mao: “Yes, he was too foolish. In October 1966, during the Central Committee meeting, I deliberately said that Liu Shaoqi should not be completely eliminated and allowed for changes. I was just playing along. But Tao Zhu didn’t understand that I was taking gradual steps, escalating the situation step by step, and it wasn’t yet time to overthrow Liu Shaoqi in October. Tao Zhu conveyed what I said and argued that Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping had a problem with their understanding and should be protected.

Tao Zhu had a public conflict with Jiang Qing, which occurred at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with the big-character poster written by Wu Chuanqi. Jiang Qing wanted Tao Zhu’s support, but he refused and said that Wu had a historical issue. Jiang Qing said: ‘As long as he writes the first big-character poster, he is a revolutionary leftist. What’s the big deal about historical issues?’ Kang Sheng even said that even if he were a turtle egg, they would still support him. Tao Zhu, being a man of integrity, insisted that he couldn’t support it.

Jiang Qing slammed the sofa and shouted, ‘You must go and support Wu Chuanqi, whether you like it or not!’

Journalist: “Tao Zhu actually had a quarrel with your wife? Wasn’t he aware of the situation?”

Mao: “Yes, Tao Zhu was not like Zhou Enlai, who went along with everything. He also slammed the tea table and said, “I won’t go. This is the organization of the Communist Party, and you’re interfering too much, exerting too much control.” He didn’t understand that at that time, Jiang Qing was essentially the second most powerful figure, even Lin Biao had to consider her opinions. Disrespecting Jiang Qing meant disrespecting me.”

Journalist: “Wow, Tao Zhu actually slammed the table with Jiang Qing?”

Mao: “Yes, Jiang Qing was greatly surprised. She didn’t expect Tao Zhu to confront her like that. She cried and complained to me, saying that Tao Zhu was bullying her and suppressing her. I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Tao Zhu was too ignorant of the current situation. How could I rely on him to charge into battle with me?

With my tacit approval, on November 28, 1966, Jiang Qing delivered a speech at a large meeting intentionally not mentioning Tao Zhu’s name, only mentioning me, Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, Chen Boda, and Kang Sheng. The Red Guards were sensitive, and they sensed that the fourth most powerful figure was in trouble. Not mentioning his name meant there was an issue, so they began to attack him fiercely.

Mao: “On January 8, 1967, I convened a meeting to discuss who would replace Tao Zhu as the head of propaganda after his downfall. I designated Wang Li for that role. When Tao Zhu came to Beijing, I pretended that it was Deng Xiaoping who introduced him. Unexpectedly, Tao Zhu followed Liu-Deng’s line, and when the Red Guards came, the issue was resolved.

On January 8, 1967, I instructed to stop sending documents to Tao Zhu. One month later, I had his telephone line disconnected, increased guards at his residence, and had him under constant surveillance, with daily visits to see the big-character posters at the West Gate of Zhongnanhai.”

Journalist: “So Tao Zhu accepted criticism and continued to be dragged along?”

Mao: “Yes, on February 10, 1967, during the Standing Committee meeting, I first scolded Chen Boda and called for the downfall of Tao Zhu, taking advantage of the situation between me and Liu Shaoqi. Later, I criticized Jiang Qing for her arrogance and incompetence.

On February 14, 1967, under my instructions, the Central Cultural Revolution Group held a meeting to criticize those who supported Chen Boda and Jiang Qing. Criticizing Chen was about ideological issues, and criticizing Jiang Qing was about style and understanding. Chen felt wronged and even threatened to commit suicide, but Zhou Enlai intervened to mediate.”

Journalist: “When you criticized Jiang Qing, were you just putting on a show?”

Mao: “Yes, sometimes I have to appear serious. On July 20, 1967, during the Wuhan incident, I firmly stated that Tao Zhu was the mastermind behind it. I allowed Jiang Qing to manipulate the rebel factions in Zhongnanhai. They stormed Tao Zhu’s residence, took him and his wife for struggle sessions, and confiscated a large amount of their belongings.

In January 1968, the number of troops guarding Tao Zhu increased to two squads, and he was not allowed to leave for 24 hours.

In August 1968, during the Tiananmen Square Million-People Assembly, the criticism was directed at Liu, Deng, and Tao. Tao Zhu was subjected to struggle sessions at Zhongnanhai, physically assaulted with punches and kicks, leaving him bruised and humiliated.”

Journalist: “So, Tao Zhu’s end was near?”

Mao: “Yes, at the end of 1968, Tao Zhu was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

On October 15, 1969, I instructed Wang Dongxing to talk to Tao Zhu’s wife, Zeng Zhi. I told her that Tao Zhu wanted to go to Hefei, and she could accompany him, but they would have no communication with the outside world and no contact with anyone. If she didn’t want to go, she could go to Guangdong for labor reform, but she had to sever ties with Tao Zhu. Tao Zhu hoped that Zeng Zhi could live freely and refused her company in the imprisonment in Hefei. Before parting, he wrote a poem for Zeng Zhi:

Returning to the battlefield is also difficult for me
Living with bitterness and hardships
All past memories vanish like smoke
My heart is selfless, and the world is vast
On October 18, 1969, Tao Zhu went to Hefei.
On November 30, 1969, Tao Zhu passed away alone in Hefei.”

Journalist: “So, Tao Zhu was tortured to death by you?”