Chapter 69 Military leaders form alliances with notorious gangs to advise against actions 1967

Journalist: “What is your opinion on the ‘Gallery of 108 Outlaws’?”

Mao: “In early 1967, during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People, the Central Cultural Revolution Group showed me a picture titled ‘Gallery of 108 Outlaws’ and made some jokes. It was painted by Kuai Dafu, with the approval of Jiang Qing. The painting depicted 108 individuals, and I jokingly remarked that there were 107 remaining Central Committee members, but the painting showed 108 outlaws, accounting for two-thirds. This indicated the seriousness of internal issues within the party. However, I was afraid that if I actually overthrew all of them, it would provoke opposition from the entire military and the nation. How would I handle the situation? So, I advised the Central Cultural Revolution Group not to support anarchism and not to dampen the enthusiasm, which would please the rightists. The Cultural Revolution had not yet succeeded, and comrades still needed to make efforts.”

Journalist: “Was there a military mutiny in 1967?”

Mao: “In early 1967, there was nationwide chaos, with work stoppages, production shutdowns, and challenges to the military. Many high-ranking officials and generals committed suicide. The situation was almost out of control. Commanders and political commissars of various military regions secretly formed alliances and planned to have hundreds or thousands of generals kneel before me and plead for mercy. If I didn’t make an immediate response, they would remain kneeling and unable to rise. News of this reached Zhou Enlai. Wasn’t this a veiled remonstration? How would I handle the situation? It gave him a cold sweat and provoked my anger. I considered a major restructuring of the entire military, replacing personnel with Lin Biao’s supporters. Would it lead to a nationwide civil war? This situation was reported to Zhu De. In the end, Zhu De made great efforts to calm the situation and saved me from a potentially explosive event. I was afraid that if I really provoked a mutiny among the military leaders, I asked Zhou Enlai to swiftly handle the conflicts, following the principle of ‘leave some room for the defeated.’ The chaotic situation was caused by me, and it was up to Zhou to clean up the mess. Zhu De’s residence in Zhongnanhai was also raided twice. So, I had to say that if anyone wanted to fight against General Zhu, I would support them.”