Word: lin
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Lin's Fate. A measure of the puzzlement in the diplomatic community was provided by a Soviet diplomat in the U.S. Asked by a reporter about the goings on in China, he countered anxiously: "If you hear anything, you'll let me know...
...dismissed by most observers, to the more likely possibility of disagreement over an impending meeting of the National Peoples' Congress. Nothing could be held wholly impossible. But most China-watching experts focused their attention on the fate of Mao's heir-designate, Defense Minister and Vice Chairman Lin Piao...
...Lin is known to suffer from chronic tuberculosis and has not been seen since June. His death or incapacity might be more disruptive than the death of Mao himself. If Mao were to die, his successor, at least, would be preordained. But if the chosen successor himself were to die, there would inevitably be a scramble over who should move into his place...
Besides the fact that Lin is not physically robust, his political health may also be failing. He was closely identified with the excesses of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of 1966-69, and since then has been associated with the camp of the "ultraleftists"-die-hards of the Red Guard school. The ultraleftists have been gradually ousted from provincial councils over the past two years by the coalition of the army and government moderates ruling China, and that purge reached a new intensity over the past few weeks...
Curiosity about Lin's status has been mounting since Sept. 11 when the New China News Agency announced, with great fanfare, that it was going to distribute a series of color pictures on the career of Mao. The announcement contained unusual emphasis on the ties between Mao and Lin Piao, eulogizing the Vice Chairman as "the brilliant example for the whole party, the whole army, and the people all over the country." After such a buildup, it was strange indeed that the release of the pictures was delayed for almost ten days...