ABSTRACT
The Eleventh Plenum of the Eighth Central Committee, held from August 1 to 12, 1966, was not announced beforehand. After the publication of the decision of August 8 on the Cultural Revolution, suspicions were aroused, but they were not fully confirmed until August 12, when the final communique was published. Judging by information gathered afterward, it appears that the Central Committee was scheduled to meet in Peking in the second half of July in Mao's absence, at least for the first sessions. Had the Cultural Revolution originated among the people, not among the leaders, August 18 could be described as the first great revolutionary day. The Party leaders appeared in a new order. In homage to the army, all the chief leaders were in uniform, the red guards made their appearance, and Mao Tse-tung, by accepting their armband, gave them official recognition and sanctioned their role.
