Not Much Known About Guards
(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) HONG KONG, Sept. 18. Not much is known of the organisation and operation of the Red Guards, United Press International reported. This much is known: the Red Guard is composed primarily of Chinese in their late teens and early twenties. No qualifications have been disclosed, but it appears that membership consists mostly of youths with a worker or peasant background. Some may be students.
There is no uniform. But the guards wear red armbands with the Chinese ideogram for “Red Guard” written in black.
The organisation is nationwide and contains girls as well as boys. How many members it has is not known, but an indication of its size is contained in the fact an estimated one million Red Guards held a rally in Peking. The Red Guard appears to have superseded the old Community Youth League and probably many members of the latter joined the new body.
The Red Guards first appeared publicly on August 18. References to the budding organisation appeared late in June on a Peking wall poster. Some Communist Party cadres and probably Army elements did the actual organising.
Mao Tse-Tung, the chairman of the Communist Party, appears to have been the guilding light His wife, the former actress Chiang Ching, is also a leader as is the Defence Minister, Lin Piao, Maos heir apparent. Lin is the key man and the one who makes the major speeches to Guard rallies. Second echelon leaders are relatively unknown and no pattern has emerged on their age and background.
The Guards who attacked a Western convent school recently and mistreated eight nuns were led by a youth of about 20. He had them well organised. They did not lift a finger until he gave the signal.
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Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31168, 19 September 1966, Page 17
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296Not Much Known About Guards Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31168, 19 September 1966, Page 17
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