Bringing the Inside Out: Health, Personality, Politics, and the Tragedy of Lin Biao

Perhaps no other figure in contemporary Chinese history stirs as much controversy as the enigmatic Lin Biao. After an alleged attempt to assassinate Chairman Mao Zedong, Lin, along with his wife Ye Qun, and son Lin Liguo, mysteriously died in a plane crash during an attempt to supposedly flee to the Soviet Union in September 1971. Controversy quickly surrounded the incident as Lin instantly transformed from Chairman Mao's second-in-command and chosen successor to the ultimate counterrevolutionary and antithesis of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

This study aims not to focus directly on the events of September 1971, but on Lin's personal behavior in private while being at the pinnacle of the CCP during the most tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1969). Utilizing a variety of private memoirs from Lin's personal staff, this study will reveal the true Lin Biao, a man plagued by personality deficiencies that inhibited his abilities to perform as a politician and husband. When considering Lin's personal problems, this study will probe and challenge traditional political interpretations of Lin and question the actual level of political involvement he had during the Cultural Revolution.