Lin Biao (1907-1971) — PLA marshal, defense minister, vice-chairman of the
Chinese Communist Party — was at one time considered Mao Zedong's heir apparent.
He had a notable military career, attending Whampoa Academy, serving under Zhu De, and
becoming a leader in the Red Army and the People's Liberation Army.
A great promoter of the Mao cult, Lin Biao wrote the introduction to the Little Red Book:
"Once Mao Tse-tung's thought is grasped by the broad masses, it becomes an inexhaustible
source of strength and a spiritual atom bomb of infinite power." By 1971, however, Mao had
turned against Lin, who was alleged to be plotting a coup. Lin and his family died in a
mysterious plane crash in Mongolia in 1971.
Lin Biao
