04864. LIN PIAO AND THE NATURE OF CHINESE POLITICS. A major figure in recent Chinese politics is thoroughly analyzed in this well-documented report. The political career of Lin Piao from his appointment as Defense Miister in 1959 to his fall from power in 1971 is given a complete examination, and his relations with Mao and his wife are focused on. Lin's exaggerated radicalism and rigid interpretation of ideology are remarked upon, and his central role in the cultural revolution is stressed. The maneuverings of Mao and Lin during the latter days of the cultural revolution are studied in great detail. 27p., 34f., 15b.