What role did Lin Biao’s son Lin Liguo reportedly play in plans for a coup against Mao Zedong?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese officials stand in uniform, holding up Little Red Books during a 1967 Red Guard rally in China. — Lin Biao At a 1967 Red Guard rally, Lin Biao (left) and Zhou Enlai publicly display copies of *The Little Red Book*.

During the spring of 1971, as political tensions between Mao Zedong and Lin Biao intensified, Lin Biao’s son, Lin Liguo, reportedly began formulating plans for a potential coup against Mao. These plans were allegedly developed as a measure to protect his father’s political position.1

Following the failure of these efforts and an abortive assassination plot, Lin Biao died in a plane crash in Mongolia in September 1971, which the Chinese government asserted was an attempt to flee to the Soviet Union.21