When did Lin Biao become China’s minister of defense?

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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*.

Lin Biao became the minister of defense in September 1959. He succeeded Peng Dehuai in this role after Peng was ousted for his opposition to Mao Zedong’s economic and defense policies.1