When Marshal Ye declined, writing to Mao on July 1 that he was too old and that Deng should lead the daily work of the party, Mao immediately approved. On July 2 Marshal Ye wrote the official document announcing that Deng would now, in addition to leading the government as de facto premier and the military as vice chairman of the CMC, lead the daily work of the party. Topping it all off, around this time Mao also gave him a new assignment in the area of foreign policy: Deng was to become the first Chinese Communist official to make a state visit to a Western country.
