(November 2, 1949)
To the Central China Bureau, the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CPC, and also to all Central Bureaus, Sub-bureaus, and Forward Committees:
According to a letter received from the Xinhua News Agency’s Beijing headquarters, forwarded from Tianjin, it states: “Earlier, I read in the Tianjin Daily your agency’s editorial of September 16 of this year, ‘Six Critiques of the White Paper,’ which contained the following passage: ‘The CPC

Central Committee has ordered Communist Party organizations and the People’s Liberation Army throughout the country to retain, without exception, all former Kuomintang personnel who possess a useful skill, provided they are not proven reactionaries or notorious criminals. Even when conditions are extremely difficult, food should be shared and housing squeezed; those already laid off and now destitute are to be reinstated and provided with sustenance. All Kuomintang military personnel who have risen in revolt or been captured are likewise to be taken in under this principle. As for non-principal reactionary elements, so long as they show repentance, they too must be afforded a means of livelihood.’ Upon first reading this, I was deeply impressed by such a humane directive issued by the CPC Central Committee. Recently, however, I have successively received numerous letters from colleagues at the Hunan Salt Administration Office in Changsha, reporting that after Changsha’s liberation, it took a long time before anyone was sent to take over their office, and for more than two months no living expenses were paid. Only very recently has a personnel-handling policy been announced. Of the original three hundred employees, only slightly over forty have been retained, while the rest have all been dismissed, leaving the majority suddenly unemployed. Given that finding work today is many times more difficult than under the Kuomintang regime, they are all anxious about their future livelihood. I had always assumed that since Changsha was resolved peacefully and the Central People’s Government had already been proclaimed, with an increase in government organs at all levels, virtually all former staff in that area would be given the opportunity to remain employed. Even if reorganization were necessary or the original headcount too large, alternative placements could certainly be found. Yet, based on the situation described above, not only have my expectations been dashed, but Hunan’s approach to personnel matters appears to be in stark contrast to the CPC Central Committee’s instructions, inevitably causing disappointment. In my view, Communists’ words ought to be kept, and any discrepancies between words and deeds should be promptly corrected. Therefore, I am writing to your agency with the hope that you will forward this letter to Chairman Mao. Should this problem have arisen due to deviations in implementation, I earnestly request that you immediately cable the Hunan Military-Administrative Committee and the Changsha Military Control Commission to rescind the dismissal orders, individually ascertain the wishes of each former employee, offer them employment opportunities, and provide them with living allowances—so as to safeguard our collective reputation and reassure the people. I would be grateful if the outcome could be published in the newspapers. Sincerely, Xinhua News Agency, Beijing. As I have recently returned to my hometown (Hunan), I have omitted both my mailing address and signature; please accept my apologies.” (Tianjin, October 10th)

Regarding this matter, the following measures should be taken:
(1) With regard to the dismissal of a large number of former employees at the Hunan Salt Administration Office as mentioned in the letter, the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CPC is requested to dispatch personnel to investigate the facts and submit a report outlining proposed remedial actions by telegram. (2) Concerning the principles and procedures for handling former personnel as outlined in the Xinhua News Agency’s editorial of September 16, “Six Critiques of the White Paper,” the Central Committee has already issued directives to all Central Bureaus, Sub-bureaus, and Forward Committees. Party organizations, the People’s Liberation Army, and the people’s governments nationwide must strictly adhere to these instructions and avoid repeating the past mistakes of recklessly and irresponsibly dismissing vast numbers of former personnel in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and other cities—over ten thousand in Beijing alone, and more than twenty thousand in Shanghai and Nanjing. Recently, the Northwest Bureau formulated a specific set of guidelines [1] for dealing with former personnel, which the Central Committee has forwarded to you for reference. Please pay close attention to these guidelines and ensure that all subordinate units are likewise informed.
Central Committee
November 2nd
[1]
Refers to the CPC Central Committee’s Northwest Bureau’s directive dated October 14, 1949, concerning the treatment of former personnel.