On Issuing the Directive on Grain Requisition in the Newly Liberated Areas During Land Reform

To Liu Shaoqi
(February 17, 1950)

Comrade Shaoqi:

The draft directive on grain requisition in the newly liberated areas during land reform has been received. It is generally very good and urgently needs to be issued in a timely manner. However, since the fourth part involves the issue of land distribution itself, could its publication be postponed for the time being? When I reported on the land reform policy to Comrade Stalin, he proposed dividing the distribution of landlord land and the distribution of rich peasant land into two relatively lengthy stages. Even if the peasants currently demand the distribution of surplus land belonging to the rich peasants, while we do not prohibit it, we should not preemptively affirm it in legal statutes. Although we explained the nature of semi-feudal rich peasants in China and clarified that capitalist rich peasants would not be expropriated, he still cited the example of the Soviet Union after the October Revolution, urging us to regard the struggle against rich peasants as a serious one. His central idea is to neutralize the rich peasants while overthrowing the landlord class, ensuring that production remains unaffected. During the Politburo meeting last November, the issue of cautiously handling the rich peasant question in the land reform south of the Yangtze River was also raised. This matter concerns not only the rich peasants but also the national bourgeoisie. The land reform laws for the south must differ somewhat from those in the north, and documents such as the 1933 document and the 1947 Land Law must also be revised accordingly. Therefore, we propose that for now, the Government Administration Council only publish the first three parts of the directive on grain requisition in the newly liberated areas during land reform, leaving the fourth part for discussion after our return. If revisions are necessary, the publication of another document specifically on land reform can be postponed until April. If you agree, you may explain to non-Party democratic personages that the fourth part pertains to policies to be implemented only after the autumn of this year, and there is no harm in taking time for thorough deliberation, with final decisions and publication to be made after Chairman Mao’s return.

Mao Zedong
Zhou Enlai
February 17, 7:00 a.m.