Reply and Instructions Concerning the Comprehensive Report of the Southwest Bureau
(November 15, 1950)

Comrade Xiaoping:

I have read and understood your report of November 7. All the views set forth in it are correct. Please proceed to carry them out accordingly.

Mao Zedong
November 15

The Eastern China Bureau, the Central-South China Bureau, the South China Sub-Bureau, and the Northwest China Bureau:

We consider that all the views put forward by Comrade Deng Xiaoping in this report are correct. Please study them carefully and adopt those that are applicable in your respective regions as you see fit.

The Central Committee
November 15

Chuan

--- Notes

Refers to the comprehensive report submitted by Deng Xiaoping, First Secretary of the Southwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee on November 7, 1950. The report covers the situation and views arising from the Southwest Bureau's convening of leading responsible comrades from various districts to convey and discuss the Central Committee meeting's instructions on matters such as the situation, land reform, armed force building, suppression of counterrevolutionaries, and confidentiality. The main points are: (1) Preparations should be made for war, and active support should be given to Korea. First, transfer three armies and bring their personnel up to full strength; a second group of three armies will be transferred later. In addition to bringing regular corps up to full establishment, immediately begin expanding local armed forces by 200,000 personnel, in order to help consolidate rear area order and meet the future need of reinforcing the front. At the same time, gradually and universally establish people's armed forces, the total number of which should not exceed 5 percent of a county's population. (2) Accelerate the steps of land reform. Starting from December, carry out rent reduction, the struggle against local despots, and the refund of deposits throughout the region. Begin land distribution work after the spring plowing season ends next year. Plan to draft an implementation outline for land reform before February next year, and begin training land reform cadres in March. (3) Properly resolve the issues of rent reduction, deposit refund, and land questions in areas with mixed ethnic populations. In principle, land reform in these areas should be approved, but two preconditions must be met: first, regional autonomy has been conscientiously implemented or a coalition government has been established; second, the majority of the minority people (especially the Yi people) must endorse it and vote in favor by a show of hands. In terms of steps, the policy of Han first and Yi second should be upheld. In principle, it is determined that before land reform, minority landlords shall only be subject to rent reduction and not to the refund of deposits, and the struggle against local despots shall not be raised among the minority nationalities. In addition, it was decided to make extensive use of the form of minority representative conferences to unite, educate, and win over minority nationalities and mediate ethnic disputes. In areas with mixed ethnic populations, special commissioner’s office committees and county people’s government committees shall be established at the levels of the special commissioner’s office and the county people’s government, drawing in representative figures from all strata among the various minority nationalities to participate in government work.