Supplementary Directive Endorsement

(February 10, 1951)

To all Central Bureaus, and forward to all their subordinate sub-bureaus, major municipal committees, provincial committees, and district party committees:

Hereby transmit to you the East China Bureau’s February 7 Supplementary Directive on Suppressing Counterrevolutionary Activities (I). The Central Committee holds that the policy, strategy, and methods set forth in this directive are entirely correct.

The Central Committee
February 10

[I]
The East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee’s Supplementary Directive on Suppressing Counterrevolutionaries points out that the East China region was formerly a center of imperialist and Kuomintang secret agent activities and is currently situated on the national defense front line. Therefore, seizing the opportunity of the Resist America and Aid Korea movement and the land reform, it is entirely necessary to carry out, in a planned manner throughout the entire East China territory, the elimination of bandit chieftains, habitual bandits, local despots whom the people bitterly hate, as well as important bandit chieftains and secret society ringleaders against whom there is genuine evidence.

At present, except in areas of Zhejiang and southern Anhui where relatively many people have been arrested and executed and where a pause should be taken in order to clear accumulated cases and sum up experience before executing a second batch, in other provinces (regions) where executions have been insufficient, especially in large and medium-sized cities, it is necessary to continue boldly arresting a batch and executing a batch, and the pause must not come too early. According to the experience of various localities, so long as the edge of suppression is first aimed at the bandit chieftains and local despots whom the masses bitterly hate, as well as secret agents, secret society ringleaders against whom there is definite evidence, and important Kuomintang party and league elements who have continued their activities after Liberation, there will be no mistakes in arrests or executions. In the work of suppressing counterrevolutionaries, it is imperative to emphasize the principle of striking accurately, striking steadily, and striking relentlessly; it is imperative to pay attention to conducting propaganda and education work among the people of all circles both before and after the event; and it is imperative to pay attention to mastering the strategy of being tight here and loose there, loose here and tight there, and alternating between tight and loose.