Endorsement on the Summary Report on Purging Reactionary Elements
(March 18, 1951)

To all central bureaus, and forward to sub-bureaus, provincial party committees, regional party committees, and municipal party committees of large and medium-sized cities:

In purging reactionary elements from among personnel retained in service, Hubei Province has already gained some experience at the provincial level, and now the Southwest has provided an even more complete experience. This shows that it is not only something that ought to be done, but also something that can be done right now. This is a very major issue and must be resolved in earnest. The experience of the Southwest is that, among more than 9,000 retained personnel and new intellectuals in the financial, economic, and transportation organs directly under the Southwest Military and Administrative Committee, over 70 were arrested, over 70 were placed under surveillance, over 190 were subjected to disciplinary training, and 8 were purged, totaling over 350 persons, accounting for 3.9 percent of the total number of old personnel. In addition, over 5,700 members of the Kuomintang and various secret societies were registered, accounting for 64 percent of the total number of old personnel. This experience is well worth studying. Please give consideration to issues in this regard, formulate implementation plans, gain experience, and extend it.

Mao Zedong
March 18