Comment on the Plan for the Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries
(April 13, 1951)

To the Party committees of the various greater military regions, with copies to the departments directly under the Military Commission and the various special arms commands:

I have read the April 8 plan of the Northeast Military Region Party Committee on carrying out the work of suppressing counterrevolutionaries within the Northeast military system [1] and am very pleased. This plan is thorough and appropriate; it was formulated after serious study of this grave issue. I request that you all pay attention to studying this document and use it as a reference for conducting the work of suppressing counterrevolutionaries within your own systems.

Mao Zedong
April 13

[1] The main points of the plan for the work of suppressing counterrevolutionaries by the Party Committee of the Northeast Military Region are:
(1) Organize all cadres to study the documents on suppressing counterrevolutionaries. Examine the thinking of cadres in light of the spirit of the documents, and transmit and educate the entire army on these documents.
(2) Conduct analysis and research based on existing leads and materials, arrange and strengthen investigative forces, further uncover problems, enrich materials, prepare to arrest a batch of counterrevolutionary elements, and promptly conduct interrogations after arrests to expand the results.
(3) Regarding the focus of examination, the Military Region Party Committee should concentrate on military industry, logistics, special arms, and confidential departments; each unit should also determine its own focus based on its own conditions. The examination of cases and personnel should also distinguish between primary and secondary, and grasp the key points.
(4) Principles of handling:
(1) Counterrevolutionary elements with major past crimes or current sabotage activities, where verified by solid evidence, shall be sentenced to death; despotic landlords shall be sent back to their places of origin and handed over to the courts for death sentences.
(2) Coerced accomplices whose crimes are not major shall be concentrated for control and training, then repatriated to their places of origin and handed over to local public security departments for control.
(3) Major suspects shall be concentrated for control and training, continue to undergo strict examination, and be dealt with after clarification.
(5) Political departments at all levels must make this work their current central task; the examination and suppression of counterrevolutionaries in each department shall be the responsibility of the leading officers. All death sentences must be approved by the leading officers of the Military Region, and public trials shall be organized to educate the masses.
(6) A strict examination system and personnel recruitment system must be established; personnel appointments must be examined and approved by organs at or above the regimental level, and the security departments shall be strengthened.