Commentary on the Shandong Military Region’s Plan for Suppressing Counterrevolutionaries and Screening Undesirable Elements (April 17, 1951) To all Major Military Regions; also forwarded to the Military Regions of all provinces; and brought to the attention of all departments directly under the Central Military Commission and all Specialized Command Headquarters [1]: The Shandong Military Region has made very thorough arrangements for the suppression of counterrevolutionaries, and the principles and methods it has laid down [2] are quite appropriate. These may serve as a reference for other military regions. Mao Zedong April 17

Based on the manuscript print. Notes [1] Refers to the various specialized arms command headquarters of the Headquarters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. [2] Refers to the principles and methods for suppressing counterrevolutionaries and screening undesirable elements set forth in a report dated April 13, 1951, submitted by Xu Shiyou, Commander of the Shandong Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and Xiang Ming, its Political Commissar, to the Party Committee of the East China Military Region and concurrently to the General Political Department and the East China Bureau.

The report states: It is imperative to severely suppress all counterrevolutionary elements. Those against whom sufficient evidence has been gathered should be immediately arrested and dealt with. In the process of screening undesirable elements, the primary task is to root out hidden counterrevolutionaries. Our goal is to ensure that not a single counterrevolutionary remains concealed within or infiltrates our forces; at the same time, we must never unjustly victimize an innocent person. The report calls for distinguishing between political issues, class background, social origins, disciplinary matters, and ideological questions in the examination of six categories of personnel—undesirable elements of various kinds; hired, retained, and newly recruited staff; young intellectuals who have been conscripted; individuals whose families were targeted during land reform and who harbor dissatisfaction; those habitually given to corruption, degeneracy, and violations of law and discipline; and persistent ideologically backward elements who oppose organizational directives—and for treating and handling each category accordingly, without conflating them. Except for those who are unequivocally counterrevolutionaries and must be arrested and prosecuted, measures such as purges, intensive training sessions, reassignment for further training, removal from sensitive posts, disciplinary sanctions, and educational efforts aimed at winning over these individuals should be applied as appropriate to different situations. Our objective is to prevent any incorrigible undesirable element from remaining in or infiltrating our ranks, while at the same time avoiding the arbitrary dismissal of those who still have the potential to be reformed. The report further points out that, methodologically, it is essential to enlighten leading cadres at regimental party committee level and above regarding the pernilous nature of counterrevolutionary activities, to clarify the boundaries between suppressing counterrevolutionaries and screening undesirable elements, and to master the principle of differentiated treatment based on the specific characteristics of each group. Moreover, among both cadres and ordinary soldiers, intensified education on the stern suppression of counterrevolutionaries should be conducted to draw a clear line between friend and foe, raise class consciousness, and solidify one’s class stance. As for organizational implementation, unified leadership by the party committees is required, with commanders personally taking responsibility; the work should be presided over by security committees, integrating the functions of the security organs, organizational departments, and military judicial authorities; combining the roles of core cadres with the broad masses; blending internal procedures with public outreach; and integrating screening and adjudication with educational initiatives.