To all Central Bureaus, with copy to Branch Bureaus, Provincial Committees, Regional Party Committees, and Municipal Committees of large and medium-sized cities; to all Military Regions, with copy to subordinate military areas; to all departments directly under the Central Committee, to all special corps, and to the Party Groups of the Central People’s Government:

(1) With regard to the work of screening former personnel and intellectuals within both the government and military systems, various localities and departments have now begun to implement this task. In responding to questions about “taking them all in,” we have observed some inappropriate statements. For example, some have argued: “When the new regime took over after liberation, it accepted everyone as they were without change. Why are we dealing with these matters again now? Isn’t that contradictory?” The reply given was: “There is no contradiction. The policy of combining repression with leniency has remained unchanged. Back then, we ‘took them all in’ in order to quickly restore production and stabilize the workforce. Agents and spies do not engage in productive labor; on the contrary, they actively sabotage production. Now that we have clearly established that a particular individual is a heinous counterrevolutionary who is firmly opposed to the people, why should we not take action against him?” (Report by Comrade Tie Daiyuan at the Railway Trade Union.) Such an answer, however, is unsuitable. In April 1949, the Chinese People’s Revolutionary Military Commission issued a proclamation setting out three principles, which stated: “All those who possess a skill but have no serious reactionary activities or grave misconduct shall be individually considered for employment by the People’s Government.” Neither the People’s Liberation Army nor the People’s Government has ever maintained that individuals “with serious reactionary activities or grave misconduct” could simply be retained. The current screening of former personnel (as well as newly arrived intellectuals) is precisely aimed at identifying and removing from the military and government systems—including state-owned industrial and mining enterprises—those persons who exhibit “serious reactionary activities or grave misconduct,” so that they may be dealt with accordingly through punishment or dismissal. At the same time, those who lack such serious offenses—the vast majority—are thereby revealed to have clean records, or at most minor issues, making it easier to unite with them and carry out their reformation. These latter individuals are further divided into two groups: the first comprises those with completely unblemished backgrounds and no problems whatsoever; the second consists of persons who have certain shortcomings, though not severe, and who, by honestly acknowledging their mistakes, may continue to serve in appropriate capacities (some of whom will need to be reassigned to different posts).

(2) By “serious reactionary activities” are meant such elements as local tyrants and bullies, bandit leaders, habitual bandits, secret agents, administrative officials who have oppressed large numbers of people (many of whom were prominent members of the Kuomintang and the Youth League), reactionary military officers, and heads of heterodox religious sects—among others.

(3) The following is a letter dated ××, ××, addressed to the Central Committee, in which the author calls for the punishment of local tyrants operating in factories and mines. There can be no doubt about the necessity of taking action in this regard; please give it your careful attention.