Telegram on the Correct Interpretation of the Policy of “Taking All” Former Personnel (April 22, 1951) To all Central Bureaus, with copy to Branch Bureaus, Provincial Committees, Regional Party Committees, Municipal Committees of Large and Medium-Sized Cities, and Major Military Regions, with further copy to Provincial Military Districts, all Directly Affiliated Departments of the Central Military Commission, all Specialized Arms Commands, and Party Leading Groups of the Central Government:  (1) Work to review former personnel and new intellectuals within both the government and military systems has now been initiated across various localities and departments. In responding to inquiries regarding the policy of “taking all,” we have observed some inappropriate statements. For example, some have argued: “During the liberation and takeover, everything was accepted as it stood; yet today we are again addressing these matters. Is there not a contradiction?” The reply given was: “There is no contradiction. The policy of combining repression with leniency remains unchanged. The earlier decision to ‘take all’ was made in order to swiftly restore production and stabilize work. Agents, however, do not engage in productive labor but rather actively sabotage it. Now that we have clearly established that he is a heinous counterrevolutionary who stands firmly opposed to the people, why should he not be dealt with?” (Report by Comrade Teng Daiyuan [1] to the Railway Trade Union.) Such a response is unsuitable.

In April 1949, the Chinese People’s Revolutionary Military Commission issued a proclamation setting forth eight principles, which stated: “All those possessing a skill who have not engaged in serious reactionary activities or committed grave misconduct shall be individually recruited 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 review of former personnel (as well as new 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 punished or dismissed accordingly. At the same time, for those who lack such serious offenses—representing the vast majority—their prior association with undesirable elements having been cleared away, they now appear to have an unblemished record or, if any issues remain, these are minor, thereby facilitating unity and rehabilitation. These latter individuals are further divided into two groups: the first comprises those with completely clean records and no problems whatsoever; the second consists of those with certain, albeit minor, shortcomings, who may continue to work provided they openly acknowledge their errors (some of whom will need to be reassigned to different posts).

(2) So-called “serious reactionary activities” include gang bosses, bandit leaders, habitual criminals, 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 sectarian religious organizations, among others.

(3) The following is a letter from Comrade Li Lisan [2] to the Central Committee, in which he asserts without question that gang bosses in factories and mines should be punished. This point merits your close attention.  Mao Zedong April 22 Printed from the original manuscript. Notes [1] Teng Daiyuan, then Minister of Railways of the Central People’s Government. [2] Li Lisan, then Minister of Labor of the Central People’s Government and Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.