To all central bureaus, with copies to sub-bureaus, provincial committees, regional Party committees, and large and medium-sized municipal committees; to all greater military regions, with copies to provincial military districts; to all departments directly under the Central Military Commission and all special service arms commands; and to all Party groups in the Central Government:

(1) Work on screening old personnel and new intellectuals in the government and military systems has now begun in various localities and departments. In responding to the question of "taking them all on," we have seen some inappropriate answers. For example, "Some people ask: 'At the time of liberation and takeover, they were all taken on intact. Now we are dealing with them again—isn't there a contradiction?' The reply: 'There is no contradiction. The policy of combining suppression with leniency has not changed. Previously, taking them all on was for the purpose of rapidly restoring production and stabilizing work. Special agent elements do not actively engage in production but actively sabotage it. Now that we have learned that they are heinous counterrevolutionaries resolutely hostile to the people, why should we not deal with them?'" (Comrade Teng Daiyuan [1] in a report to the Railway Workers' Union). Such a reply is inappropriate. In April 1949, the Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Commission issued a proclamation of an eight-point statute, which stated: "Those who possess some skill and have no serious reactionary acts or serious misdeeds shall be given employment by the People's Government according to their qualifications." The People's Liberation Army and the People's Government have never said that people with "serious reactionary acts or serious misdeeds" could be taken on. The current screening of old personnel (as well as new intellectuals) is precisely aimed at ferreting out those who have infiltrated the military and government systems (including publicly operated factories and mines) and who have "serious reactionary acts or serious misdeeds," and dealing with them separately through punishment or dismissal. At the same time, for those who have no serious reactionary acts or serious misdeeds (these constitute the majority), the removal of those with serious reactionary acts or serious misdeeds will make it clear that their own histories are clean or that, though they have some problems, these are not serious, thereby facilitating unity and reform. This latter category is further divided into two groups: the first group consists of those with clean histories and no problems; the second group consists of those with some problems, but not serious ones, who, as long as they frankly admit their mistakes, can continue to work (some of them may need to be transferred to other posts).

(2) So-called serious reactionary acts include local tyrants, bandit chieftains, habitual bandits, special agents, administrative officials who have oppressed many people (these are mostly important members of the Kuomintang and the Three People's Principles Youth Corps), reactionary military officers, and heads of reactionary secret societies.

(3) Below is a letter from Comrade Li Lisan [2] to the Central Committee, in which he states that local tyrants in factories and mines should be punished. This is beyond doubt. Please pay attention to this.

Mao Zedong
April 22
Based on the manuscript.

Notes
[1] Teng Daiyuan (1904–1974), a native of Mayang, Hunan. At the time, he served as Minister of Railways of the Central People's Government.
[2] Li Lisan (1899–1967), a native of Liling, Hunan. At the time, he served as Minister of Labor of the Central People's Government and Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.