Commentary on the Central South Bureau’s Directive for Correcting the Sectarian Tendency in the Suppression-of-Counterrevolutionaries Campaign (May 15, 1951)

To all Central Bureaus, with copy to Sub-bureaus, Provincial Committees, Regional Party Committees, and Municipal Committees of large and medium-sized cities as well as Prefectural Committees:

We are transmitting herewith the Central South Bureau’s directive telegram of May 12 [1]. Please act accordingly.

The Central Public Security Ministry is currently organizing fifteen inspection teams, each consisting of three members, to be dispatched to the provinces and regions of East China, Central South China, Southwest China, Northwest China, and Northeast China to examine the work of the suppression-of-counterrevolutionaries campaign. The teams are scheduled to depart from Beijing on June 15.

You are requested to immediately dispatch several inspection teams to the counties and cities to carry out inspections and swiftly rectify any existing shortcomings and errors. In particular, in the Central South region the number of executions has been highest while publicity has been scanty—this gross disproportion reflects a serious sectarian tendency that must be corrected without delay. Judging from the Central South Bureau’s telegram of May 12, the successive directives issued by the Central Committee and the Central South Bureau have not been implemented in places like Hankou; they have amounted to mere empty words. It is imperative to send personnel down at once to conduct investigations, ascertain responsibility, and correct the mistakes, without the slightest delay.

This telegram is to be forwarded all the way down to the prefectural committees, and you are urged to expedite its transmission.

Mao Zedong, May 15, printed from the manuscript.

Notes [1] Refers to the telegram dated May 12, 1951, sent by the Central South Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to its sub-bureaus, the municipal committees of various provinces, and also reported to the Central Committee. The telegram states: At present, in many cities there persists a tendency toward mysticism, sectarianism, exclusion of the masses, disregard for administrative organs, failure to involve non-Party figures, and reliance solely on the public security organs to conduct the suppression-of-counterrevolutionaries campaign in isolation—none of which has yet been seriously overcome. While much is said about conducting the campaign with great fanfare, in practice no concrete measures are being taken. For example, in Wuhan, five individuals were arrested from the organs directly under the Central South Bureau, yet even the bureau’s own staff and leading officials remained completely in the dark about the matter; this serves as one clear illustration. Furthermore, henceforth, when handling individual cases, review committees should be established, with the participation of non-Party persons, including both progressive elements and centrists. Such a measure can only be beneficial to the suppression campaign and will bring no harm. This is because our approach to sentencing offenders is strictly in accordance with the law, and there are no hidden motives or secrets involved; moreover, by involving these individuals we can broaden publicity and gather additional evidence.