Telegram on Uniformly Raising the Authority for Approving Arrests and Executions by One Level

(May 16, 1951)

Zihui [1], and inform Rao, Deng, Xi [2]:

Your telegram of May 11 has been received. In order to prevent disorderly procedures that are difficult to control (at present, the situation in the Central-South and Southwest regions is already becoming difficult to control, and serious attention must be paid), the authority for approving arrests and executions must uniformly be raised by one level, with no exceptions permitted. In areas undergoing land reform, the province may dispatch representatives to the special district, and the special district may dispatch representatives to the county, to grasp the materials and use the telephone to request instructions from the special district for approval of arrests, and from the province for approval of executions. In this way, it will still be convenient for arresting and executing a small number of people.

Mao Zedong
May 16

Printed from the manuscript.

Notes
[1] Zihui refers to Deng Zihui, then serving as Third Secretary of the Central-South Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
[2] Rao refers to Rao Shushi, then serving as First Secretary of the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then serving as First Secretary of the Southwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Xi refers to Xi Zhongxun, then serving as First Secretary of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.