Notes on the Hubei Provincial Party Committee’s Report of Self-Criticism Regarding Violations of the Provisional Regulations on Agricultural Tax in the Newly Liberated Areas (December 12, 1951) To Zhou, Chen, Bo, Qiaomu, and Lin Biao [1]: Please review. (1) This report [2] is addressed to the Central-South Bureau and also informs the Central Committee. Whether the Central Committee should respond directly [3], or wait until the Central-South Bureau has expressed its views before the Central Committee replies, please let Chen and Bo decide; (2) With regard to the part involving People’s Daily [4], please have Qiaomu investigate and determine an appropriate course of action, then report back to me. Mao Zedong, December 12. Printed from the manuscript.

Notes [1] Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Chen refers to Chen Yun, who at the time served as Vice Premier of the Government Administration Council and Director of the Financial and Economic Commission. Bo refers to Bo Yibo, who at the time was Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Commission of the Government Administration Council. Qiaomu is Hu Qiaomu, who at the time held the posts of Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Director-General of the General Administration of Press and Publications of the Central People’s Government. Lin Biao was then First Secretary of the CPC Central-South Bureau.

[2] Refers to the Hubei Provincial Party Committee’s report dated November 30, 1951, submitted to the Central-South Bureau and forwarded to the Central Committee for transmission to Mao Zedong, concerning violations of the Provisional Regulations on Agricultural Tax in the Newly Liberated Areas issued by the Central People’s Government.

[3] Mao Zedong’s remark pertains to the draft reply being prepared by the Central Committee to the Hubei Provincial Party Committee’s self-criticism report. The draft reply endorsed the report and informed the provincial committee that its public self-criticism had been fully published on November 29 in the Party Life column on Page 3 of People’s Daily. Upon reviewing this draft, Mao added at the end: “Please instruct Changjiang Daily and Hubei Daily to reprint it; with that, this dispute will be considered closed.”

[4] “November 6, People’s Daily”: In its self-criticism report, the Hubei Provincial Party Committee stated: “The Economic Column offered a severe yet just critique of our provincial committee, for which we are deeply grateful. We promptly submitted a written self-criticism for public release. However, half a month has now passed without its publication. We wonder whether there may be any improprieties in the text of the critique; we respectfully request your guidance.” Next to the phrase “offered a critique of our provincial committee,” Hu Qiaomu made the annotation: “This critique was published in People’s Daily after Comrade Bo Yibo had reached agreement with Comrade Zi Kui on the matter.” And beside the sentence “we promptly submitted a written self-criticism,” Hu noted: “We did not receive this self-criticism until November 25. On the 27th, Comrade Bo Yibo reviewed it and returned it, whereupon it was published in full, exactly as received, in the Party Life column on Page 3 of People’s Daily on the 29th.”