Comments Transmitting Chen Yi’s[1] Report on the East China Military Region’s Campaign to Streamline and Practice Economy and Combat Corruption and Waste
(December 15, 1951)

Comrade Chen Yi, and to inform the various greater military regions, the Chinese People’s Volunteers, all Central Bureaus, all departments of the Central Committee and the Military Commission, and all leading Party groups in the Central People’s Government:

Your report of December 12 has been received.[2] I consider the guidelines and measures you set forth in this report to be entirely correct. It is hoped that you will proceed accordingly. This report is also to be distributed to the various greater military regions for their reference.

Mao Zedong
December 15

[1] Chen Yi was then serving as Second Secretary of the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Commander of the East China Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
[2] This refers to Chen Yi’s report of December 12, 1951, to Mao Zedong, the Central Military Commission, and the East China Bureau on streamlining and practicing economy and combating waste in the East China forces. The report stated that the East China Military Region had decided that its main central tasks before March 1952 would be reorganizing the troops and properly carrying out demobilization and construction work and the productive employment of demobilized personnel; at the same time, commencing the fight against corruption and waste would also be made one of the central tasks, with the two being both integrated and carried out separately. Before March, the emphasis in austerity would be on strictly enforcing supply standards and financial and economic regulations, halting all unnecessary construction projects, and strictly prohibiting all feasting and gift-giving; any corruption or waste already discovered would be dealt with seriously, and preliminary education in economy would be conducted army-wide in conjunction with the reorganization and mobilization. As for the mass campaign against corruption and waste, it was planned to carry it out after March in conjunction with Party consolidation.