(2) With respect to the arrest of counterrevolutionaries among the aforementioned groups: for cadres at or above the level of district party secretary within the Communist Party; for officials in the People’s Government and people’s organizations equivalent to county heads or to directors of provincial-level specialized departments and bureaus; for influential public figures at or above the county level in the democratic parties, cultural and educational circles, religious communities, and the industrial and commercial sectors; and for managers and mid-level officials at or above the rank of workshop chief or section head in enterprises employing 500 or more workers—decisions regarding such arrests shall be subject to approval by the Great Administrative Region in Chongqing, covering Chongqing, Eastern Sichuan, Western Sichuan, Southern Sichuan, and Northern Sichuan. As for Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xikang provinces, their respective provincial party committees are authorized to act on behalf of the Great Administrative Region in reviewing and approving such cases. For all other categories not specifically listed above, approval authority is delegated to the provincial/municipal party committees to exercise on behalf of the Great Administrative Region.   (3) The power to arrest counterrevolutionaries among ordinary workers in industrial, mining, and transportation enterprises rests with municipal party committees at or above the prefectural level. However, major cases involving numerous suspects or extensive interconnections should have arrest authority retained directly by the provincial/municipal party committees.   (4) Any death sentences or commuted death sentences imposed on counterrevolutionaries among personnel in the eight sectors and in industrial, mining, and transportation enterprises must be submitted for approval by the Great Administrative Region. Life imprisonment and fixed-term imprisonment, on the other hand, are to be approved by the provincial/municipal party committees.   (5) Before initiating prosecution or launching struggle campaigns against individuals in industrial, mining, and transportation enterprises, prior approval must be obtained from the local municipal party committee or from a corresponding party body within the People’s Government.   (6) Prior to any arrest, it is imperative to gather sufficient evidence and to conduct thorough, tiered reviews at all levels of the party organization. The principle of arresting only when absolutely necessary must be strictly adhered to; moreover, executions should be limited to roughly one-tenth to one-fifth of those truly deserving capital punishment. This approach is intended to prevent overbroad repression and excessive social upheaval, while facilitating efforts to win over the general populace and to isolate and suppress the small minority of diehard counterrevolutionaries.

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Commentary by the Central Committee on the Southwest Bureau’s Six Provisions Concerning Approval Authority for the Arrest and Sentencing of Counterrevolutionaries (December 18, 1951) To all Central Bureaus, with copy to sub-bureaus and party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions:  We hereby forward to you the Southwest Bureau’s Six Provisions of December 13 concerning approval authority for the arrest and sentencing of counterrevolutionaries in the eight sectors and in industrial, mining, and transportation enterprises.1 The Central Committee deems these provisions correct and necessary, and all localities should implement them accordingly.  Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript, December 18.  Notes  [1] The Six Provisions of the CPC Central Committee’s Southwest Bureau on Approval Authority for the Arrest and Sentencing of Counterrevolutionaries in the Eight Sectors and in Industrial, Mining, and Transportation Enterprises are as follows:   (1) The “eight sectors” refer to cadres in the Party, government, military, mass organizations, and the five democratic parties; leading elements within religious circles and persons of public prominence; cultural and educational workers, including those at or above the level of primary-school teachers, as well as influential figures in literature, art, and traditional performing arts; and major capitalists and prominent figures with influence in the industrial and commercial sectors.  “Industrial, mining, and transportation enterprises” means clerical and managerial personnel in factories, mines, and transport companies.