Endorsement on the Report of the North China Military Region Party Committee Regarding the Situation of the Senior Cadres’ Conference of the Military Region

(December 21, 1951)

All departments of the Military Commission, all major military regions, and the Chinese People’s Volunteers:

The report of the North China Military Region Party Committee dated December 15 [1] is hereby issued to you for reference. All major military regions and the Chinese People’s Volunteers are requested to forward it to a larger number of comrades for reading. This report is very well written, containing facts, analysis, methods, conclusions, and determination. The entire army may refer to it for implementation.

The report states: In order to prevent possible occurrences of corruption and waste, the struggle against corruption, waste, and bureaucracy, conducted with great fanfare, should be carried out prior to the reorganization work. They have stipulated that all military sub-regions, arms, and armies should submit a preliminary inspection report by the end of December. Divisions and regiments should submit a similar report by January 15. All major military regions and the Chinese People’s Volunteers should, in light of their own circumstances, define an appropriate arrangement. Such an arrangement has already been clearly defined in the Northwest Military Region and the Guangxi Provincial Military Region.

Mao Zedong
December 21, 1951

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the report of the North China Military Region Committee of the Communist Party of China, dated December 15, 1951, to Mao Zedong, the Military Commission, the General Political Department, and the North China Bureau, regarding the situation of the senior cadres’ conference of the military region. After analyzing the phenomena of corruption, waste, and bureaucracy existing within the troops of the North China Military Region and their causes, the report pointed out that in order to carry out a thorough ideological rectification within the army and the Party, and to completely eradicate all forms of theft of state assets, the conference decided to immediately launch an open mobilization, rouse the masses, and conduct the Three-Anti Struggle with great fanfare and resolute action. To prevent possible corruption and waste during the reorganization, this struggle should precede the reorganization work. In terms of the steps of the Three-Anti Movement, it should first proceed from top to bottom, with each level taking the lead, mobilizing the masses, promoting democracy, and conducting mutual inspections from top to bottom and bottom to top, thereby launching the struggle against waste. Then, it should move into the anti-corruption struggle, calling for confessions and mass reporting. Finally, on the basis of the struggles against waste and corruption, bureaucracy and liberalism should be examined. In terms of focus, emphasis should be placed on logistics departments, special arms units, and production units of administrative departments, while not relaxing education and inspection for all troops on cherishing weapons, state assets, and public property. Experience should be gained from the movement, and regulations and public pledges should be established to consolidate achievements, making strict economy a regular mass task. The conference required that, except for the military region’s departments and special arms, which should submit preliminary inspection reports after December 21 as stipulated by the North China Bureau, the 23rd Army Corps, all armies, and all military sub-regions should submit preliminary inspection reports by the end of December, and divisions and regiments by January 15.