Commentary on the Hubei Provincial Committee’s Report on the Preliminary Situation of the Three-Anti Campaign (December 26, 1951)

To all Central Bureaus, with copy to Sub-bureaus and Party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions: The report of the Hubei Provincial Committee [1] is very good, and the remarks made by the Central-South Bureau at the beginning of the report [2] are also excellent and well worth reading. Please publish it in the Party journal. Mao Zedong December 26

Based on the manuscript. Notes [1] Refers to the report submitted by the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee on December 24, 1951, to both the Central-South Bureau and the Central Committee, concerning the progress of the Three-Anti Campaign. The report states: At present, the campaign has begun to gain momentum, and a vigorous wave of criticism, exposure, and struggle has emerged in several organs. Broadly speaking, there are four main situations: (1) Initially, despite mobilization of cadres inside and outside the Party as well as the general public, and after studying certain documents, the campaign still failed to get off the ground. The reason was that many veteran cadres adopted a rather cavalier attitude and did not provide serious leadership. Some comrades simply lacked a sufficient understanding of the significance of the Three-Anti Campaign, but for the majority, the real issue was that they themselves were guilty of varying degrees of waste; they realized that once the campaign started, they would be the first to come under fire, so they chose to adopt a wait-and-see stance. In light of this, we carried out another round of mobilization, emphasizing the need to practice democracy among cadres, to not fear criticism, and to urge cadres to take the lead by setting an example through self-criticism, thereby inspiring the enthusiasm of the masses. Once the veteran cadres took the initiative, the campaign quickly gathered steam, giving rise to a fervent movement of criticism. (2) After the campaign had gained traction, two basic patterns emerged: one in which leading cadres engaged in profound self-criticism, promptly resolving tensions between the leadership and the masses and enabling them to work together to thoroughly investigate all instances of extravagance, waste, and corruption; and another in which the leading comrades lacked a genuine spirit of self-criticism. Although they verbally advocated democracy, in practice they were afraid of it. Once the masses rose up—often with considerable force—they proved impossible to suppress, and the heat of the struggle instead focused ever more sharply on these very leaders. (3) At present, the campaign is still largely concentrated on combating waste. In those units where it has progressed more rapidly and where the contradiction between the leadership and the masses has been reconciled, the focus of the struggle is now shifting toward exposing corruption. Individuals suspected of corrupt practices have become increasingly panicked, mostly fearing restitution, disciplinary action, or even execution. We plan to continue pressing forward for a few more days, after which we will publicly announce our policy and call upon everyone to confess voluntarily. (4) There are also a few isolated cases where, because the leadership is dishonest and has formed competing cliques that attack one another, the campaign has been unable to get underway, resulting in chaos. For such units, we propose temporarily suspending the campaign until other areas have reached a certain stage, so that we can dispatch special teams to restart the work and carry out a thorough rectification of these organs.

[2] Refers to the commentary appended by the CPC Central Committee’s Central-South Bureau on December 24, 1951, when forwarding the Hubei Provincial Committee’s report. The Bureau’s commentary stated: The Hubei Provincial Committee’s preliminary report on the Three-Anti Campaign demonstrates that any leading organ or leading cadre that fails to exert full control, act decisively, or stand at the forefront to direct the campaign will inevitably find itself placed in a passive position. Those who fear the people’s democracy will invariably encounter opposition from the masses. Only by promoting democracy while providing timely guidance can the campaign be steered onto a healthy course—thereby educating the masses and, at the same time, improving one’s own leadership position.