Directive on Launching the Struggle of the Five-Antis
(January 26, 1952)

To all central bureaus, and forward to sub-bureaus, provincial committees, municipal committees, district party committees, and prefectural committees, and inform all greater military regions and the party committee of the Chinese People's Volunteers:

In all cities across the country, first of all in large and medium-sized cities, relying on the working class, uniting the law-abiding bourgeoisie and other urban residents, and launching a large-scale, resolute, and thorough struggle against the law-breaking bourgeoisie to oppose bribery, tax evasion and tax fraud, theft and fraud of state property, cheating on workmanship and materials, and theft of economic intelligence, in coordination with the struggle against corruption, waste, and bureaucracy within the party, government, military, and civilian organizations, is now extremely necessary and extremely timely. In this struggle, the party organizations in all cities must make precise arrangements regarding the strength of classes and masses, must pay attention to the tactics of exploiting contradictions, carrying out differentiation, uniting the majority, and isolating the minority, and rapidly form a "Five-Antis" united front in the course of the struggle. In a large city, such a united front can be formed in about three weeks after the "Five-Antis" is fiercely launched. As long as this united front is formed, those reactionary capitalists guilty of heinous crimes will be isolated, and the state will be able, with full justification and smoothly, to impose on them all necessary punishments, such as arrest, imprisonment, execution by shooting, confiscation, fines, and so on. The struggle in Beijing Municipality has been successful; a "Five-Antis" united front has already been formed there, isolating six percent of the reactionary capitalists, and about one to two percent of the most reactionary capitalists (most of whom are speculative merchants) are about to be punished (a small number have already been arrested). At present, it is entirely necessary to punish such a number of capitalists. All large cities across the country (including all provincial capitals) should enter the "Five-Antis" battle by the first ten days of February. Please make arrangements quickly. Below is Report No. 111 from the Beijing Municipal Committee to the Central Committee dated January 23. Please study it and act accordingly. This report may be published in party journals.

The Central Committee
January 26

Note
Manuscript of the "Directive on First Launching the Struggle of the Five-Antis in Large and Medium-Sized Cities" drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the CPC.

--- Notes

Refers to the report of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC dated January 23, 1952, on the issue of winning over the majority in the struggle against bribery and other such activities in industrial and commercial circles, submitted to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee and the North China Bureau. The report stated that the struggle against bribery, tax evasion, and theft and fraud of state assets launched in Beijing's industrial and commercial circles had already achieved major victories. Through arduous and complex work, industrial and commercial households that have drawn close to us now constitute the majority, those in the middle are the next largest group, and those holding an opposing attitude toward the movement are a minority, accounting for about 6% of the total number of industrial and commercial households. Among the law-breaking industrial and commercial households, about 1% to 2% of the total number of industrial and commercial households are subject to varying degrees of legal punishment. The report stated that experience has proven that in the struggle against bribery and other such activities in industrial and commercial circles, it is necessary to pay attention to the policy of differentiated treatment, exploiting contradictions, destroying the enemy one by one, uniting the majority, and opposing the minority.