Annotation on the Report on the Three-Antis Situation
(January 10, 1952)

To all departments of the Central Military Commission, leading Party groups of the Central People’s Government; all central bureaus, with copies forwarded to sub-bureaus, provincial, municipal, and district Party committees and public security departments; all greater military regions and the Chinese People’s Volunteers:

Comrade Luo Ruiqing’s report[1] is very good and is hereby issued to you for reference. Please closely guide the public security departments to follow the principles and methods of the Central Ministry of Public Security in launching a thorough and fierce Three-Antis struggle among the 300,000 public security personnel nationwide, cleansing away all filth and poison. Wherever a public security organ (including the police) fails to match the Central Ministry of Public Security in this struggle, it means that the leaders there are incompetent and that their principles and methods are incorrect; this must immediately be reviewed and corrected. The practices of the Central Ministry of Public Security should also be emulated by all organs and units. This document should be published in the Party journal.

Mao Zedong
January 10

[1] Refers to Luo Ruiqing’s report of January 8, 1952, to the General Party Committee and the General Inspection Committee, with copies to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee, on the public security departments’ launch of the Three-Antis struggle. The report states that over the past period, the Three-Antis struggle in the Ministry of Public Security has entered a high tide of confessions by embezzlers and mass denunciations, forming a mighty and vigorous Three-Antis struggle contingent. The steps of the movement’s development proceed from top to bottom and from inside to outside; that is, first the leaders are examined well, “take off their pants,” and cleanse themselves thoroughly. Once the masses are satisfied, the leaders enter their positions and gain actual leadership of the movement, and the fire of the struggle is immediately directed at the embezzlers, especially the major embezzlers. In units where this has been done, the embezzlers have been dealt heavy blows, their crimes have been exposed, the masses have been mobilized and educated, and the leaders have also been educated.