Forwarded Comment on Li Fuchun’s[I]
Tiger-Beating Summary Report at the
Central Financial and Economic Commission Briefing Meeting
(February 2, 1952)

To all departments of the Central Military Commission, all Party groups of the Central People’s Government;
all Central Bureaus, greater military regions, the Volunteer Army, and forward to sub-bureaus, provincial, municipal, and district Party committees, all levels of military regions, and all armies:

(1) Comrade Li Fuchun’s report[2] is excellent.
(2) Tiger-beating must start with checking accounts. Many comrades neglect checking accounts and focus solely on coercing confessions; this is incorrect.
(3) Big tigers are not limited to those involving 100 million yuan or more. The six categories mentioned in Fuchun’s report[3] should all be counted as big tigers.
(4) Following the development of investigating economic hidden traitors, it will inevitably be possible to uncover many political hidden traitors. Some economic hidden traitors are themselves political hidden traitors. Comrades must pay attention to this point. However, at present, the tiger-beating has not yet deepened. People’s attention should be guided to focus on investigating economic hidden traitors. Only make a note of the political issues for now. Once the economic issues are largely resolved, then bring up the issues recorded in the political account for a thorough cleanup and resolve the political issues.
(5) Comrade Fuchun’s report may be distributed to the leaders of all tiger-beating organizations for reading.

Mao Zedong

February 2

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--- Notes

[I] Li Fuchun, then Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Commission of the Government Administration Council and Deputy Director of the Economy Inspection Committee of the Central People’s Government.
[2] Refers to the tiger-beating summary report made by Li Fuchun at the Central Financial and Economic Commission Party Group briefing meeting on January 30. The report discussed the tiger-beating achievements of the Central Financial and Economic Commission and various financial and economic departments in January, as well as the targets, methods, and steps for the next battle. It also put forward clear opinions on the criteria for big tigers, the relationship between investigating economic issues and political issues, and how tiger-beating could be considered thorough and accurate.
[3] The six criteria for big tigers proposed by Li Fuchun in the report are: (1) Individuals who have embezzled 100 million yuan or more; (2) Those who have embezzled less than 100 million yuan but caused great losses to the national economy; (3) Organizers and masterminds of collective embezzlement cases involving 100 million yuan or more; (4) Those who have embezzled 50 million yuan or more, but whose cases are of a serious nature, such as skimping on relief grain or misappropriating donations for the Resist U.S. and Aid Korea campaign; (5) Sitting agents who collude with private merchants to steal economic intelligence, or who use their positions for self-enrichment, causing losses of 100 million yuan or more to the state; (6) Those who concealed or misappropriated state property or bureaucratic capital unreported at the time of national liberation, with a value of 100 million yuan or more.