Telegram Regarding Aligning the “Tiger-Hunting” Campaign in Central-South China Roughly with That in East China (February 11, 1952) To Comrades Deng Zihui, Tan Zheng, and Ye Jianying [1], with copy to Comrades Xiaoping and He Long [2]: The “tiger-hunting” campaign in Central-South China should be conducted roughly on a par with that in East China. In its telegram of the 8th, the East China Bureau reported that, excluding district and township levels, the military, and the industrial and commercial sectors, only at the county level and above—among Party, government, mass organizations, financial institutions, and enterprises—5,000 major tigers and 20,000 minor tigers had been identified. In addition, the East China Military Region had exposed 1,000 major tigers and 3,000 minor tigers. From this it appears that your recently set targets of 3,000 major tigers and 20,000 minor tigers are still too low. With regard to the military, it is imperative to follow the example of the East China Military Region: identify at least 1,000 major tigers and over 3,000 minor tigers, and promptly communicate these figures downward. As for how much should be added at the local level, please give it further consideration and report back. Just now we received a telegram dated February 9 from the South China Military Region, which sets the target at 40 large tigers and slightly over 800 minor tigers. This figure is ten times too small. Given the sheer number of units large and small within the South China Military Region system, the minimum should be 400–500 major tigers and 1,200–2,000 minor tigers. What are your views? We look forward to your reply.

Mao Zedong February 11 Based on the manuscript. Notes [1] Deng Zihui was then Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC’s Central-South Bureau and Second Political Commissar of the PLA’s Central-South Military Region. Tan Zheng was then First Deputy Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC’s Central-South Bureau and Third Political Commissar of the PLA’s Central-South Military Region. Ye Jianying was then Third Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC’s Central-South Bureau, First Secretary of the South China Sub-Bureau, and Commander of the PLA’s South China Military Region. [2] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who was then First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC’s Southwest Bureau and Political Commissar of the PLA’s Southwest Military Region. He Long was then Third Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC’s Southwest Bureau and Commander of the PLA’s Southwest Military Region.