Comrade Xi Zhongxun, and to be forwarded to the responsible comrades of all central bureaus, military regions, and the Chinese People's Volunteers:

(1) Your report of February 14 [2] has been received and is very good. It is being forwarded to all comrades for reference. Regarding the tiger-beating budget, the Central-South Bureau recently proposed a budget of 8,000 big tigers, which is the highest nationwide. Your region and other regions may refer to the Central-South plan and appropriately increase your budgets. However, since the budgets for your region and other regions were announced not long ago, you may wait until more experience has been gained over a period of time before making increases. (2) The tiger-beating budgets and tiger-beating work of military regions at all levels must be under the unified leadership of the central bureaus, sub-bureaus, provincial, municipal, and district party committees, and prefectural party committees; otherwise, it will be disadvantageous. It is very good that you have already paid attention to this point. (3) "It is permissible to wrongly suspect, but not permissible to wrongly beat; guard against forced confessions and the reliance on confessions"—this is very well put. During the period when the movement reaches its climax, it is essential to call the attention of comrades to this point. (4) Your stipulation that sentencing to fixed-term imprisonment must be approved by two levels above, and that life imprisonment and the death penalty are all subject to approval by the military and administrative committees of the greater administrative regions, is appropriate. However, for removal from office and arrest, it is generally only appropriate to stipulate that approval must be obtained from two levels above. During the intense period of "beating tigers," for some cases that require swift handling, under conditions where the evidence is conclusive, reliable persons in charge and their organizations should be given the authority to handle matters on the spot, with subsequent reporting for ratification.

Mao Zedong
February 17

〔1〕 Xi Zhongxun, then serving as Second Secretary of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
〔2〕 Refers to Xi Zhongxun's report of February 14, 1952, to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee on the new tiger-beating budget for the entire Northwest region and the measures to be adopted. The report stated that the region planned to beat 13,000 tigers, including 1,300 big tigers. To achieve this plan, it was imperative to: first, continuously wage a serious struggle against right-leaning thinking; second, combine unified leadership by the party committee with the division of responsibilities among various systems and departments, without neglecting either; third, provide close guidance, exercise strict control, and adhere to the principle that it is permissible to wrongly suspect but not to wrongly beat, and guard against forced confessions and the reliance on confessions. Removal from office, arrest, and sentencing to fixed-term imprisonment must be approved by two levels above. The authority to approve life imprisonment and the death penalty rests entirely with the military and administrative committees; fourth, pay attention to certain remote corners when catching tigers.