Commentary on the Beijing Municipal Party Committee’s Two Reports on the Five-Anti Campaign (February 20, 1952) To the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, all Central Bureaus, with copies forwarded to sub-bureaus and provincial, municipal, and district party committees:  (1) I approve the two reports of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee dated February 17 [1].  (2) I request that the municipal party committees of major and medium-sized cities, in accordance with the central directives already issued on the Five-Anti Campaign, guide the campaign and draw upon the experience of Beijing.  Mao Zedong February 20 Published from the manuscript.

Notes [ ] Refers to two reports submitted by the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee on February 17, 1952: one outlining plans for the separate handling of corrupt officials, and the other summarizing the experience gained in the Five-Anti Campaign and setting forth arrangements for the next stage of work. The former report states that now that the Three-Anti and Five-Anti campaigns have deepened and reached their peak, stricter control must be exercised over the lists of those to be arrested—capturing only those whose arrest is absolutely necessary; cases where arrest is optional or may be deferred should result in no arrest or a temporary deferral. The number of arrests should not exceed three per thousand among cadres and staff, and ten per thousand among industrial and commercial households.  The latter report notes that the Five-Anti struggle in the industrial and commercial sector has entered its climax and achieved significant victories. However, certain large enterprises engaged in serious violations continue to resist and refuse to confess. Following a review of past experience, the inspection teams have begun to employ the following four methods of investigation:

(1) Summoning for questioning. The Savings Inspection Committee calls suspected corrupt capitalists in for talks; those who confess are treated leniently.

(2) Pressing the advantage and urging confession. Upon arrival, the inspection team grants ample time for reflection; as long as a confession is made, lenient treatment will be accorded.

(3) For those who persistently refuse to disclose information despite the above measures, a full-scale inspection is conducted without letup until all facts are brought to light. Once violations are discovered, severe punishment follows.

(4) Ceasefire negotiations: During the inspection process, if signs of wavering are detected in the person being examined, a senior official will engage in direct dialogue, offering an opportunity to confess and redeem oneself through meritorious service.  The municipal committee plans to have essentially dealt with ninety percent of industrial and commercial households by the end of February. The approach is as follows: approximately ten thousand households that have neither confessed nor been reported will be convened for a meeting, where they will be urged to make immediate confessions, sign written commitments, and then be declared exempt from further prosecution—without requiring back taxes or restitution of ill-gotten gains. Among the forty thousand industrial and commercial households that have either confessed or been reported, thirty-five thousand will be swiftly processed, with back taxes assessed and illicit property returned, but no fines imposed. In this way, more than ninety percent of industrial and commercial operators can be reassured in carrying on their business, while those suspected of grave offenses or refusing to confess will be conspicuously isolated. As for the capitalists already under arrest, a portion will be released on bail so that they may publicly testify against others and earn points toward redemption.