Central Instructions on Conducting the Five-Anti Campaign in Cities in Stages (February 27, 1952) To all Central Bureaus, with copy to Sub-bureaus, Provincial and Municipal Party Committees, and Prefectural Party Committees: (1) We hereby forward Comrade Luo Ruiqing’s report on the experience of the Five-Anti Campaign in Changsha City for your reference. The Central Committee considers that the strategy employed in Changsha was correct, and this experience can be replicated in major and medium-sized cities.

(2) Up to now, the majority of Central Bureaus, Sub-bureaus, Provincial Committees, and Regional Committees have primarily focused their efforts on the Three-Anti Campaign, without conducting a thorough study of the Five-Anti Campaign. Even where studies have been undertaken, no reports have yet been submitted to the Central Committee, nor have clear instructions been issued to lower-level organizations. This is inappropriate.

First, it must be decided that the Five-Anti Campaign will not be carried out in counties, districts, or townships for the time being.

Second, each Central Bureau, Sub-bureau, Provincial Committee, and Regional Committee should conduct a detailed study of the Five-Anti Campaign within the cities under its jurisdiction (including both large and certain medium-sized cities). Every five to seven days, meetings should be convened with the city party secretaries and mayors to analyze the situation, determine strategies, accumulate experience, and advance the campaign. Reports on the situation and relevant opinions are to be sent to the Central Committee by telegraph at all times.

Starting from March 1, the content of reports submitted by all Central Bureaus, Sub-bureaus, and Provincial/Municipal Committees to the Central Committee should give greater emphasis to the Five-Anti Campaign than to the Three-Anti Campaign.

This is because the Three-Anti Campaign has been underway for a longer period; the situation is clearer, the strategies are well-established, and considerable experience has been accumulated. In contrast, the Five-Anti Campaign is still in its early stages, the situation remains somewhat unclear, the strategies are not yet fully developed, and sufficient experience has not yet been gained.

Third, each Central Bureau, Sub-bureau, Provincial Committee, and Regional Committee should broadly divide the Five-Anti Campaign into three stages when implementing it in the large and medium-sized cities within their respective jurisdictions.

For example, within Hebei Province, the first stage involves launching the Five-Anti Campaign in the two major cities of Beijing and Tianjin, which will be directly led by the Central Committee. It is anticipated that the main issues can be basically resolved there by March 10.

The second stage will see the Five-Anti Campaign initiated in four large and medium-sized cities—Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, and Baoding—under the leadership of the North China Bureau and the Hebei Provincial Committee.

These bodies plan to proceed to the third stage by launching the Five-Anti Campaign in ten towns, namely Tongxian, Botou, Xinji, Yangliuqing, Cang County, Xingtai, Handan, Hanggu, Linqing, and Shengfang. These “ten towns” rank below the aforementioned “four cities” and are also classified as medium-sized urban areas. The Five-Anti Campaign in these towns will be launched only after experience has been gained from the “four cities,” under the joint leadership of the Provincial Committee and the Prefectural Committee.

As for ordinary county seats, the campaign should be firmly suspended for the time being, to be reconsidered later. All Central Bureaus, Sub-bureaus, Provincial Committees, and Regional Committees must, following the above-mentioned sequence, formulate a clear plan for carrying out the Five-Anti Campaign in large cities and all medium-sized cities (ordinary county towns are considered small cities and are excluded), providing specific guidance to prevent confusion.

(3) All Central Bureaus, Sub-bureaus, Provincial Committees, Regional Committees, and the party committees of large and medium-sized cities that have not yet submitted reports on the Five-Anti Campaign to the Central Committee are requested to do so within five or seven days of receiving this telegram, and thereafter to submit reports on an ongoing basis. Issued by the Central Committee on February 27, based on Mao Zedong’s handwritten draft.

Notes [1] Luo Ruiqing, then Minister of Public Security of the Central People’s Government and member of the Economy Inspection Commission, was dispatched by the Central Committee to assist with the Three- and Five-Anti Campaigns in the Central-South Region.

[2] Refers to Luo Ruiqing’s report dated February 24, 1952, addressed to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee, detailing the experience of the Five-Anti Campaign in Changsha City. The report indicates that the overall scope of the crackdown in Changsha was roughly between 3% and 4%, not exceeding 4%. In cities such as Changsha, adopting a slightly more moderate approach to the scale of the crackdown during the Five-Anti Campaign, compared with Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and other major cities, appears appropriate.