Comments on How the Central Ministries Should Guide Their Subordinates in Both the Anti-Corruption Campaign and Their Routine Work (March 4, 1952)

To the Various Departments of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, and to the Party Groups of All Organs of the Central People’s Government: Since the beginning of the Three-Anti Campaign, with the exception of a few departments that have paid attention to providing guidance to their subordinates on both the campaign and the “tiger-hunting” effort, most departments have been preoccupied solely with conducting their own “tiger-hunting” operations, neglecting to guide their subordinates and also losing sight of their own routine functions. This situation must be swiftly rectified: while continuing the “tiger-hunting” drive and maintaining normal operations, all departments should make frequent use of telegrams and telephone calls to communicate with the next one or two levels of subordinate organs, offering them direction on both their anti-corruption work and their regular duties. The document from the Ministry of Interior [1] may serve as a reference for all ministries.

Mao Zedong March 4 Based on the manuscript copy. Notes [ ] Refers to an instruction issued on March 4, 1952, by Xie Juezai, Minister of the Ministry of Interior of the Central People’s Government, addressed to the ministers of civil affairs of the major administrative regions, the minister of civil affairs of Inner Mongolia, and the directors and bureau chiefs of the civil affairs departments and bureaus of provinces, municipalities directly under the central government, and administrative offices. The instruction analyzed the situation regarding “tiger-hunting” within the Ministry of Interior and its subordinate organs, set forth clear requirements for the anti-corruption work of civil affairs departments at all levels, and established a system for submitting reports on “tiger-hunting” activities. Mao Zedong’s comments were written directly on this document from the Ministry of Interior.