Commentary on the Directive Regarding the Three-Anti Campaign
(May 9, 1952)
This document is very good. It is to be distributed to all Central Bureaus and Sub-bureaus, with copies forwarded to the provincial, municipal, and district Party committees for implementation by analogy.
Central Committee
May 9th
[1]
Refers to the directive issued on May 7, 1952, by the North China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to its subordinate organizations and submitted to the Central Committee, concerning the proper conclusion of the Three-Anti Campaign. The directive states that the Three-Anti Campaign has already lasted nearly five months and is now in its concluding phase. However, much work remains to be done to thoroughly accomplish the tasks of the campaign. With regard to the handling of corrupt officials, the following points are put forward for careful consideration:

First, all localities should systematically review those corrupt individuals whose cases have not yet been resolved and, based on the specific circumstances, promptly render decisions on their disposition. Second, in the course of such proceedings, attention should be paid to the following:

(1) The recovery of stolen funds and property must be a prerequisite for final adjudication; under no circumstances should efforts to trace and verify such assets be relaxed in the interest of expediting the process. When conducting these investigations, it is essential to proceed in a factual and pragmatic manner, to exercise moderation, and to refrain from implicating the offenders’ families or associates—specifically, the practice of seeking restitution from family members should be discontinued.

(2) Conclusions must be drawn solely on the basis of evidence that the individual has either confessed to or unequivocally acknowledged as accurate; they may not be founded upon mere suspicions. Should new evidence subsequently come to light confirming previously denied acts of corruption, more severe penalties may be imposed or the original sentence may be increased accordingly.

(3) With respect to cases where excessive recoveries were previously made or overly broad calculations were employed, final determinations should uniformly adhere to the standards set by the Central Committee. A meticulous distinction must be drawn between appropriate and inappropriate outcomes: where reductions are warranted, they should be implemented without fail, and any genuine errors must be rectified.

Third, in order to expedite the completion of case resolutions, it is hereby ordered that disposal committees be established at every level, from the North China region down to the county level. Each committee shall be headed by a standing committee member of the Party committee, who will bear primary responsibility, and shall include key officials from relevant departments. These committees are to convene regularly to deliberate matters. All major issues arising in the course of the Three-Anti Campaign must first be examined and decided upon by the committee before being submitted to the Party committee for review and approval.