Comments on the Experience Report Regarding the Finalization of Cases in the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Waste Campaign
(May 10, 1952)

To the General Party Committee directly under the Central Committee; to all Central Bureaus and Sub-bureaus, with copy to the party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions; and to the party committees of the major military regions as well as those of the Chinese People’s Volunteers:

(1) Now that the Three-Anti Movement has entered the stage of court trials and the final determination of recovered assets and cases, it is imperative to approach this work with serious responsibility, to be fact-based, to avoid unnecessary complications, and to persevere to the end. Those found guilty should be duly punished; errors should be corrected; those who ought to be demoted should be demoted; those who deserve promotion should be promoted. As for cases where guilt or innocence remains uncertain, they should be left pending for the time being. In short, we must ensure that all matters are resolved truthfully and decisively. Subjectivist thinking and the tendency to create needless difficulties must be thoroughly overcome. This constitutes an excellent opportunity for communists to learn how to govern the country, and it carries great significance for both the entire Party and the people of the whole nation.

(2) We are hereby transmitting to you the experience report of the Ministry of Heavy Industry concerning the arduous struggle involved in recovering stolen goods and finalizing cases (Document I). Please study it carefully, and it may also be published in your Party journals.

The Central Committee
May 10th
[1]
Refers to the experience summarized in the report submitted on May 5, 1952, by the Party Group of the Ministry of Heavy Industry to the Party Groups of the Central Financial and Economic Commission and the Administrative Council, with a copy to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee, regarding the process of recovering illicit gains and concluding cases. The report states that this work is extremely meticulous, strenuous, and demanding of great responsibility. Leadership must firmly adhere to the principle of seeking truth from facts and promptly and continuously rectify any deviations in thinking, which is the key to reaching correct conclusions. In several cases, among cadres there repeatedly arose feelings of “fear of demotion” and “desire for promotion,” but these were overcome through thorough investigation, corroboration of evidence, and repeated deliberations during the adjudication process.

At present, the proportion of cases that still cannot be concluded remains quite high. The main crux of determining guilt or innocence lies in whether businessmen admit to bribery and whether corrupt officials return the ill-gotten gains.