Central Committee’s Comment on An Ziwen’s [1] Work Report on Rectification and Party Building
(September 28, 1952)

To all Central Bureaus and Sub-bureaus, with copy to the Party Committees of all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions:

The Central Committee approves Comrade An Ziwen’s report[1] and transmits it to you for your information. It may be published in party periodicals.

[1]
An Ziwen was at that time Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.
The Central Committee
28th day of the eighth month
[2]
Refers to An Ziwen’s report dated September 27, 1952, addressed to Mao Zedong and the Central Committee, concerning the work of rectifying and rebuilding the Party. The report states that, following the Central Committee’s directive to carry out this work on the basis of the Three-Anti Campaign, the provincial and municipal committees have successively formulated detailed plans and initiated implementation. In many counties and district organs where the Three-Anti Campaign had not previously been conducted, efforts are now generally being undertaken in successive phases, combining Party rectification with the Three-Anti Campaign through methods of ideological reeducation. With regard to rural Party branches, typical trials were already conducted last winter; currently, various localities are again conducting pilot projects integrating Party rectification with the Three-Anti Campaign. The results indicate that, as a rule, three key issues should be addressed:

(1) Conduct education on the standards expected of Communist Party members, broadly raise the level of Party members’ consciousness, strengthen the initiative of peasant Party members, and improve relations between the Party and the masses.

(2) Clarify the direction of rural economic development and fully implement the Party’s policy in the countryside—namely, to follow the path of organization, mutual assistance, and cooperation rather than that of capitalism.

(3) Deal sternly with those of extremely poor moral character and other harmful elements who violate laws and discipline, while properly handling passive and backward elements.