Central Committee’s Comments Forwarding Luo Ruiqing’s [1] Report on Launching a Campaign Against Bureaucracy, Commandism, and Violations of Law and Discipline within the Public Security System (February 14, 1953) To all Central Bureaus and Branch Bureaus, with copies forwarded to provincial and municipal party committees and all public security organs; also to inform the party groups of the Central People’s Government: The Central Committee deems it entirely necessary to systematically carry out, within the public security system, a campaign against bureaucracy, commandism, and violations of law and discipline, in accordance with the Central Committee’s directive of January 5 [2]. The Central Committee approves Comrade Luo Ruiqing’s report of February 10 [3] and transmits it to you, requesting that you urge the public security organs to implement its guidelines and procedures properly. Issued by the Central Committee on February 14, printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript. Notes [1] Luo Ruiqing was at the time Deputy Director of the Administrative Council’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission and Minister of Public Security. [2] Refers to the CPC Central Committee’s January 5, 1953, directive on opposing bureaucracy, commandism, and violations of law and discipline. See page 1 of this volume.

[3] Refers to Luo Ruiqing’s February 10, 1953, report to Mao Zedong, the Central Committee, and the party groups of the government and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission concerning the launch of a campaign against bureaucracy, commandism, and violations of law and discipline within the public security system. The report states that over the past three years, people’s public security organs at all levels nationwide have undergone severe tests in the great struggle to suppress counterrevolutionaries and during the Three-Anti Movement, thereby strengthening and reorganizing themselves politically and organizationally. However, the great victory achieved in the anti-counterrevolutionary campaign has also concealed many serious shortcomings and errors in our work and organizational structure, and indeed, numerous undesirable elements and improper practices have emerged and persisted. Most prominent among these are such grave violations of law and discipline as arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and forced confessions, exaggeration, fabrication of cases, and the lingering influence of old Nationalist police methods. Among district and township-level public security personnel in rural areas, there exists a serious tendency toward coercive, top-down commandism. The primary reason these serious problems could arise and continue unchecked for so long lies in the severe bureaucracy pervading public security leadership at all levels, which has led to lax political and ideological guidance, inadequate organizational work, and a failure to go deep into the grassroots to understand the actual situation. Therefore, it is highly necessary to launch a campaign within the public security system to combat bureaucracy, commandism, and violations of law and discipline. Specific measures include: First, integrate the current work with the campaign against violations of law and discipline, using this campaign to expose and overcome bureaucratic tendencies within the leadership bodies. Second, any fabricated cases that have been thoroughly investigated and officially confirmed by higher authorities must be promptly and responsibly rectified and addressed. Third, party committees and public security organs at all levels must strictly adhere to regulations governing the authority to make arrests, impose capital punishment, and exercise control, as well as those governing investigative powers. Fourth, policy and disciplinary education should be systematically strengthened throughout the public security system, with torture and forced confessions being strictly prohibited. Fifth, major regional and provincial/municipal public security organs are required to submit special reports on combating bureaucracy, commandism, and violations of law and discipline to the Central Ministry of Public Security by April 1953.