Comment on Hu Jiwei's〔1〕 Investigation Report on the Phenomenon of Dispersion in Shandong Provincial Organs
(March 15, 1953)

Comrades Rao Shushi and An Ziwen〔2〕:

This document〔3〕 is of great educational significance. In my opinion, it can be published in the People's Daily. If you agree, please consider whether it is necessary to obtain the consent of the Shandong Sub-bureau, and please handle it as you see fit. In the future, if there are similar good reports from various localities, please select the important ones for publication.

Mao Zedong
March 15

Published according to the manuscript.

Notes
〔1〕 Hu Jiwei was then Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the People's Daily.
〔2〕 Rao Shushi was then Director of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee. An Ziwen was then Deputy Director of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.
〔3〕 Refers to Hu Jiwei's report dated February 21, 1953, to Deng Tuo for transmission to Hu Qiaomu and An Ziwen, regarding the phenomenon of dispersionism in Shandong provincial organs. The report stated: Before the enlarged meeting of the Shandong Sub-bureau last December, the overall leadership of the Provincial People's Government was very weak, resulting in a serious phenomenon of dispersion where each department and bureau acted on its own. Many important directives and decisions could be issued by the various departments without approval. The Party committee system of the Sub-bureau committee itself was also very unsound, and a similar serious phenomenon of dispersion existed. Most members of the Sub-bureau committee did not show enough concern for the overall work and did not regard participating in the overall leadership of the Sub-bureau as an important task for a committee member. When the Sub-bureau held meetings to discuss issues not under their own management, they often showed little interest and had few opinions. After the enlarged meeting of the Sub-bureau, although the phenomenon of dispersion has been fundamentally changed, the unified leadership of the Sub-bureau is still not strong. And if this problem is not well resolved, the struggle against bureaucratism, commandism, and violations of law and discipline will be greatly affected. This report by Hu Jiwei was circulated by the CPC Central Committee on March 2, 1953, to the CPC Central Committee's East China Bureau and Shandong Sub-bureau, but was not subsequently published in the People's Daily.