Central Committee Telegram concerning the Directive on Agreeing to Postpone the Implementation of the Mass Anti-Smoking Campaign
(April 2, 1953)

To the Central-South Bureau, all central bureaus, sub-bureaus, all provincial (municipal) Party committees, and the Party groups of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Health of the Central People’s Government, as well as the Party groups of all other commissions and ministries:

The February 14 telegram from the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and the March 21 telegram from the Central-South Bureau have been noted. The Central Committee agrees to the request of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and the Central-South Bureau to postpone the implementation of the mass anti-smoking campaign. It further holds that, for any work that hinders production, no matter which department of the Central Committee has deployed it, so long as the local Party committee deems it necessary to postpone implementation, a request may be submitted for postponement. Furthermore, regarding any orders or directives from higher authorities that are based on subjectivist assumptions and fundamentally do not conform to actual conditions, and that must be abolished or revised, the local Party and government authorities have the right to raise their opinions. When encountering such situations, it is correct for the local Party and government authorities to proceed from reality and raise their opinions; it is incorrect to raise no opinion and instead forcibly push downward incorrect orders and directives that go against the will of the masses.

Of course, except when encountering urgent circumstances, in which case the local Party and government authorities have the right to take preliminary action and then report to higher authorities for subsequent ratification, in ordinary matters, the final handling in all cases must be reported to the Central Committee or other originally designated higher authorities for approval before implementation.

Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
April 2, 1953