Comments and Revisions on the Draft Notice Concerning Opinions on Suppressing Counterrevolutionaries and Granting Amnesty
(May 26, 1955)

Send immediately to Liu, Zhou, Zhu, Peng Zhen, Xiaoping for review and issuance.
Some revisions have been made. [2]
Mao Zedong
May 26
[1]
Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Zhu refers to Zhu De. Peng Zhen, at the time, served as Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Xiaoping, i.e., Deng Xiaoping, at the time, served as Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.
[2]
See Part Two of this document. The text printed in Song typeface represents the words added and revised by Mao Zedong.

Given that the question of whether amnesty should be granted and how to grant it is a political action affecting the broad masses, a decision can only be made after further exchange of opinions both inside and outside the Party. Therefore, all provincial and municipal Party committees are requested to conduct a special discussion on this question, and at the same time, a forum should be held with the CPPCC as the main body. Subsequently, the opinions from both inside and outside the Party on this question (i.e., whether amnesty should be granted and how to grant it) should be reported to the Central Committee before June 20, so as to determine whether a motion on amnesty should be submitted to the National People’s Congress. Alternatively, amnesty may not be granted during the First Five-Year Plan period, in order to avoid possible adverse effects (a surge in the arrogance of counterrevolutionaries, displeasure among the people), and the matter can be discussed again after a few years. This opinion has also been raised by many among the democratic personages. [1] As to which course is preferable, please solicit opinions and report by telegram.

[1]
After soliciting opinions from inside and outside the Party, the Central Committee decided not to submit a motion on granting amnesty to the Second Plenary Session of the First National People’s Congress. Four years later, on September 17, 1959, the Ninth Session of the Standing Committee of the Second National People’s Congress approved the proposal put forward by Mao Zedong on behalf of the CPC Central Committee regarding the special pardon of war criminals, counterrevolutionary criminals, and ordinary criminal offenders who had truly repented and turned over a new leaf, and decided to grant special pardons to the aforesaid criminals on the occasion of celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of National Day. On the same day, Liu Shaoqi, President of the People’s Republic of China, issued the Special Pardon Decree. On December 4 of the same year, the Supreme People’s Court granted special pardons and released the first batch of 33 war criminals.