Comments on the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee’s Report Concerning the Eradication of Hidden Counterrevolutionaries (July 20 and 21, 1955) 1. To be read by Liu, Zhou, Deng, Peng Zhen, Chen Yun, and Lu Dingyi [1]; to be transmitted by telegraph to Shang Kun [2], with additional copies distributed to relevant units in Beijing. This document [3] is very good. It contains assessments of historical matters. Mao Zedong, July 20, based on the manuscript. 2. To the Shanghai Bureau, the CPC committees of all provinces and municipalities directly under the central government, and the party committees of autonomous regions: We are now forwarding one copy of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee’s report dated July 17 concerning the eradication of hidden counterrevolutionaries for your reference. The Central Committee considers this document to be correct. Similar issues may arise elsewhere, so the experiences of Guangdong can serve as a useful reference. The Central Committee, July 21, 1955, based on Mao Zedong’s manuscript. £² ０
Notes [1] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Peng Zhen was then a candidate member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Chen Yun was a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Lu Dingyi was Minister of Propaganda of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Ten-Person Group. [2] Shang Kun refers to Yang Shangkun, who at that time held the positions of Deputy Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Central Office. [3] Refers to the report submitted by the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC to the Central Committee on July 17, 1955, regarding the progress of the campaign to eradicate hidden counterrevolutionaries. The report states that the campaign within the provincial-level organs of Guangdong Province and various organs in Guangzhou has entered the stage of self-confession and denunciation, exposing numerous problems. Since liberation, the cadre ranks in Guangdong have been particularly complex, yet efforts to purify their ranks have been inadequate. Although the Three-Anti and Land-Reform campaigns were large-scale mass movements, they only addressed issues related to corruption among cadres and those whose stance on land reform was wavering. Subsequent cleanups of middle and lower-level cadres did not constitute major campaigns, proceeding in a lukewarm and half-hearted manner, with insufficient attention paid by the leadership. Recent cadre investigations have also failed to resolve these issues. Consequently, without a comprehensive campaign or sustained struggle, the problem of internal impurity and hidden counterrevolutionaries cannot be fundamentally solved. The Provincial Party Committee is determined to thoroughly carry out the self-confession and denunciation phase, expand upon its achievements, and strive to essentially resolve the problems in several key departments by the conclusion of this campaign.£² １