Eradicate All Hidden Counter-Revolutionaries
A Comment on a Report on the Struggle Situation
(August 11, 1955)

To the Shanghai Bureau, all provincial and municipal Party committees, and autonomous region Party committees, with notice to all departments of the Military Commission:

The experience in eradicating counter-revolutionaries from the Ministry of Foreign Trade[1] is very useful. It is hereby distributed to you for reference and may be forwarded to all units for emulation.

Central Committee
August 11, 1955

To be reviewed by Liu, Chen, and Deng,[I] to be sent by telegraph by Shangkun,[2] with copies to all departments of the Military Commission, and additionally printed and distributed to all Central Committee members in Beijing.

[I] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Chen refers to Chen Yun, then serving as Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then serving as Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the experience introduced in the report of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, dated August 1, 1955, to the Party Committee of State Organs, the Central Committee, and Mao Zedong, on the struggle situation in eradicating all hidden counter-revolutionaries. The report states that the movement to eradicate counter-revolutionaries in the Ministry of Foreign Trade was broadly divided into three stages: (1) The first stage, from June 6 to June 21, mainly involved preparatory work before the movement. (2) The second stage began with the convening of a general meeting of all staff on June 22. The experience of this stage was: First, boldly mobilize the masses, emphasize linking theory with reality, expose bad people and bad deeds, "peel off the layers" step by step, and ultimately achieve the goal of isolating and exposing counter-revolutionaries. Second, ideological struggles in small groups must be prepared; attention must be paid to organizing and studying materials, and no battle should be fought without preparation. Third, when the small-group struggle has proceeded to a sufficient degree, it should promptly shift to special-case review groups for examination and struggle. (3) The third stage began in late July, mainly involving further deepening mass mobilization to solve cases and annihilate the enemy. The experience of this stage was: First, continue to oppose right-leaning thinking and strengthen specific guidance. Second, vigorously strengthen leadership over special-case review groups to achieve case resolution and enemy annihilation. Third, after the ideological struggle in small groups has stripped away the counter-revolutionaries' disguises, further examine their personal histories and social connections, which plays a significant role in exposing the true features of counter-revolutionaries and educating cadres.


[2] Shangkun, namely Yang Shangkun, then serving as Deputy Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.