(August 8, 1955)
Comrade Tan Zheng:
The complexity of the military service cadres is not unique to Anhui. This document [1] could perhaps be forwarded to the provincial military districts for them to handle accordingly. Please consider and act at your discretion.
How is Xiao Hua's [2] illness progressing? I await your report.

Mao Zedong
August 8

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the brief report (No. 4) on the situation of the elimination of counterrevolutionaries, dated July 25, 1955, from the Party Committee and Political Department of the Anhui Provincial Military District, forwarded by the Political Department of the Nanjing Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on July 30, 1955, to its subordinate units and reported to the General Political Department. The brief report stated that, based on the elimination of counterrevolutionaries movement in recent days, the following issues should be noted: First, among the military service cadres, there exist quite a few problems, and attention must be paid to cleaning them up. According to preliminary understanding, among the military service cadres studying at the military district's cadre school, counterrevolutionary elements and individuals with major political suspicions have already been discovered. The cleaning up of such problems must be personally undertaken by the troops and cannot rely solely on the local Party committees. Second, before transitioning to the stage of confession and accusation, there must be thorough arrangements and ample preparation. Third, the specific methods for the stage of ideological examination and confession and accusation: 1. Ideological examination and confession and accusation must be closely linked and cannot be completely separated. 2. During the ideological examination, a sharp struggle must be waged. 3. Before the ideological examination, key targets should be identified, so as to carry out the struggle with targets and focus. 4. After the masses have been mobilized, the struggle has unfolded, the key targets have become clear, and the backbone cadres have been tempered through actual struggle, the leadership should then call for confession and accusation, transitioning into the stage of confession and accusation.


[2] Xiao Hua, then serving as Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.