Directive on the Strict Examination and Handling of
Various Archival Materials Left Behind by the Enemy
(19 August 1955)

Shanghai Bureau, all provincial and municipal Party committees, Party committees of autonomous regions:

The proper preservation and strict examination and handling of various archival materials left behind by the enemy are of extremely important significance to the work of eliminating counter-revolutionaries and screening cadres. These archives exist in large quantities not only at the provincial and municipal levels but also at the prefectural and county levels. Party committees and governments at all levels must issue orders to their subordinates to properly preserve them and to strictly examine and handle them. The Guangdong Provincial Party Committee has already made appropriate arrangements[1] regarding this matter, which are hereby forwarded to you for reference. You are requested to follow Guangdong’s methods and make similar arrangements.

Central Committee
19 August 1955


To be reviewed by Liu, Chen, Peng Zhen, Xiaoping, Ruiqing, Dingyi[2]; Shangkun to handle jointly.[3]

---

[1] Refers to the urgent notice issued by the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee on 14 August 1955 to its subordinate units and reported to the Central Committee regarding the examination and handling of archives from various enemy systems. The notice stated that after the liberation of Guangdong, various regions had taken over a considerable amount of archival materials left behind by the enemy, many of which were of significant reference value for the work of eliminating counter-revolutionaries. However, due to insufficient recognition of their role, it was discovered that many units had burned these materials or sold them as waste paper. In most areas, the archives taken over remained scattered and shelved, neither examined nor handled, nor properly utilized in the struggle against the enemy. Therefore, the following notice was issued:
(1) All archival materials previously taken over shall not be sold or destroyed under any circumstances.
(2) Examine the archives already taken over or scattered in various places, ascertain the status and quantities of all archival materials within a set deadline, and assign dedicated personnel at the county and municipal levels to register and handle them.
(3) Local Party committees should select politically reliable cadres with a certain level of competence to form clean-up groups. Under the unified leadership of the Party committee, and in conjunction with the investigation and groundwork for suppressing counter-revolutionaries and the struggle to eliminate hidden counter-revolutionaries, the clean-up shall be carried out swiftly.
(4) During the examination work, if batches of archival materials belonging to provincial-level organs are discovered in any locality, they should be promptly forwarded to the Provincial Party Committee.
(5) A first written report on the progress of the above work shall be submitted by the end of August.

[2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Chen refers to Chen Yun, then Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Peng Zhen, then 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, then Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Ruiqing, i.e., Luo Ruiqing, then Minister of Public Security and Deputy Head of the Central Ten-Person Group. Dingyi, i.e., Lu Dingyi, then Head of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and Head of the Central Ten-Person Group.

[3] Shangkun, i.e., Yang Shangkun, then Deputy Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.