Two Comments on Understanding the Rectification of Agricultural Cooperatives in Boye County, Hebei Province
(September 13 and October 23, 1955)

This document[1] is to be sent to Comrade Lin Tie[2] of the Hebei Provincial Committee for review.
Zhong Shuntong is a security staff member here. According to him, some cooperatives in Boye County have not been seriously rectified. The Provincial Committee is requested to pay attention to this matter. If it is true, measures should be taken to resolve it.

Mao Zedong
September 13

[1] Refers to the report written by Zhong Shuntong on August 5, 1955, on the situation of agricultural cooperatives in his hometown of Xujiaying, Dugezhuang, and Beiyan townships in Boye County, Hebei Province. The report, when discussing the rectification of cooperatives, stated that this rectification only registered property, cooperative names, cooperative heads, and key cooperative cadres, while the existing problems within the cooperatives were not resolved. The peasants demanded that after autumn, agricultural cooperatives must be rectified, cadres and Party members must be rectified, and policy and ideological education for rural cadres, especially those at the township, village, and cooperative levels, must be strengthened.

[2] Lin Tie, then Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Governor of Hebei Province.

340

Two Comments on Understanding the Rectification of Agricultural Cooperatives in Boye County, Hebei Province

Ye Zilong[1] called to inform Comrade Lin Tie:
This letter[2] has been received. Thank him.

Mao Zedong
October 23

[1] Ye Zilong, then secretary to Mao Zedong.

[2] Refers to Lin Tie’s letter to Mao Zedong on October 20, 1955, regarding the inspection of work in Boye County. The letter stated that after receiving Mao Zedong’s forwarded report by Zhong Shuntong, the Hebei Provincial Committee immediately dispatched a work team to coordinate with local cadres in inspecting the three townships in Boye County. The actual situation was as follows: In April of this year, over 100 trainees from the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s training class had conducted an internship in the county and carried out a registration using ten types of forms, which indeed did not resolve many issues. Through this inspection, the existing problems have drawn the attention of the Boye County Party Committee. In addition to resolving some issues during the inspection, the County Party Committee is now addressing the remaining problems through continued rectification in conjunction with this year’s cooperative establishment efforts.

341