Comments on the Briefing Report Regarding the Symposium for Rightists
(March 2, 1958)
To the Shanghai Bureau, and to the Party Committees of all Provinces, Directly Administered Municipalities, and Autonomous Regions:
The document enclosed herewith [I] may be read.
All localities should convene meetings of rightists, with leading officials delivering reports, in order to win them over and prevent further disintegration among them. The meetings may range in size from several dozen to several hundred or even several thousand participants; in each case,
[I]
refers to a briefing report on a symposium for rightists convened by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.
The briefing states that the CYLC Central Committee held two separate meetings of rightists on February 14 and 15, 1958—one for former bureau-level officials and above, and another for ordinary cadres. Hu Yaobang, First Secretary of the CYLC Central Committee, addressed both meetings, pointing out that their mistakes were extremely serious: they fundamentally opposed the Party and socialism, constituting a matter of principle. However, he emphasized that as long as they genuinely acknowledged their errors and resolved to reform, their future would remain bright. He also read out the Central Committee’s Six Measures for Handling Rightists, explaining the policy of combining strictness with leniency. He noted that if they were willing to repent, the Party would adopt a lenient approach toward them: first, they would not be treated as counterrevolutionaries—no execution or imprisonment; second, their civil rights would not be deprived; and third, the vast majority would not be dismissed from public office. They would be provided with food and employment, and the Party organizations were prepared to sincerely assist them in their transformation. He encouraged them to take control of their own destinies, noting that most of them were very young and had their whole lives ahead of them. If they continued to serve the people, they could regain the trust of the masses, and many might even become good cadres. Both meetings yielded excellent results.

the most authoritative leading official from the relevant unit (such as a university or a government department), system (such as the cultural and educational sector), or region (for example, a district or a city; when the number of rightists in a city is large, a representative sample of, say, two to three thousand individuals should be selected) should deliver a speech. In this way, considerable success can certainly be achieved.
Central Committee
March 2, 1958
Approved for issuance after review by Zhu, Chen, Deng, and Peng Zhen [II].
[II]
Zhu refers to Zhu De. Chen refers to Chen Yun, who at the time served as Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who was then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Peng Zhen was then a Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat.