Commentary on a Letter Reflecting on the Rectification Campaign in the Chaoshan Region of Guangdong (April 27, 1958)

Comrade Tao Zhu [1]: With regard to the issues raised in this document [2], please dispatch a comrade who is politically strong to conduct a thorough investigation. Sectarianism may indeed be present, but it is also important to carefully and thoroughly examine whether there were any special circumstances that might have led to the death in question. The person sent should bring no preconceived notions or assumptions, but approach the matter solely with the aim of seeking the truth. Once the facts are clarified, all doubts among the masses can be dispelled. I understand that you are ill; please rest and recuperate in peace. Resume work only when you have fully recovered—there is no need to rush. As for this incident in Chaoshan, it can be handled by entrusting a few brief instructions to one of the secretaries. Mao Zedong April 27

Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Tao Zhu was at the time First Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee. [2] On April 1, 1958, a resident of Chao’an County, Guangdong Province, wrote to the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, reporting that the county party secretary had committed suicide during the rectification campaign and the anti-Rightist struggle. The letter requested that personnel be dispatched without delay to Chaoshan to inspect the movement against localism within the rectification campaign, so as to promptly resolve existing problems and ensure the healthy development of the campaign.