Central Dispatch: Comment on Wu Zhipu’s Report〔1〕 Concerning the Phased and Batch Convening of Delegates’ Congresses of Commune Members and Other Matters (April 16, 1959)

I. This document〔2〕 is hereby forwarded to all provincial committees, municipalities directly under the central government, and autonomous region committees for implementation by analogy. Issued by the Central Committee on April 16, based on Mao Zedong’s handwritten draft.

II. Liu and Deng〔3〕 should read it immediately; Shangkun〔4〕 is to handle it. Printed by Mao from the handwritten draft.

Notes 〔1〕 Wu Zhipu was then First Secretary of the Henan Provincial Committee of the CPC and Governor of Henan Province.

〔2〕 On April 15, 1959, Wu Zhipu requested that Wang Renzhong, First Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC, and others forward this report to Mao Zedong, stating: Comrade Renzhong has conveyed the Chairman’s views on convening delegates’ congresses of commune members and related matters. We have communicated, studied, and made arrangements for these issues at a plenary session of the provincial committee as follows: (1) We agree to convene, starting now, meetings of cadres at all levels of the people’s communes in phases and batches. Delegates’ congresses of commune members should generally be held only after the accounts have been basically settled and after the county-level five-tier cadre conference has taken place. (2) Cadres at the levels of the people’s commune, management zone, and production team who have committed relatively serious errors or lack the ability to perform their duties typically account for five to six percent; in some localities, this figure rises to eight to ten percent, or even higher. Such cadres need to be removed or disciplined during the rectification campaign within the communes. (3) As for cadres whose violations of law and discipline are so serious as to warrant criminal punishment, there are usually three to four such cases per county, with about ten in a few particularly severe counties. After taking stern disciplinary action, not only have the cadres been educated, but public resentment has also been appeased, with very positive results.

〔〕 Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. 〔4〕 Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who was then an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.