Commentary on the Issuance of the CPC Central Committee’s Publicity Notice Supporting the U.S. Communist Party’s Struggle Against Persecution (December 27, 1961)

Comrade Shangkun [1]: Please handle this document [2] without delay. It may be circulated to all comrades attending the meeting [3]. Before distribution, please consult the Department of International Liaison to ascertain whether this document has been jointly discussed with the U.S. Communist Party comrades in Beijing [4]. If not, it should be thoroughly deliberated with them. Mao Zedong December 27

Based on the manuscript copy. Notes [1] Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who at that time served as an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Central Office.

[2] Refers to the draft publicity notice of the CPC Central Committee supporting the U.S. Communist Party’s struggle against persecution. The draft notice states that on June 5, the U.S. Supreme Court issued three anti-communist rulings, affirming that the McCarran Act and the Smith Act’s membership provisions were consistent with the U.S. Constitution. Consequently, the U.S. government was empowered to order the U.S. Communist Party to register as a “foreign agent” and to arrest and imprison any communist, effectively outlawing the party. The U.S. government has now scheduled a trial of the U.S. Communist Party for February 1 of the following year. This constitutes a grave step by the U.S. ruling class toward further fascistization. The CPC Central Committee has decided to issue a party statement around January 10 of the following year and, starting from mid-January, to launch a publicity campaign lasting approximately two weeks to support the U.S. Communist Party’s struggle against persecution, thereby further exposing the reactionary nature of U.S. imperialism and bolstering the revolutionary forces in the United States. The draft notice also clearly sets forth several measures, the content of the campaign, and relevant points to note. The notice was drafted by the Publicity Department and the Department of International Liaison of the CPC Central Committee and submitted to the Central Committee on December 21, 1961. On December 27, the CPC Central Committee issued the notice.

[3] Refers to the CPC Central Committee work conference held in Beijing from December 20, 1961, to January 10, 1962.

[4] The First Section of the Confidential Office of the CPC Central Committee recorded on December 27, 1961: “The matter raised in the Chairman’s instruction has been consulted with the Department of International Liaison; Comrade Lu Dingyi has already discussed this document with the U.S. Communist Party comrades in Beijing.” Lu Dingyi was then Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.