Notes on the Letter Concerning Retaliation Incidents [I]
(October 1964)
I have read it. Once all comrades have finished reading it, we will convene a meeting.
[1]


Liu Shaoqi’s letter of October 19, 1964, addressed to Mao Zedong and also to Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, Peng Zhen, and others, stated that in the past the socialist education campaign in the countryside had not been carried out thoroughly enough, and numerous instances of retaliation by corrupt cadres and class enemies against poor peasants and lower-middle peasants who were active participants had already occurred. The question arises: Should we wait until their crimes have grown even more heinous before taking action against this counter-revolutionary reprisal? In my view, this approach would be wrong.


For it would result in substantial losses on political, economic, and production fronts. So how ought we to proceed now? My suggestion is that the Central Committee and the provincial committees immediately dispatch cadres—supplemented by some from the prefectural and county levels—to form roving inspection teams, which would go down to the grassroots to investigate and handle these cases. As for Party members and cadres found guilty of serious acts of reprisal against poor and lower-middle peasants or of counter-attacks aimed at reversing previous gains, once such charges are substantiated through investigation, they should all be removed from their posts and expelled from the Party; those whose offenses are particularly grave should be arrested and brought to justice; and in individual cases where public outrage is extreme, the death penalty might be imposed. Likewise, any commune, district, or county-level cadres who have supported these bad elements, once their complicity has been clearly established, should also be removed from their posts and expelled from the Party. Will this lead to the punishment and expulsion of too many Party members and cadres? I do not believe we should fear an excessive number of such measures. Of course, care must be taken to avoid unjustly punishing innocent people; strictness must be combined with prudence. In areas where incidents of retaliation and counter-attacks are particularly severe, the provision stipulating that disciplinary actions against Party members and cadres should not exceed 2 percent under the “Double Ten Regulations” can hardly remain applicable. Unless we deal sternly with these wrongdoers, we will be unable to unite the vast majority of the masses. If such incidents continue to spread, they are bound to become more widespread everywhere in the future. I respectfully request that the Chairman convene the Standing Committee for a discussion on this matter. Whether this is feasible, please decide at your discretion.