(November 19, 1975)
Please let Wang decide where such matters should be handled. Fly
November 19
Sichuan
This marginal note was written on a letter dated November 10, 1975, from Zhang Boheng, a cadre of the Institute of Scientific and Technological Information of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, to Mao Zedong. In the letter, Zhang stated that he had been suspended from duty and placed under investigation for many years. Only recently had the Party Committee of the commission decided to lift these measures, restore his Party membership rights, and submit an investigative report to the Central Military Commission. While he generally agreed with the conclusions in the report, he expressed reservations about Comrade Kang Sheng’s annotations. The letter raised six specific points of contention regarding Kang Sheng’s comments and concluded: “Neither absolute affirmation nor absolute negation is a Marxist-Leninist stance. This is especially true when it comes to rectifying counter-revolutionary elements; one should not jump to conclusions based on preconceived notions. For example, Comrade Kang Sheng’s annotation asserts that ‘I definitely have ties with the Soviet revisionists.’ In my view, such conclusive language, lacking solid evidence, would be best avoided.” Kang Sheng was then a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Politburo.


He died of illness in Beijing in December 1975.


In December 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee decided to subject him to an investigation.


In October 1980, the CPC Central Committee forwarded the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s report on Kang Sheng, which noted that he “displayed extremely poor political integrity. During the Cultural Revolution, he directly participated in the counter-revolutionary conspiracy by Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, and others to seize power within the Party, thereby committing grave crimes.” The Central Committee resolved to publicly disclose his counter-revolutionary offenses throughout the Party, expel him from the Party, and rescind the eulogy that had been issued in his honor.
[2]


Wang refers to Wang Dongxing, who at the time was a member of the CPC Central Politburo and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.


On November 21, 1975, when forwarding Zhang Boheng’s letter to Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee Ye Jianying and others, Wang wrote: “Chairman Mao has made remarks on this letter. I am submitting both the remarks and the original letter for your review. After reading them, please designate a comrade to investigate and handle the matter.”


November 22
Ye Jianying annotated: “It is recommended to refer this to the General Political Department for reconsideration and appropriate action.”