Chapter 79 Forceful self-reflection and confession 1942

Journalist: “How did your rectification campaign proceed?”

Mao: “On December 6, 1942, I instructed Kang Sheng to present a report on purging traitors, marking the transition of the rectification campaign into the stage of investigation and elimination. Initially, we had cadres fill out ‘Little Broadcasting Investigation Forms’ while mobilizing them to examine the remnants of ‘Party jargon.’ As we entered 1943, the process of investigation and elimination became prominent, and we launched a campaign for confessions, ordering every Party member to provide a detailed written account of their personal history.

On June 6, 1943, I sent a telegram to Peng Dehuai in the Taihang Mountains, imparting specific experiences and methods of the Yan’an movement: Write self-reflection notes. Reflect in accordance with the four criteria for cadres and write self-reflection notes.

Write autobiographies of thoughts. I instructed that they could be written repeatedly until they were satisfactory.

Launch a campaign for confessions and fill out the ‘Little Broadcasting Form.’ Fill out a form detailing social relationships and include all politically oriented ‘Little Broadcasts’ and relevant social connections from one’s personal history.

Conduct investigations. Only after completing all the above steps, we proceed to review and investigate Party cadres, purging any internal traitors.”

Journalist: “Do you want all the cadres to dig up and confess their entire experiences, social relationships, and statements?”

Mao: “Yes, I told Peng Dehuai that if these tasks were accomplished, it would be a remarkable achievement, and the long-term plan of our Party’s centennial goal would be established. This telegram of mine is a decree that must be strictly followed. In the future, anyone applying to join the Party must submit a detailed resume to the Party organization for review. Even non-Party members must go through this review process in order to work in sectors such as the economy, education, and culture.”

Journalist: “Do you believe that every cadre must be a transparent person for you to trust them?”

Mao: “Yes, the personal historical materials provided by Party members can be immediately used for investigations, swiftly identifying suspicious individuals. From a long-term strategic perspective, his move is advantageous in establishing my absolute authority. By making everyone in the Party ‘drop their pants and cut off their tails,’ and thoroughly confessing every detail of their personal history to the Party, confessing any actions that have let down the Party, Party members continuously become transparent, losing their sense of self-awareness. As the highest standard of a Party member and Party ethics, I, Chairman Mao, firmly occupy a dominant position in the spiritual world of Party members.”