Chapter 11 Anti-Rightist Campaign 1955-1956

Journalist: “You have already engaged in the crackdown, three anti-5 anti, and purge Hu Feng group counterrevolution, what more purge?”

Mao: “Yes. In 1955, in the preface to the book ‘Materials on Hu Feng’s Counterrevolutionary Group,’ I said: ‘We are the victors, and all kinds of people are coming to us, so we have not yet had time to do a thorough cleaning. We have not yet had time to make a thorough cleanup. Many counter-revolutionary elements have penetrated into our liver. This is definitely not only Hu Feng elements, but also more other secret agents or bad elements have come in. Not only should we purge Hu Feng counter-revolutionary group elements, but also expose all kinds of hidden counter-revolutionary elements, Kuomintang agents, imperialist agents, Trotskyists, and other reactionary elements, and purify the revolutionary ranks.’”

Journalist: “Didn’t all those people surrender and come under your jurisdiction? Do you want to dig them out again and criticize them?”

Mao: “Yes, within two months in the summer of 1955, I personally approved and forwarded more than 20 reports on the purge of the central organs, the military system and Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hebei, etc. The ‘purge of Hu Feng’s counter-revolutionary group’ evolved directly into a nationwide purge of all organs, groups, armies, schools, enterprises. On July 1, 1955, the Central Committee issued the ‘Instruction on Launching the Struggle to Purge Hidden Counterrevolutionaries,’ deciding to carry out a ‘purge’ with ‘about 5% of hidden counterrevolutionaries and bad elements.’ (This 5% ratio became the ‘classic ratio’ in all political campaigns.) From June 1955 to the end of 1956, a purge campaign was carried out in urban and rural areas throughout the country. The purges carried out by party and government organs, organizations, industrial and mining enterprises, troops and schools were called organ purges or internal purges; the purges in rural areas, streets and private enterprises were called social purges.”

Journalist: “You are digging in at 5 percent regardless of how many historical counterrevolutions there actually are?”

Mao: “Yes. During the purge, due to unclear policy boundaries, what was meant by counterrevolutionaries? Like identifying Hu Feng counterrevolutionary group, it was very arbitrary. A few erroneous words found in letters or diaries, or words that were not erroneous but were misinterpreted, could be designated as counterrevolutionaries. In the anti-Hu Feng campaign, it became common to search letters, force diaries to be handed over, and be boldly suspicious; to criticize at conferences and force at small meetings; and to take quotations out of context in order to get to the top of the list. The press statements I wrote for the People’s Daily criticizing Hu Feng became a weapon often used by the ‘counter-revolutionaries’ in the purge struggle.”

Journalist: “In fact, when you say counter-revolutionary, you mean counter-revolutionary, without any basis and without any criteria?”

Mao: “Yes, some officers of the army who revolted or were captured have long been absorbed into our military schools as teachers, and should have been ‘rewarded for meritorious work’ or ‘coerced not to ask.’ After liberation, there were no new problems, but in the purge, they were also struggled, imprisoned, and they maybe shot in some cases, because of historical problems.

Some people participated in the Youth League when they were in high school and did not participate in any activities, and they had already given an account, but they were pursued as serious problems in the purges and even forced to die. The political baggage that they have been carrying for decades cannot be counted.”

Journalist: “Anyway, all those who had something to do with the Kuomintang had bad luck?”

Mao: “Yes. By the end of 1956, according to official announcements, a total of 214,470 people had been arrested, 21,715 people had been sentenced to death, and 53,230 people had died unnaturally (forced to commit suicide, beaten to death by torture, tortured to death in prison and in labor camps, etc.). This purge campaign, which struck more than 1.4 million cadres and intellectuals, had a wrongful conviction rate of over 94%. Like the Luoyang Tractor Factory, 13 of the 48 engineers and technicians of grade 4 or above became the key targets of the struggle. The New Hunan Newspaper, which cracked down on more than 10 people, ended up not purging a single problematic counter-revolutionary, with a 100% wrongful conviction rate, and many people were implicated in the purge campaign.”

Journalist: “Oh, the purge purge out, 94% is wrong?”

Mao: “Yes. The central government did not clearly rehabilitate those who were harmed in the purge.

I also said at the provincial and municipal meetings on January 27, 1957: ‘There must be a purge. Those who have not completed the purge plan must be completed this year, and if a little tail is left behind, it must be completed next year. Some units are purged but not clear, they must be purged in the struggle. There are not many counterrevolutions left, but we must be sure that there are still counterrevolutions, the purge is not finished. Must be sure to purge. The results of the purge are great. We must give support to the purge cadres and not soften up because some democrats scolded them.’”

Journalist: “Are you insisting on fighting to the end no matter what?”

Mao: “Yes, in some areas of the country, the purges even extended to 1958. in April 1958, in Shantou, Guangdong Province, thousands of people were arrested in a night raid, and those arrested were sentenced only after months of hard labor, some were jailed, some were killed unjustly.

The purges also affected underage high school students, and according to statistics, more than 3,200 high school students were classified as ‘anti-Party elements’ throughout Sichuan.”

Journalist: “Wow, middle school students are classified as anti-Party elements? What does a child know about the Party?”

Mao: “Yes. According to official statistics, from July 1955 to the end of 1958, the nationwide purge campaign was conducted in five batches, involving more than 31 million people, and 3.75 million people were branded as all kinds of counterrevolutionaries, the vast majority of these counterrevolutions were found to be unsubstantiated.”

Journalist: “Wow, a 3-year purge campaign that cracked down on 31 million people, and 3.75 million were branded as counterrevolutionaries?”

Mao: “Yes, more than 95 percent, there was no evidence, they were all unjustly accused.”