Chapter 09 Pan Hannian wrongful case 1955

Journalist: “Pan Hannian is a traitor? Isn’t he your senior intelligence officer?”

Mao: “Yes, he was a traitor and my highest-ranking intelligence officer. The company’s main business is to promote the development of the company’s products and services. Pan Hannian immediately told Chen Yi that he had secretly met Wang Jingwei in 1942. Chen Yi immediately reported to me, and I told Chen Yi at that time that this person could not be trusted from then on.

According to my instructions, Pan Hannian was soon secretly arrested and put into prison, where he was unjustly imprisoned for 22 years until his death.”

Journalist: “Wasn’t Pan Hannian one of your men? How did you arrest him and imprison him until he died?”

Mao: “I can’t say anything. Pan Hannian was engaged in high-level intelligence work, which only 2 people, Zhou Enlai and I, knew about. Pan contacted Zhou in a straight line, and Zhou reported to me. During the anti-Japanese period, I did ask him to establish contact with Wang and the Japanese side, to exchange information, and also explained to strive for a compromise with the Japanese side, mutual cooperation and an armistice in North China. Although no specific agreement was reached, a tacit understanding was basically established and mutual accommodation was made. his meeting with Wang Jingwei in 1942 was permitted in advance by Zhou Enlai and me, and was not reported to me, probably because there was no concrete result. It was only in 1955 that this top secret was revealed. When I heard Chen Yi’s report, I was so stunned that I immediately ordered him to be locked up and spend the rest of his life in a prison cell until he died.”

Journalist: “Oh, he and Zhou Enlai were in secret one-way contact, and Zhou Enlai reported you?”

Mao: “Yes. Pan Hannian heard that there were any historical problems, just explain. Chen Yi then also placated him, saying that Chairman Mao knew, he said a word and it would be fine. I did not expect to say that the pot, the next day a group of public security officers came to the Beijing Hotel, he was secretly arrested, immediately confined.

In fact, what he said is not a historical issue? It was a top-level Party secret, a matter of his scope of work, not a historical issue. I was very disturbed when he said that people heard that Pan Hannian had the audacity to be the highest level, and that it was not me. He told the public that I instructed him to be a traitor, where can I put my face? I had to isolate him from the world and shut him up forever. And falsely accused him of being a Kuomintang agent and locked him up.”

Journalist: “Oh, you arrested him to silence him and keep him from leaking information?”

Mao: “Yes, I said Pan Hannian was a scholar and a thief with a weak heart, but in fact he was not a thief, he was on my highest mission. Why vain? In fact, he did not say nothing, more than ten years have passed, the gods do not know, I also relaxed. It doesn’t matter if he’s vain, I’m even more vain. If I let him get away with it, he walked away from the mouth, I am not sure in my heart, the only thing I had to do was to lock him up, so he shut up forever.”

Journalist: “I see, you are afraid that Pan Hannian again, you are the biggest traitor?”

Mao: “Yes, this is my greatest fear. Pan Hannian suffered from then on in prison, without seeing the light of day, for 22 years, until he was tortured to death in Hunan labor farm in 1977; even his wife, Dong Hui, who was not involved, was also imprisoned separately for a long time, suffering from abuse. Pan’s unjust case also implicated dozens of people, including Yang Fan. That is something that can not be helped, for the revolution must be a little sacrifice.”

Journalist: “Oh, you also implicated Yang Fan and dozens of others to sacrifice for you?”

Mao: “Yes, until after my death, he was rehabilitated in 1982, nothing happened. But it does not say who is responsible, no one bears the fault. My successor, in order to maintain the overall situation, to maintain my prestige, it is not good to put my responsibility through, in fact, I am the head of the crime.”