PREPARATIONS CONTINUE FOR CARRYING OUT LAND REFORM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600370500-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2011
• Sequence Number: 500
• Publication Date: January 22, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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DATE OF
INFORMATION. 1950
DATE DIST. A2Jan 1951
NO. OF PAGES 5
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
PREPARATIONS CONTINUE FOR CARRYING OUT LAND REFORM
Recent regulations issued by the East China Military and Ad-
ministrative Committee are intended to check violations by land-
lords who try to reduce their holdings by devious methods or who
carry out wanton destruction before the land-reform program starts.
Punishments range from one year at hard labor to death.
Provision is made for absentee landowners, regardless of class,
to register their lands with the local rural authorities, without
returning to the area themselves, by furnishing pertinent informa-
tion by mail.
Land reform is to be carried out in 1950-51 in large areas of
Shensi, Kansu, and Ningsia.
EAST CHINA MAC ISSUES REGUTATIONS -- Shanghai, Hsin Wen Jih-pao, 13 Oct 50
Since the promulgation of the National Land-Reform Law, there have been
numerous cases of landlords in East China secretly transferring land and des
stroying equipment, timber, etc. The East China MAC 'Military and Admin.,.s-
trative Committee) has, therefore, issued the following provisional regulations,
as of 19 September 1950, for dealing with such landlords.
1. These regulations are based on the 32d and 53d provisions of the
National. Land-Reform Iaw.
2. These regulations shall be followed in handling all cases of vio-
lations by landlords not otherwise provided for in the provisions of the Land-
Reform Law.
3. Punishment shall be by sentences of up to one year of hard labor for
proven c. ses of 4-he following nat'are:
a. Secret transfer of land by sale, mortgage, gift, false sale,
false mortgage, or false division of family property to conceal ownership.
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
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CENTRAL INTELLIGEN
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CE AGENCY REPORT 50X1-HUM
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C~~FIC~t~~"al
b. Withdrawal of land from rent or reduction of living quarters to
the detriment of the cultivators during the rent reduction period.
d. Felling timber.
e. Slaughter or starving to death of work animals.
f. Destruction of farming equipment or crops.
g. Deliberately allowing land to go untilled.
~+. Punishment shall be from one to 5 years of hard labor for proven
cases of the following nature:
a. Rumormongering to deceive the people or to create disorder.
b. Taking advantage of the agricultural associations to effect an
illegal division of land or to monopolize political power.
c. Creating dissension among the people or between religious organ-
izations which results in harm to property or persons.
d. Attempting bribery by any means.
e. Attempting to deprive cultivators of land already distributed
to them by threat, offer of profit, or direct disposition.
5. Punishment shall be death or hard labor for more than 10 years for
proven cases of the following nature:
a. Organization of armed forces or collusion with KM1 armed parti-
sans to murder peasants, or inflict any other injury to the interests of the
farmers.
b. Employment of feudal superstitions to create disorder and do
harm to the persons or interests of the peasants.
c. Attack from ambush and serious injury or secret assassination
of peasants or laborers.
d. Violence or arson involving destruction of buildings, foodstuffs,
timber, or water conservancy projects with damage of persons or property of
peasants.
e. Stirring up the people to violence in order to intimidate and
interfere with pYpular movements, resulting in death to persons or heavy dam-
age to property.
6. Voluntary accomp114 es in the above-named crimes may be sentenced
to from one to 10 years of -hard labor. Involuntary accomplices (compelled
to participate by violence or trickery) shall be dealt with according to cir-
cumstances. They may be sentenced to hard labor up to one year or to be re-
educated.
7. Violators of Provision "a" of Regulation No 3 above, in addition to'
the treatment stipulated, shall be dealt with according to Provision 8 of the
land-Reform Taw.
CONFIDENTIAL
50X1-HUM
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CONFIDENTIAL
Violators of Provision "b" of Regulation 3 and Provision "e" of
Regulation 4, in addition to, their punishment, shall make restitution in full
and pay damages.
Those who violate the Provisions "c" and "g" of Regulation 3, in ad-
dition to punishment, shall make restitution for all damages.
8. In the cases of Regulations 1 and 4, where the provisions have not
all been violated, after careful investigation into the circumstances and
reasons for nonviolation, some dimunition of sentence may be made or re-ed-
ucation may be ordered.
9. Violators. of Regulations 3 and 4, who voluntarily confess their
crimes and repent before investigation is made by the authorities, may secure
a reduction or remission of sentence according to the circumstances.
10. Violators of Regulation 5, who confess the matter before investi-
gation by the authorities, turn in their weapons, and manifest sincere re-
pentance and reform, according to the circumstances and the extent of their
awakening, may receive reduction or complete remission of sentence.
11. Any .'person who, having received the above-mentioned leniency,
is guilty of repeating the offense shall be punished with much greater sever-
ity.
12. Any person may report secretly and present evidence to the au-
thorities on any case of violation of the above regulations by landlords.
If the evidence in such reports proves unreliable, no further investigation
shall. be made unless it appears there was malice in the matter, in which, case
the accuser is-liable to punishment.
13. Esien courts or branch courts shall have jurisdiction in cases aris-
ing under these regulations. However, sentences involving death or more than
5 years of hard labor, before being carried out, must be approved by the pro-
vincial or regional governments or by a Special Administrative Commissioner
appointed by them. Sentences of less than 5 years or cases of lessening or
remission of sentences shall be approved by the hsien authorities.
14. These regulations shall be in effect from the day of publication.
Interpretations and revisions may be made only by the East China MAC.
LANDLORDS DELIBERATELY VIOLATE LAND-REFORM IAW -_ Nanking, Hsin-hua Jih-pao,
23 Oct 50
Peiping, 21 October (Hsin-hua) -- Since the promulgation of the Land-
Reform law there has been a rash of violations of its provisions by landlords
in areas where the reforms have not yet been carried out. During the past
3 months these violations have been particularly numerous in Central and
South China and East China.
Cases of bribery or attempted bribery of land-reform cadres with money,
women, or presents of land have been frequent. Fraudulent division of land
among relatives has appeared in many places. In South Kiangsu, one landlord
registered more than 600 mou /ne. mou equals 116 acr 7 of his land in the
names of various relatives, retaining only 10-odd mou in his own name.
Among the other most important violations have been damage to buildings
and secret sales of equipment and grain. land sales are reported from North
Kiangsu, Hunan, and Chekiang.
CONFIDEF, -;
, AL
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CONFIDF'~'AL
In one hsien in Hunan, after a landlord had been stopped by the local agri-
cultural association from selling his work animals, he poisoned them. Others
crippled their animals by various means and then slaughtered them. In South
Anhwei, an abattoir bought over 60 work animals from landlords for slaughtering.
In South Kiangeu, one landlord put caustic soda and gypsum into his paddy
fields to ruin them.
In South Kiangsu and Hunan, tens of thousands of pine, fir, and bamboo
trees have been wantonly felled by landlords. In other cases, fires have been
set in forests, burning over hundreds of mou.
Circulation of false rumors on the land-reform plans and joining up with
KMT special agents have been frequent practices.
The authorities of both East China and Central and South China and of many
of the provinces.have issued:9tringentorders for the punishment of these crimes.
Some flagrant violators have been executed.
It is apparent, however, that many local authorities and cadres have taken
a complacent attitude toward these matters, many of the agricultural associa-
tions are inefficient and multitudes of the people do not understand the land-
reform law. Education and propaganda work must be pushed forward more rapidly
than in the past.
The following information should be given for each parcel of land:
1. Name of owner
2. Number of members in family (distinguishing between those resident
where the land is located and those resident elsewhere).
ABSENTEE LANDOWNERS MAY REGISTER BY MAIL -- Ho-fei, Huan-pei Jih-pao 19 Oct 50
To answer questions asked of the Land Reform Committee of the East China
Military and Administrative Committee concerning land registration by absentee
landownersy the following general l.'=inciples have been outlined by the com-
mittee.
The announcement of the Land Reform Committee concerning land registra-
tion, known as Vu-tzu No 1, applies only in areas where land reform is go-
ing on during the 'present autumn and winter (1950-51) or where it will be
carried out later.
Registrants of rural lands should register with the hsiang authorities
or the equivalent authorities concerned. If the land li!s in different hsiangs,
registration should be made for each parcel with the authorities of each hsiang
concerned.
4. Residence address.
5. Total amount of land in the given hsiang and its location (differen-
tiating between those parcels self-cultivated and those rented to others for
cultivation).
6: Owner?s' classification /landlord, wealthy farmer,' middle-class farmer
poor farmer, farm lal:ore.
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COIFIDEPTIM.
The above information should be provided for each parcel of land and
sent to the various authorities having jurisdiction.-' In changes have
occurred in the Jurisdiction of local areas which control the land, and
which the owner is unable"to deter'aine clearly, minute information should
be provided as to the boundaries of the parcel which will aid in-its iden-
tification; and the registration report should be sent to the proper hsien
authorities.
All persons owning rural land in East China, regardless of their class,
must speedily submit their land registration reports in accordance with the
provisions of the above-mentioned land registration announcement.
The classification of each rural absentee landowner shall be democrati-
cally decided upon, according to the information on his land-registration
report, by the peasants' village meeting or peasants delegates under the
leadership of the hsiang authorities in accord with the principles of classi-
fication laid down by the Administration Council of the Central government.
Each person shall be treated as the law provides for his class.
Workers and government employees needing letters of attestation for
their registration reports should secure them from their local industrial
labor union, in the case of industrial workers, or from the competent gov-
ernman-,; authorities, in the case of government employees. Such letters of
attestation should include the following information: the attester's occu-
pation, number of members of family with him, and income from his occupation.
/No provision is indicated for the_self-employed to procure letters of at-
testation]
LAND REFORM TO BE CARRIED OUT IN NORTHWEST -- Shanghai, Hsin-wen Jih-pao,
13 Oct 50
Sian, 12 October (Hsin-hua) -- The authorities of the Northwest have al-
ready stipulated that land reform shall be carried out this fall and winter
in parts of Shensi, Kansu, and,Ningsia. The preparatory work is practicallry
completed.
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