Senior Jailer: Kang Sheng and the "Cultural Revolution" (III)

To study Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, one cannot learn well if detached from reality. The Chairman said that the study of Marxism-Leninism must be combined with concrete practice. For those of us working on special cases (Zhuan'an), our study of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought must be combined with the cases themselves. First and foremost, Mao Zedong Thought must take command; proletarian politics must take command. Without proletarian politics in command, work on special cases cannot be done well; this is a form of class struggle. Conversely, the enemy can use interrogations to fight against us. For instance, the enemy may use interrogations to spread poison, slander the Party, frame good people, muddy the waters, and sow discord, causing us to lose our direction and follow them. Interrogation is a hidden class struggle. There must be a plan; every interrogation is a battle; every interrogation is a fight."

── Kang Sheng's instructions on special case work (1968.5.27, excerpt)

A complete compilation and organization of original historical materials, this book is divided into four volumes, detailing the on-site speeches of the senior jailer—Kang Sheng—between 1966 and 1970. In these short four years alone, the records of Kang Sheng's speeches reached over 1.2 million words, mainly covering his speeches to various levels of organs and cadres, as well as his criticisms of "anti-party and counter-revolutionary" targets. Through the detailed primary source materials collected in this book, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the important role Kang Sheng played during the Cultural Revolution.