The Senior Jailer: Kang Sheng and the 'Cultural Revolution' (IV)

On September 17, 1968, Kang Sheng personally wrote a letter to Jiang Qing, groundlessly framing Comrade Liu Shaoqi for 'betraying the core secrets of our Party to the CPSU,' 'attempting to overthrow Chairman Mao's leadership with the help of the CPSU,' 'serving the Japanese imperialist aggression against China,' and 'serving the US imperialist espionage agencies.' He labeled him a 'great traitor, great hidden traitor, great special agent, and great scab, as well as a great collaborator and traitor to the country.' In April 1966, at an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, Kang Sheng slandered Comrade Zhu De, claiming he 'joined the party organizationally but not ideologically, and remained an outsider,' representing 'the capitalist system.' On August 15 of the same year, at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee, Kang Sheng slandered Comrade Chen Yun, saying he 'only talks about economics, not politics; the economic policies he speaks of are, in my view, merely the merchant economy of capitalism.' On January 29, 1967, during a talk with foreign guests, Kang Sheng framed Comrade Deng Xiaoping as 'a character like Khrushchev.'"

── Two Investigation Reports of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on the Problems of Kang Sheng and Xie Fuzhi, Circulated by the CPC Central Committee (1980.10.16, 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 four short years alone, the records of Kang Sheng's speeches amounted to 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 historical materials collected in this book, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the important role Kang Sheng played during the Cultural Revolution.