Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-14
BY WALTER BRIGGS
,s.yth. Ar,ertean Nevsnaper Allan

puDilSne0 the StOfy OF d pOy WHO
betrayed his father to win the
praise Of the party.
AS a source Of insight into life
in Red China, as well as into the
Communist mind. the dramatic
narrative Is quoted here:
wei Kuo-chu. a senior stu
dent Of the Shanghai Shih Tune
middle school, was a member Of
the New Democratic Youth
League. His father, Wei Chih-
ming. was q counter-revolution-
airy element.
During the Japanese occupa-
ton. Wei Chih-ming served a.
interpreter for the japanese
gendarmerie at Soochow xxi.
angsu provincel. He served a
captain of the Voluntary In
spection Corps Of the Shanghai
Woosung Garrison Headquarters
during the reactionary Kuomin-
tang rule. In the latter capacity
he repeatedly resorted to extor-
ton. forcihle occupation of civ
ilian premises and aiding the
enemy by arresting people.
Showed no Repentance
after (the Communist) Lib
beration. he did not show any
repentance or any tendency
toward reform. Instead he occa-
sionally mixed with o number
Of counterrevolutionary elements,
listened to the Voice Of America
and fabricated damaging ru-
mors. He also made repeated
attempts to nee to (British)
Hong Kong.
'He told his son threateningly:
II you join the League you'll be
disowned.
when the campaign for
suppression Of counterrevolution-
aries started in 1851, he pre-
tended to be honest and sur
rendered part of his counter
revolutionary documents. Holding
q receipt for these from the
district government, he went
about everywhere bluffing about
his thorough confession.
Zone evening In 1858 q visitor
called at Wei's house, Kuo-chu
heard his father talk in japanese
with this unexpected guest A
few days later Kuo-chu heard
that this man had been arrested.
"He became Suspicious Of his
father. He put together the ar
rest with what his father had
said and done in the past. These
things added up to problem he
felt could have involved his
father.
"He acted at once upon his
own initiative and reported his
findings to the public security
station. The Public Security Bu-
reau. acting on evidence at hand,
arrested Wei Chih-ming accord
ing to law on April 81, 1854.
Sentenced to Five Years
"Wei Chih-ming was subse-
quently sentenced to five years
imprisonment and taken to q
certain construction site in Ho-.
nan to undergo reform through
labor.
"Kuo-chu regularly received
letters from his father. One
thanked the Peoples Govern
ment for giving him an oppor-
tunity to reform himself and
said he was making progress /
Wei also encouraged his son
to work harder for the league.
"Kuo-chu was fascinated by
the letters and believed his
father has this time really re-
formed himself.
lone day In May this year
Kuo-chu was at home when
q messenger sent by his grand
mother asked him to 60 to her
house. There Kuo-chu noticed
his grandmother and his mother
whispering nervously. Then, in
q roundabout way. the grand
mother told Kuo-chu: Your
fathers letter is here. He wants
you to remit money
Kuo-chu began to wonder
about the letter. which he
thought should have been sent
to his own house. He observed
the uneasy manner Of his grand
mother and mother and sensed
that something wasn't right.
"He told his grandmother: The
letter-let me read it first before
! try to find means Of renting
the money His grandmother had
to produce the letter.
Escaped from Camp C
Through reading the letter,
Kuo-chu came to know that
his father had escaped from the
labor camp and made his way to
Hankow.
I'm that brief moment Kuo-
chu thought about many things.
First Of all he has q member of
the League and the eldest of i've
brothers. It was not right for
him to remit money to help a
counterrevolutionary who was at
large. He decided he should set
o good example.
THE letter should be turned
over to the public security sta
ton! He told his grandmother
and mother with firmness.
THE two, looking worried, re-
piled, We mustn't do that They
tried to persuade Kuo-chu to
destroy the letter and forget
about the remittance.
"Kuo-chu comprehended their
theological worries and vague un-
derstanding Of the situation. He
told them:
Father is a counterTevolu-
tionary. To shield hi mis- a cri-
minal act. Besides. the people
have already spread the dragnet
and won't let the counter
revolutionary elements get away.
II we connive with father, we'll
only increase his crimes