Jiang admits a 'hit' on chieftain

Mao Tse-tung's widow, Jiang Qing, admitted twice in court that she had hounded to death former head of state Liu Shaoqi, the most prominent victim of the Cultural Revolution. Radio Peking said she "had no alternative but to admit" she wrote letters to members of a group handling the persecution of Mr. Liu and that she had told a Chinese musical group that Liu "should be cut into a thousand pieces."

Miss Jiang's admissions represented an important breakthrough for the special court trying her and nine others for treason. The letters and the speech were both incriminating evidence, which prosecutors were using in the hope of proving Miss Jiang was in charge of the vilification campaign against Mr. Liu. Her admissions linked her directly to "the biggest frame-up in the nation," the radio said.

The charge of "persecuting to death" Mr. Liu carried with it allegations that Miss Jiang also ruthlessly detained and tortured 11 professors and personal acquaintances of the former head of state of extract incriminating confessions. Three of the prisoners died under interrogation, it said.