The National Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Military Commission), (NBIS or BIS) (Chinese: 國民政府軍事委員會調查統計局; pinyin: guómín zhèngfǔ jūnshì wěiyuánhuì diàochá tǒngjìjú), commonly known as Juntong (traditional Chinese: 軍統局; simplified Chinese: 军统局; pinyin: JūntǒngJú), was the military intelligence agency of the Republic of China before 1946. It was devoted to intelligence gathering and covert spying operation for purposes of national security and defense. It was originally headed by Dai Li, and after 1946 he was succeeded by Mao Renfeng. This bureau was largely superseded by the Military Intelligence Bureau under Ministry of National Defense in Taiwan today.
Contents
- Early stages
- Sino Japanese War period
- Chinese Civil War period
- After 1949 in mainland China
- In Taiwan
- References
The NBIS had a great influence amongst the Nationalist Government's military, police, administration, and transportation agencies, as well as embassies and consulates abroad during the Political Tutelage period (1928-1946) of Republic of China . It was often criticized by the political dissidents as a "secret police" involving in covert and espionage operation, including surveillance, kidnapping, assassinations, elimination and house-arrest against Chinese communists, Japanese spies as well as political dissidents.
During the Sino-Japanese War, the NBIS was involved in a number of counter-intelligence and covert espionage warfare against the Japanese invaders. There were NBIS agents who defected to Japanese, and many of the secret police in Wang Jingwei's Japanese-occupied areas were former NBIS agents.
From historical perspective, NBIS played an important role in Second Sino-Japanese War. Under the leadership of Dai Li, the Nationalist Government had a body of 100,000 active spies involving in espionage warfare against Japanese, as well as against the Wang Jingwei-led puppet Nationalist Government of the Japanese-occupied areas.
Early stages
The NBIS was founded in 1927 as the "Military Commission of Clandestine Investigation Section of the National Revolutionary Army" (Chinese: 國民革命軍總司令部密查組) with the "Special Works Department"(Chinese: 國民政府軍事委員會特務處) set up in 1932. When the "Investigation and Statistics Bureau" was established under the Military Commission, the "Special Works Department" was incorporated into the Bureau and renamed the "Second Division", and is responsible for intelligence collection and personnel training. All of the bureau's affairs were under the direct command of Chiang Kai-shek.
In 1938, the Special Works Department was expanded and took over the "Investigation and Statistics Bureau" to cope with the increasingly demanding tasks of intelligence operations. Dai Li was assigned as the de facto responsibility for running the unit. Dai sought to make the Juntong into an extended family with himself as the stern paternal figure.
Sino-Japanese War period
During the Sino-Japanese War, NBIS had orchestrated the assassinations of several key Japanese enemy military and government personnels. Various "guerrilla command" and "traffic police" groups under the NBIS carried out a wide range of covert espionage and counterintelligence activities against the Japanese and Japanese collaborators.
From 1937-41, more than 18,000 NBIS intelligence agents lost their lives, and by the end of the war the number has increased to more than 45,000.
Chinese Civil War period
In August 1946, the Ministry of National Defense was established to replace the Military Commission, and the NBIS changed its name to the Counterintelligence Bureau under the Ministry of National Defense (Chinese: 國防部保密局). Mao Renfeng was the director given the de facto responsibility for running the unit.
After 1949 in mainland China
After Nationalist government was moved to Taiwan in 1949, a number of BIS staff remained in mainland China for intelligence activities. The NBIS operatives were severely repressed by Chinese Communist government during the Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, and were mostly executed by firing squad or received heavy punishment. By end of the 1950s, the NBIS staff were largely eliminated on the mainland.
In Taiwan
In 1955, the Bureau was again reorganized as the Intelligence Bureau (Chinese: 國防部情報局), responsible for early-warning intelligence collection and strategic analysis. Since then, the Ministry of Justice took over the functions of counterintelligence and investigation from the Bureau.
On July 1, 1985, the Military Intelligence Bureau (Chinese: 國防部軍事情報局) was created by merging the Special Military Intelligence Office with the Intelligence Bureau. The Military Intelligence Bureau was subordinated to the Ministry of National Defense under the direct command of the Chief of the General Staff.