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Dai Li 戴笠 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director of theBureau of Investigation and Statistics | |
| In office 1928 – 17 March 1946 | |
| President | Chiang Kai-shek |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Mao Renfeng |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1897-05-28)28 May 1897 |
| Died | 17 March 1946(1946-03-17) (aged 48) |
| Political party | Kuomintang |
| Other political affiliations | Blue Shirts Society |
| Spouse | Mao Xiucong (1915–1939) |
| Education | Whampoa Military Academy |
| Awards | Order of Blue Sky and White Sun |
| Nicknames |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Republic of China |
| Years of service | 1927–1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | |
| Dai Li | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 戴笠 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Courtesy name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 雨農 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 雨农 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Birth name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 戴春風 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 戴春风 | ||||||||
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Dai Li (Chinese:戴笠;pinyin:Dài Lì; 28 May 1897 – 17 March 1946), courtesy nameYunong, was a Chineselieutenant general andspymaster. Dai was born inJiangshan, Zhejiang and later studied at theWhampoa Military Academy, whereChiang Kai-shek served as Chief Commandant, and later became head of theBureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS) within theNationalist government of theRepublic of China (ROC).
Born Dai Chunfeng, he was just four years old when his father died, leaving his mother to raise him. At the age of six, Dai was enrolled in a private academy the Linsen elementary school, to study Chinese classics; he later graduated asvaledictorian fromWenxi County Elementary School. His mother could not afford to send him to university, so at the age of 16 he had to leave home and make his own way in the world. With no steady income or guidance, he began living on the streets ofShanghai. Until 1923, he was mentored by labor organizer and hitmanWang Yaqiao. Dai Chunfeng soon became a skilled gambler who could often be found in one of Shanghai's many casinos, trying to win enough money to make ends meet. It was in a Shanghai casino that he metDu Yuesheng, head of the criminal organization known as the "Green Gang".[citation needed]
Through Du Yuesheng, he later metChiang Kai-shek. It is unclear when Chiang and Dai first met, but it was probably around 1921. Dai later lost all his money and was forced to return to Bao'an. In 1927,[citation needed] Dai met his elementary school friendMao Renfeng, who suggested that Dai enroll in the Whampoa Military Academy inGuangzhou, where Chiang served as Superintendent-Commandant (1924-1947). Dai followed the suggestion, obtained a letter of recommendation from Du Yuesheng, and made his way to Guangzhou. In 1925, Dai enrolled in the 1st Student Regiment of the Sixth Class of theKMT Officer Training Academy.[1]At this time, he changed his name to "Dai Li," which inChinese refers to an assassin's hooded veil, reflecting the clandestine nature of his planned future career.[2] Chiang soon made him a student informant to spy on Communist activities within the academy, where he played an instrumental role in theZhongshan Warship Incident of March 1926.[citation needed]
As chief ofKuomintang (KMT) Army Intelligence in China, Dai Li helped establish China's first modern intelligence organization in 1928: the "Clandestine Investigation Section" directly under the headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Army, with the goal of winning the war early, quelling nationwide unrest, and minimizing loss of life by making the best use of military and political intelligence. By the end of theSecond Sino-Japanese War, this small section would evolve into the very complex and controversialInvestigation and Statistics Bureau of the ChineseNational Military Council, which was the predecessor of the Military Intelligence Bureau of theMinistry of National Defense of Taiwan.[citation needed]
The benign title of theInvestigation and Statistics Bureau belied the true nature of itssecret police work, which made Dai one of the most powerful men inRepublican China. Dai was also the head of theBlue Shirts Society, an ultra-nationalist organization that provided security and intelligence for Chiang. In the 1930s and 1940s, his agents in theMilitary Statistics Bureau (then the KMT's military intelligence agency) successfully penetrated theChinese Communist Party (CCP) and ImperialJapanese puppet organizations.[citation needed]
To suppress Communist activities, Dai employed extra-judicial means including assassination, arbitrary arrests, and torture, with Chiang's explicit or tacit approval.[3]
Dai cooperated with theUnited States duringWorld War II, learning new methods of espionage and growing his guerrilla force to some 70,000 men. In return for the partnership, he provided maps of thesouthern Chinese coast, intelligence onJapanese maneuvers, and safe haven for downedAllied aircrew. After the signing of theSino-American Cooperative Organization Treaty in 1942, Dai was appointed head of Sino-American intelligence activities.[citation needed]
While he shunned public entertainment and remained a mysterious figure to his countrymen, Dai was privately known for his wild drinking parties.[citation needed] InStilwell (2001),Barbara Tuchman called Dai "China’s combination of Himmler and J. Edgar Hoover".
Dai died in a plane crash on March 17, 1946. It was speculated that this may have been arranged by theChinese Communist Party's intelligence and security chief,Kang Sheng, of theCentral Social Affairs Department (SAD). Rumors circulated that the crash had been arranged by the AmericanOffice of Strategic Services (OSS) because of Dai's anti-Americanism,[4] since it occurred on an American plane.[5]
There are at least three different accounts of the way in which Dai Li managed to get admitted to the Wampoa Military Academy.
