Xie Fuzhi | |
|---|---|
| 谢富治 | |
 Xie Fuzhi in 1965 | |
| Secretary of theSecretariat of the Chinese Communist Party | |
| In office 1966–1972 | |
| Minister of Public Security | |
| In office 17 September 1959 – 22 June 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Luo Ruiqing |
| Succeeded by | Li Zhen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 September 1909 (1909-09-26) Hong'an County,Hubei, China |
| Died | 26 March 1972 (1972-03-27) (aged 62) Beijing, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (1931–1972) |
| Spouse | Liu Xiangping |
| Children | Xie Tieniu Xie Xiaoqing(Liu Qing) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  People's Republic of China |
| Branch/service |  People's Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 1930−1972 |
| Rank | .jpg){kind=icon} General (Shang Jiang) |
Xie Fuzhi (simplified Chinese:谢富治;traditional Chinese:謝富治;pinyin:Xiè Fùzhì;Wade–Giles:Hsieh Fu-chih; 26 September 1909 – 26 March 1972) was aChinese Communist Party military commander,political commissar, andnational security specialist. He was born in 1909 inHong'an County,Hubei and died inBeijing in 1972. Xie was known for his efficiency and his loyalty toMao Zedong, and during theCultural Revolution he played a key role in hunting down Mao's enemies in his capacity asMinister of Public Security from 1959 to 1972.
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He joined theChinese Communist Party in 1931, at the age of 22.
Prior to 1949, Xie served as apolitical commissar in the 4th Column of the 2nd Field Army, under a commissars’chain of command that led to Field Army Political CommissarDeng Xiaoping.[1] His unit was involved in the victoriousHuai Hai Campaign against the right-wingKuomintang, after which it was merged into the newly formed 14th Army of the 2nd Field Army as the 41st Division.[2] Xie emerged from the post-liberation reorganization as Political Commissar of the 4th Army, 2nd Field Army. He served with his former co-commander GeneralChen Geng, and concurrently as Deputy Political Commissar of the 3rd Army, 2nd Field Army under GeneralChen Xilian, later to become another Cultural Revolution military figure in support of Chairman Mao.
After the establishment of thePeople's Republic of China in 1949 and his military activities, Xie was appointed Deputy Minister of Public Security, the number two figure in the security establishment. He also became first secretary of the CPCYunnan Committee, serving in these capacities until 1959, when by decision of Mao he replacedLuo Ruiqing asMinister of Public Security.
In 1955 he was conferred the rank ofShang Jiang (i.e., General).
He was elected member of theCentral Committee of the Chinese Communist Party at theEight National Congress in 1956, and a member of theCentral Military Commission.
Xie gave a speech in the summer of 1966, in his capacity as Minister of Public Security, that essentially gavecarte blanche to theRed Guards to confiscate and kill their opponents. Xie, unlike otherPeople's Liberation Army (PLA) Generals, was fond of the Red Guards and sought to develop them as a parallel army, a special security force. TheGang of Four, Xie's allies, had similar ideas about creating a paramilitary force to balance the power of the PLA. Some consider the speech he gave to be the trigger for the violence that followed.[3]
His staunch support for theCultural Revolution led him to be elected alternate member of thePolitburo, secretary of theSecretariat and a member of the reorganizedBeijing Committee in 1966. He was also a member of the powerfulCultural Revolution Group.
In 1967, as it was happening throughout the country starting fromShanghai, in Beijing all power was passed to a newrevolutionary committee, of which Xie Fuzhi was elected chairman. He was preferred over CPC Beijing Committee SecretaryLi Xuefeng who was deemed to be too hostile to the Red Guards. He was also first political commissar of theBeijing Military Region.
At the same time, Xie launched ananti-revisionist campaign within the security and intelligence personnel of the Ministry of Public Security, declaring it had followed acounter-revolutionary line under Luo Ruiqing. His active support for the Cultural Revolution led him to be elected full member of the Politburo at the Ninth Congress in 1969. In 1971, when the Beijing Party Committee was re-elected, he was appointed its first secretary.
Xie remained in charge of state security until his sudden death in 1972.
In July 1967, PLAWuhan Military Region Commander GeneralChen Zaidao backed the more conservative Million Heroes Red Guard faction against its militant opponents, the Wuhan Workers’ General Headquarters (WWGH). PremierZhou Enlai ordered General Chen to back down, and support the WWGH, but he refused to do so. Xie andWang Li were sent to Wuhan to persuade General Chen to obey Zhou's orders. On July 20, PLA forces detained, slapped and humiliated Xie and allowed Wang to be held by the Million Heroes faction. Premier Zhou flew to Wuhan but was prevented from landing by a show of military force at the airport. At that point, the army sent in three infantry divisions and other units, and forced General Chen to surrender without a fight. Xie and Wang were welcomed back to Beijing by a mass rally in Tiananmen Square on July 25.[4]: 290
After returning to Beijing, Xie played a key role in providing military weapons to favored Red Guard factions, including the supply of 500 rifles to the Jinggangshan Commune of Beijing's Teacher's University.[4]: 289
Xie died before the denunciation of theGang of Four in 1976, but he was identified in official documents, along withKang Sheng, as equally responsible for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution and guilty of "anti-party activities". He was posthumously expelled from the Party in 1980 and his ashes were removed from theBabaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.[citation needed]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Security 1959–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas Acting Mayor of Beijing | Chairman of the Beijing Revolutionary Committee 1967–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of the CPC Yunnan Committee 1952–1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Li Xuefeng Vacant since 1967 | Secretary of the CPC Beijing Committee 1971–1972 | Succeeded by |
