In post-war Taiwan, there was a group of spies loyal to the Kuomintang regime. They hide in the crowd and secretly manipulate the development of the situation. They are either government officials, media reporters, or underworld leaders, but these are just their "cover-ups" to cover up their true identity as spies.
Let's go back to 1945, just after World War II ended, and the Chinese Kuomintang regime was about to take over Taiwan. An American warship slowly docked in Keelung Harbor, and two mysterious figures claiming to be colonels walked off the ship, they were the advance team of special agents sent to Taiwan by the Kuomintang Military Command Bureau, and Taiwan was a new battlefield for them after the war, and they needed to build an intelligence network from scratch.
The full name of the Military Command Bureau is the "Investigation and Statistics Bureau of the Military Commission", which is Chiang Kai-shek's most relied on spy agency, and was founded by the legendary spy leader Dai Li. The organization is monstrous and unfettered, and often carries out assassinations, kidnappings, and other dirty deeds. During the fall of Taiwan, the military unification had already sent spies to lurk and scout the intelligence of the Japanese army. Now that the war is over, they can finally justifiably carry out their activities in Taiwan and show their strength.
In addition to military reunification, there were many spy organizations in Taiwan in the early post-war period: the Central Unification, the Investigation Office of the Garrison Headquarters, and the Special High Group of the Military Police, all of which went their own way and constrained each other, making Taiwan's underground intelligence warfare as intricate as a maze. In order to gain a firm foothold in Taiwan, these organizations began to recruit a large number of local corners, hooligans, and develop "local" spies.
Here I will add a digression, that is, what do the Military Command, the Central Unification, the CC, the Secret Bureau, the Party General Bureau, and the Second Department of the Ministry of National Defense do?
Military Command: A secret service organization of the Kuomintang, mainly responsible for surveillance, kidnapping, arrest, and assassination, and other activities against internal treachery. During the Anti-Japanese War, it effectively deterred the defectors who defected to the enemy.
Zhongtong: A spy organization controlled by CC leaders Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu, formerly known as the Central Party Affairs Investigation Agency of the Kuomintang, formally established in 1938 and subordinate to the Central Committee of the Kuomintang.
CC faction: The "Central Club" is a political faction of the Kuomintang led by Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu, whose influence is mainly in the Central Party Affairs Department of the Kuomintang, the Central Bureau of Statistics, local party offices and the education system.
Secrecy Bureau: Established in 1946, it was reorganized from the military command and was subordinate to the Ministry of National Defense, with Zheng Jiemin as the director. After the Kuomintang was defeated and retreated to Taiwan, it became the predecessor of Taiwan's "Military Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense".
Party General Bureau: Founded in 1947, formerly known as the Central Union, it is responsible for the investigation of party affairs. In 1949, it was renamed the "Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior" and was subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior of the Executive Yuan.
The Second Department of the Ministry of National Defense: Established in 1946, in charge of strategic intelligence, it was reorganized from the Second Department of the Military Command Department of the former Military Commission, and Zheng Jiemin concurrently served as the director of the department, which is its key development intelligence agency.
Back to the topic, one of the famous cases is Xu Dehui. He was originally just a ruffian hooligan, but he became the leader of the Taiwan station of military unification. Relying on his connections in the underworld, Hsu Dehui developed a large number of "informants" and infiltrated the intelligence network into all corners of Taiwanese society: restaurants, tea rooms, newspapers, and ...... Wherever you want, there is his eyeliner.
In 1947, the 228 Incident broke out due to the investigation of illicit cigarettes, causing countless casualties. , followed by martial law for 38 years
The 228 Incident that broke out in 1947 was the stage for these spies to show their skills. They deliberately exaggerated tensions by reporting a large amount of exaggerated information, claiming that "a rebellion may break out at any time" and "the situation is extremely critical", and this false information eventually led the Nationalist Government to make a decision to suppress it by force, resulting in a tragedy.
Throughout the incident, the spies played the role of "invisible pushers". Xu Dehui infiltrated the "228 Incident Handling Committee", while pretending to sympathize with the people and inciting them to confront the government, and on the other hand, he told his superiors behind his back, saying that these people were "plotting against the people." He first encouraged the students to wear weapons, and then immediately reported to the military that the students intended to attack the military police. Eventually, the students were arrested and killed.
According to the report on the 228 incident of the Secrecy Bureau, correspondent Xu Dehui infiltrated under the pseudonym Gao Dengjin, and in addition to collecting intelligence information, he also deliberately incited public sentiment to strengthen antagonism
Similar despicable tricks abound. Chiayi's gentry Huang Madian was framed by spies for leading the local 228 Processing Committee and was brutally shot. What's even more ironic is that he was betrayed by a close "friend" - an undercover spy who has been hidden for many years.
After the 228 incident subsided, these spies did not disappear, but turned into more hidden ghosts, continuing to monitor every Taiwanese citizen who was included in the "blacklist". Just because they participated in the 228 incident, many people were labeled as "Dinghai elements" and "Wuyin elements", and their every move was under the surveillance of secret agents, their phones were tapped, their letters were checked, and even their family members could be "eyeliner". This suffocating repression persisted even after the lifting of martial law.
So, where did all these spies go? They blended into all walks of life and lived quietly around us. They are everywhere, from government servants and representatives of public opinion to business owners and religious leaders.
The way out for the transfer of spies is all over the political and business circles, cultural and educational circles, and public offices. For example, Chen Kai served as a Taipei City Councilor for many terms, and in 1960, he was elected to the provincial council.
Taking Lin Dingli, the head of the Taiwan Station of the Military Unification, as an example, after the lifting of martial law, he became a newspaper giant, and was also on the list of "Taiwan's Most Influential Business Leaders". Who would have thought that the spy leader who once killed people in the 228 incident has now become a "successful person" admired by everyone?
The forest stands on top of the forest
The life trajectories of these spies reflect the darkest side of Taiwan's post-war history. They are violent enforcers of the state apparatus, but at the same time, they collude with the political and business elites, skillfully clinging to the authoritarian system for their own benefit.
It is by no means easy to trace this history. Many of those involved refused to open their archives and be interviewed on the grounds of "national security." Even if the archives are declassified, the real names of the agents are often hidden, leaving only pseudonyms and code names, and researchers still have to spend a lot of effort to piece together these historical puzzles.
It is gratifying to note that there is still a group of scholars who are not afraid of hardships and dangers and persist in seeking the truth. Lin Zhenghui of the Academia Sinica is one of the leaders. She is like a historical detective, searching for clues from a large number of historical materials and oral information to restore the true face of the spies.
"The truth itself will show more power!" Lin Zhenghui said firmly. She believes that only by digging into the facts can Taiwanese society build a consensus, achieve transitional justice, and overcome this historical scar that has plagued her for decades.