Hsu Chien-kuo

1898

Hupeh, China

He was first reported in 1938 serving as director of the Social Affairs Department of the Shansi-Chahar-Hopeh Border Region Sub-bureau, subordinate to the North China Party Bureau. “Social affairs” was the euphemism employed by the Communists until the early 1950’s for intelligence and security work. Because he was involved in such work, it is not surprising that there was little reporting about Hsu during the difficult years of the Sino- Japanese War and the civil war with the Nationalists. In August 1948, as the Communists were gaining control of North China, they formed the North China People’s Government, which was ultimately absorbed by the central government in October 1949. When the senior officials were named to this government in September 1948, Hsu was appointed as director of the Public Security Department. Not long after, in January 1949, Tientsin fell to Communist forces, and Hsu took up a series of appointments in that key industrial city. He became a member of the Tientsin Military Control Commission and head of the Public Security Bureau in early 1949. When the Tientsin government was reorganized in January 1950, he was made a member of the government council and was promoted to vice-mayor of the city in March 1951. In September 1950 he was concurrently named as Chief Procurator of the Tientsin Procurators’ Office, the office with a variety of investigative functions empowered to insure that local government regulations conform to the law and that the law is observed. When the central government was formed in October 1949, Hsu was appointed a member of the important Supreme People’s Procuratorate, a post he was to hold until the constitutional period was inaugurated in 1954. In November 1951, Hsu was transferred from Tientsin to Shanghai where he assumed several posts very similar to those he held in Tientsin. He immediately became head of the Shanghai Public Security Department and by 1953 was Chief Procurator for the city. More important than these Shanghai appointments, however, was his November 1951 appointment as head of public security for all of East China, under the organization administratively known as the East China Military and Administrative Committee (EC- MAC). This was a post he retained when the ECMAC was reorganized into the East China Administrative Committee in early 1953. In February 1953, Hsu became a vice-mayor of Shanghai under Party leader Ch’en I; he held this position, until appointed as ambassador to Rumania in 1959. All major cities of China have several vice-mayors, each with different responsibilities. In January 1957 the Communists described Hsu as the vice-mayor responsible for public security, judicial affairs, army recruiting, and air defense all but the last assignment in accord with his past experience. Aside from the vice-mayoralty, he received two further Shanghai posts in 1953: chairman of the municipal election committee (in preparation for the elections to the NPC in 1954) and chairman of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. From October to December 1953, Hsu was in Korea as a member of Ho Lung’s “comfort” mission to the Chinese military forces posted there; these missions combined inspections with entertainment for the troops. With the inauguration of the constitutional government in Peking in September-October 1954, Hsu was given a top assignment as one of the vice-ministers of Public Security. Viceministers of the State Council normally work in Peking, but the nature of the public security tasks may supply the reason why some Public Security vice-ministers work outside the national capital. In any event, Hsu did not transfer to Peking, but remained in Shanghai. Two years later, he assumed an additional post of importance in Shanghai when he became secretary of the Party Committee there, another post he held until his assignment abroad in 1959. By November 1957 Hsu had become a vice-president of the Shanghai chapter of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association, but within a few years this organization was largely inactive owing to the Sino-Soviet rift. One of his final tasks in Shanghai was to deliver a report on economic work to a meeting of the municipal congress in November 1958. In January 1959 Hsu was removed as a viceminister of Public Security, and then four months later was appointed to replace K’o Pai- nien as ambassador to Rumania, he officially presented his credentials on June 12, 1959. One year later Hsu was a member of the delegation led by P’eng Chen to the Third Congress of the Rumanian Workers’ (Communist) Party, one of the most significant held in a Bloc country in many years because it was one of the first open encounters between the Chinese and Soviet leaders (see under P’eng Chen). Hsu’s stay in Bucharest was characterized by his participation in the normal protocol functions of Chinese ambassadors, and by negotiations involving trade and cultural matters. Thus he was reported signing trade agreements in July 1961 and April 1963, and cultural agreements in February 1962 and January 1964.

Hsu Chien-kuo

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politician

Background

Until he was made an ambassador in 1959, Hsu Chien-kuo, a native of Hupeh, had only worked in security affairs.

Education

Hsu was educated locally.

Career

He was first reported in 1938 serving as director of the Social Affairs Department of the Shansi-Chahar-Hopeh Border Region Sub-bureau, subordinate to the North China Party Bureau. “Social affairs” was the euphemism employed by the Communists until the early 1950’s for intelligence and security work. Because he was involved in such work, it is not surprising that there was little reporting about Hsu during the difficult years of the Sino- Japanese War and the civil war with the Nationalists.

In August 1948, as the Communists were gaining control of North China, they formed the North China People’s Government, which was ultimately absorbed by the central government in October 1949. When the senior officials were named to this government in September 1948, Hsu was appointed as director of the Public Security Department. Not long after, in January 1949, Tientsin fell to Communist forces, and Hsu took up a series of appointments in that key industrial city. He became a member of the Tientsin Military Control Commission and head of the Public Security Bureau in early 1949. When the Tientsin government was reorganized in January 1950, he was made a member of the government council and was promoted to vice-mayor of the city in March 1951. In September 1950 he was concurrently named as Chief Procurator of the Tientsin Procurators’ Office, the office with a variety of investigative functions empowered to insure that local government regulations conform to the law and that the law is observed.

When the central government was formed in October 1949, Hsu was appointed a member of the important Supreme People’s Procuratorate, a post he was to hold until the constitutional period was inaugurated in 1954. In November 1951, Hsu was transferred from Tientsin to Shanghai where he assumed several posts very similar to those he held in Tientsin. He immediately became head of the Shanghai Public Security Department and by 1953 was Chief Procurator for the city. More important than these Shanghai appointments, however, was his November 1951 appointment as head of public security for all of East China, under the organization administratively known as the East China Military and Administrative Committee (EC- MAC). This was a post he retained when the ECMAC was reorganized into the East China Administrative Committee in early 1953.

In February 1953, Hsu became a vice-mayor of Shanghai under Party leader Ch’en I; he held this position, until appointed as ambassador to Rumania in 1959. All major cities of China have several vice-mayors, each with different responsibilities. In January 1957 the Communists described Hsu as the vice-mayor responsible for public security, judicial affairs, army recruiting, and air defense all but the last assignment in accord with his past experience. Aside from the vice-mayoralty, he received two further Shanghai posts in 1953: chairman of the municipal election committee (in preparation for the elections to the NPC in 1954) and chairman of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. From October to December 1953, Hsu was in Korea as a member of Ho Lung’s “comfort” mission to the Chinese military forces posted there; these missions combined inspections with entertainment for the troops.

With the inauguration of the constitutional government in Peking in September-October 1954, Hsu was given a top assignment as one of the vice-ministers of Public Security. Viceministers of the State Council normally work in Peking, but the nature of the public security tasks may supply the reason why some Public Security vice-ministers work outside the national capital. In any event, Hsu did not transfer to Peking, but remained in Shanghai. Two years later, he assumed an additional post of importance in Shanghai when he became secretary of the Party Committee there, another post he held until his assignment abroad in 1959. By November 1957 Hsu had become a vice-president of the Shanghai chapter of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association, but within a few years this organization was largely inactive owing to the Sino-Soviet rift. One of his final tasks in Shanghai was to deliver a report on economic work to a meeting of the municipal congress in November 1958.

In January 1959 Hsu was removed as a viceminister of Public Security, and then four months later was appointed to replace K’o Pai- nien as ambassador to Rumania, he officially presented his credentials on June 12, 1959. One year later Hsu was a member of the delegation led by P’eng Chen to the Third Congress of the Rumanian Workers’ (Communist) Party, one of the most significant held in a Bloc country in many years because it was one of the first open encounters between the Chinese and Soviet leaders (see under P’eng Chen). Hsu’s stay in Bucharest was characterized by his participation in the normal protocol functions of Chinese ambassadors, and by negotiations involving trade and cultural matters. Thus he was reported signing trade agreements in July 1961 and April 1963, and cultural agreements in February 1962 and January 1964.

Politics

Hsu left for home in January 1964 and was officially replaced the following month by Liu Fang, a petroleum expert. One of his last acts in Bucharest may have been to convince Rumanian leaders to take a more sympathetic view toward the Chinese position in the Sino-Soviet dispute, because only a month after his departure a top-level Rumanian Politburo member (I. G. Maurer) visited Peking, and after that date Rumania clearly took a position less favorable to Moscow and more favorable to the Chinese. Even if Hsu did not take part in the initial diplomatic groundwork for this mission, his superiors were apparently satisfied with his work, because in August 1964 he was named to succeed Lo Shih-kao as ambassador to Albania. Ten years earlier this post would have been regarded as a minor one, but by the early 1960’s Albania had become Peking’s chief political and ideological ally in Europe. Hsu arrived in Tirana on September 3 and presented his credentials four days later. In November-December 1964, he served as an official member of the PartyGovernment delegation led by Politburo member Li Hsien-nien to the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the “liberation” of Albania from the Germans.

Connections

Nothing is known of Hsu’s personal life aside from the fact that he was accompanied by his wife to Albania.

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Hsu Chien-kuo

Background

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Career

1938

1948

1953