Former Site of the "Sino-American Cooperative Organization" Internment Camp

Former Site of the "Sino-American Cooperative Organization" Internment Camp

The former site of the "Sino-American Cooperative Organization" internment camp is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the "Sino-American Cooperative Organization" internment camp is located at the foot of Gele Mountain in the northwestern part of Chongqing.

The "Sino-American Cooperative Organization" is the abbreviated name for the Sino-American Special Technical Cooperative Organization, which was formed in 1942 and officially established in 1943. After the "Pearl Harbor Incident," the U.S. government, in order to obtain intelligence on the war against Japan from the - authorities, negotiated and signed a secret agreement with them to jointly establish an intelligence agency, which became the "Sino-American Cooperative Organization." The head of the organization was Dai Li, the director of the - Military Statistics Bureau, and the deputy head was Major General Miles, dispatched by the U.S. Navy Department.

The site is located in a mountainous area with intricate terrain and concealed geography. The structures include Zhazidong, Mei Garden, Yangjia Mountain, the Stone Quarry, Bai Mansion, Wuling Temple, Honglu Factory, Wang Family Courtyard, Xiong Family Courtyard, Xiaoyanggong Bridge, Zhu Mansion, Buyun Bridge, Lan Ya, and others, stretching over twenty li. The area also housed residences for Dai Li and Miles, as well as dormitories, offices, dining halls, dance halls, auditoriums, ammunition depots, warehouses, and multiple prisons such as Zhazidong and Bai Mansion, accommodating more than 2,000 Sino-American agents.

The operations of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization included conducting "special warfare" and "psychological warfare" against the Japanese, and providing training for - agents by the U.S. side. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the role of the "joint intelligence agency against Japan" ceased to exist, and the site was entirely transformed into a criminal facility where the - authorities imprisoned, tortured, and executed revolutionaries and Communists. Ye Ting, commander of the New Fourth Army, was once imprisoned here. Notable Communists such as Luo Shiwen, Che Yaoxian, and Jiang Zhuyun, patriotic generals Yang Hucheng and General Huang Xiansheng, as well as revolutionary figures like Mr. Song Qiyun, were all killed here. In November 1949, before withdrawing from the mainland, the - government carried out a brutal mass execution of over 300 imprisoned revolutionaries, creating a shocking massacre that drew international attention. After the liberation of Chongqing, the People's Government buried the remains of the martyrs, constructed martyrs' tombs, erected memorial monuments, and established an exhibition hall here to honor the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the founding of New China and to commemorate their revolutionary deeds. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units