Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Chen, Bulei, 1890-1948
- Abstract:
- The Ch'en Pu-lei ้ณๅธ้ท diaries (1931-1948) relates to political and military conditions in China.
- Extent:
- 3 manuscript boxes, 1 microfilm box (1.3 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- Chinese
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Ch'en Pu-lei ้ณๅธ้ท diaries, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Ch'en Pu-lei ้ณๅธ้ท diaries cover the period from March 5, 1931 to November 11, 1948. These diaries provide witness to one of the most turbulent periods in modern Chinese history. As Chiang Kai-shek's confidential assistant throughout the Nationalist era on the Chinese mainland, these daily records provide crucial insider's views on Nationalist China's politics, party affairs, external relations, and war with Japan.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Ch'en Pu-lei (Chen Bulei ้ๅธ้ท, 1890-1948), born in Zhejiang Province, Chen Bulei was best known as Chiang Kai-shek's confidential assistant, in which position he phrased the policies of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Nationalist government. In the spring of 1926, Chen joined the newly established Nationalist government in Nanjing under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek. Henceforth, he became Chiang's personal assistant, mainly responsible for drafting state papers and speeches for the Generalissimo. In 1930, Chen was appointed vice minister of education; in 1934 he served in Chiang's field headquarters in Nanchang, and then in 1935 he became director of the second department of the Generalissimo's attendance office, where he served as Chiang's confidential assistant for over a decade.
After China entered the war with Japan in 1937, Chen's responsibilities grew, and Chiang Kai-shek made increasing use of Chen's talent for phrasing the policies of the KMT and the Nationalist government and composing state papers. In 1939, Chen was appointed deputy secretary general of the Supreme National Defense Council, the top organ of wartime China. The demands of the Japanese war period, combined with the deterioration of the Nationalist political position after 1945, drained Chen's resources. He was greatly concerned by the expansion of Communist power and by the rising tide of criticism of Chiang Kai-shek, and he increasingly felt that his usefulness was spent.
On November 13, 1948, he took his own life with an overdose of sleeping drugs, leaving letters of explanation to his family, to Chiang Kai-shek, and to several close friends.
- Acquisition information:
- Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2016.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Microfilm closed; access copies available. Materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
Use copies served one folder at a time. May not be photocopied or photographed.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Ch'en Pu-lei ้ณๅธ้ท diaries, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563