The Organizational Outline of the State Political Security Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic
(January 27, 1932)

1.  The State Political Security Bureau, within the territory of the Soviet Area and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Chinese Soviet Republic, under the jurisdiction of the People's Committee of the Provisional Central Government, carries out the tasks of investigating, suppressing, and eliminating all counter-revolutionary organizational activities, as well as spies and bandits, in the political and economic spheres.

2.  The tasks, organization, and scope of work of the State Political Security Bureau are entirely different from those of the Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committees in areas that have just experienced an uprising or have recently been occupied by the Red Army. The task of the Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committee is, by the power of the revolutionary worker and peasant masses, during and immediately after the uprising, to arrest and expose all overt counter-revolutionary elements and their activities, bringing them before the committee for processing. The Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committee is elected by the uprising masses and works under the leadership of the uprising's commanding organ—the Worker-Peasant Revolutionary Committee. The Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committee may have its own armed force, undertaking tasks ordered for the arrest, custody, and execution of all counter-revolutionary criminals. The duration of the Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committee's existence depends on the timing and degree of consolidation of the local Soviet regime.

3.  The task of the State Political Security Bureau is, through its centralized system of organization and the trust and assistance of the revolutionary masses, to carry out, regularly and systematically, the resistance to, exposure, and elimination of all overt, and especially secret and hidden, counter-revolutionary organizations and actions, in order to defend and consolidate the Soviet regime. Currently, new Soviet areas undergoing the forward development of the Soviet movement generally must pass through a working phase handled by the Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committee. In places where a Counter-Revolutionary Elimination Committee exists, the State Political Security Bureau shall establish a jurisdictional relationship with it within the system and gradually transform it into a subordinate organization of the Political Security Bureau.

4.  The organizational principle of the State Political Security Bureau is complete centralization; the Bureau itself works under the jurisdiction of a Committee. The Director of the State Political Security Bureau is the Chairman of the Committee and may attend meetings of the People's Committee, with the right to speak. The authority to appoint, remove, and discipline members of the State Political Security Bureau rests with the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet and its Presidium. The Committee shall include one procurator who participates in the Supreme Court.

5.  The State Political Security Bureau has its representative organs in the provincial Soviet governments and the Central Military Commission, directing the work of the State Political Security Bureau's local organs and those within the Red Army. Sub-bureaus are set up at the provincial and county levels, also managed by committees. The Sub-bureau Director serves as the Committee Chairman. Within the Red Army, special commissioners are assigned at the levels of the Central Military Commission or other Soviet Area Military Commissions, and from the Army Corps or Division downwards. The State Political Security Bureau and higher-level sub-bureaus may also directly appoint special commissioners to certain organs. The authority to appoint, remove, and discipline Sub-bureau Directors, committee members, and special commissioners rests uniformly with the State Political Security Bureau. For the lowest-level special commissioners, provincial and Military Commission sub-bureaus have the authority to handle appointments, removals, and discipline, but the final approval authority belongs to the State Political Security Bureau.

6.  The relationship between higher and lower levels of the State Political Security Bureau, except where special obstacles exist, is a consistent vertical system. Lower levels must absolutely obey the orders of higher levels. Each Sub-bureau and special commissioner is politically guided by the responsible military and political leaders of the corresponding local government or Red Army unit. Sub-bureau Directors may attend the presidium meetings of the Provincial Soviet or County Soviet. However, in terms of work relations, they are absolutely subordinate to the State Political Security Bureau. Local governments and Red Army command organs have no right to alter or halt orders from the State Political Security Bureau. Any protest can only be raised to the People's Committee for resolution.

7.  The State Political Security Bureau authorizes local and Red Army sub-bureaus to investigate and handle all counter-revolutionary cases, but the final decision-making authority rests with the State Political Security Bureau. Sub-bureaus may resolve cases independently only within the scope specifically permitted by the State Political Security Bureau. Special commissioners carry out all work only within the scope of tasks assigned by higher levels, except in temporary emergencies. For instance, if counter-revolutionary elements or their organizations have already planned an uprising, special commissioners may obtain assistance from the local government or Red Army forces to carry out arrests and dismantle organizations, subsequently reporting to higher authorities for approval.

8.  The State Political Security Bureau, its Sub-bureaus, and special commissioners represent the regime in investigating, accepting, and handling all counter-revolutionary cases. The local masses, government organs, Communist Party departments, Communist Youth League departments, all revolutionary organizations, and the Red Army bear the responsibility of supplying and reporting various intelligence to them. When necessary, local governments and the Red Army shall provide armed assistance and must temporarily obey their direction. Local governments, Red Army command organs, and Political Security Bureau Sub-bureaus and special commissioners can only have horizontal working relationships. Only when necessary may Sub-bureaus and special commissioners notify their corresponding level of government and Red Army command organs of a portion of materials, and this must be within the scope stipulated by the State Political Security Bureau. The relationship with Red Army command organs is closer, enabling the Red Army to constantly pay attention to eliminating undesirable elements, leaving no ground for counter-revolutionary activities to take root.

9.  Generally, the authority to arrest and interrogate counter-revolutionary criminals and their suspects belongs to the Political Security Bureau. Other government organs, Communist Party departments, Communist Youth League departments, and all revolutionary organizations must not arbitrarily arrest, interrogate, or especially, carry out executions on their own. Except in emergency situations, if it is discovered that counter-revolutionary elements or their organizations have already planned an uprising or escape, other organs or even the masses may, on their own initiative, detain and deliver them to the Security Bureau, but this is limited only to the detention. When the Security Bureau has sufficient evidence of counter-revolution and needs to arrest responsible persons hidden within government organs, the Red Army, or various revolutionary organizations, the Security Bureau may only notify the highest responsible person of that organ before carrying out the arrest to prepare a replacement. Even if the highest responsible person of that organ disagrees, they must not obstruct the action and can only protest to higher authorities. If the Security Bureau, based on evidence, considers that there is no one within that organ who can accept the advance notice, it must notify the responsible person of its superior organ before carrying out the execution.

10. Generally, the authority to adjudicate and execute punishments for counter-revolutionary criminals belongs to the judicial organs, with the Political Security Bureau acting as the prosecuting plaintiff. However, during periods of civil war and the outward expansion of the Soviet movement, within the scope permitted by the People's Committee, the State Political Security Bureau has the authority, in accordance with the law, to adjudicate and execute punishments for certain types of counter-revolutionary criminals.

11. The principles of the Worker-Peasant Democratic Regime for punishing counter-revolutionary criminals are stipulated based on the class line. Members of exploiting classes—landlords, local gentry, old bureaucrats, capitalists, bosses, and rich peasants—who have committed the crime of active counter-revolution must be severely punished. Ordinary workers, Red Army fighters, hired farm laborers, poor peasants, middle peasants, and independent laborers, provided they are not leaders who have resolutely surrendered to the counter-revolution and were coerced or deceived by the counter-revolution into joining or associating with counter-revolutionary actions or organizations, shall in principle be uniformly given a path to rehabilitation. Measures range from public admonishment, warnings, confinement, and expulsion from military service, up to arrest and deprivation of citizenship rights for a period. The most severe punishment for counter-revolutionary elements from hostile classes is the death penalty; less severe punishments include imprisonment, penal labor sentences, or expulsion beyond the Soviet Area boundaries. Workers and peasants coerced or deceived by the counter-revolution who voluntarily surrender shall be uniformly exempted from punishment. Those who reform after being discovered or exposed shall also receive lenient punishment; those already detained should be released. Those who voluntarily surrender from hostile classes shall be differentiated as principal offenders and accomplices, and a review period must be stipulated. During the review period, they shall not be allowed to move freely. Reformed individuals from hostile classes shall still be given a punishment lighter than what they deserve.

12. The working principle of the State Political Security Bureau shall be divided into two working systems: investigation and enforcement (including the review and examination of gathered materials and re-examination). The two are separate from each other and not mutually subordinate. Under the Investigation Department, there shall be an extremely precise and complex operational network; under the Enforcement Department, there shall be its own armed organization.

13. All actions of the State Political Security Bureau are legally regulated. Before the establishment of the Supreme Court of the Provisional Central Government, cases shall be handled directly by the People's Committee.

14. Before other Soviet Areas are connected with the Central Soviet Area, the State Political Security Bureau may entrust the full authority to govern the Political Security Bureau of that Soviet Area to the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Soviet Government of that Area to act directly as its proxy. Within the Central Soviet Area, if local sub-bureaus are temporarily cut off from the State Political Security Bureau due to objective disruptions, the principle of this provision shall also be applied.

Chairman of the Central Executive Committee: Mao Zedong
Vice Chairmen: Xiang Ying, Zhang Guotao