states in response to the weakening of the government in Chongqing. The essential element of that infrastructure in all three governments—intricately linked to their functioning, but rarely mentioned—was state terror. Each regime had its supreme leader: Chiang, Wang, Mao. But behind each of them was a shadowy figure, in charge of a security apparatus empowered to enforce the will of the state through psychological pressure, and use torture on those who refused to obey. China’s wartime existential crisis provided a perfect excuse for the rival, yet parallel, states to use similar techniques,
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