A 'constant lurking danger'? The Comintern's Far Eastern Bureau, 1928-33

This article explores the creation and operation of the Comintern's Far Eastern Bureau (FEB), which existed from 1928 to 1934 and was headquartered in Shanghai, China. It investigates why the FEB was organised, who was involved in its operations, and what its agents were doing at a time when communism had been declared illegal by the Guomindang Party. It also offers an assessment of the FEB in terms of its impact on China and the wider region, especially on whether or not the FEB's existence influenced the development of the Chinese Communist Party and other communist movements in East and Southeast Asia. Finally, this article assesses the level of threat the FEB posed to the Chinese Guomindang Party and to the various colonial regimes in the region, as well as its successes and failures. Its purpose is to renew interest in the FEB and to prompt a more sustained discussion about its composition, activities, impact and legacies.