Mission to Mao US intelligence and the Chinese Communists in World War II / Sara B. Castro.
| Author/creator | Castro, Sara B. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication Info | Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, [2024] |
| Description | xvii, 217 pages illustrations, map 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Ebook Central - Academic Complete |
| Subjects |
| Portion of title | US intelligence and the Chinese Communists in World War II |
| Physical medium | illustrations |
| Physical medium | maps |
| Series | Georgetown studies in intelligence history |
| Contents | The Roots of American Wartime Intelligence on China -- Illegitimi non Carborundum : The Stilwell Faction -- The Spell of the Chinese Communists -- Channels, Stovepipes, and Gatekeepers -- Zaijian, Stilwell -- The Hurley Burley : Problems at the Embassy -- In the Cannon's Mouth -- Leaving Yan'an Behind. |
| Abstract | "In the midst of World War II, the United States sent a liaison mission to the headquarters of Chinese Communist forces behind the lines in Yan'an, China. Nicknamed the "Dixie Mission," for its location in "rebel" territory, it was an interagency delegation that included intelligence officers from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The intelligence officers were there to gather intelligence that would help the war effort against Japan, but interagency and political conflicts erupted over whether or not the mission would expand beyond intelligence collection to operations with the Communists. Mission to Mao is a social history of the OSS officers in the field and their clash with political appointees and Washington over the direction of the US relationship with the Chinese Communists. The book reveals the attempts of America's inexperienced intelligence officers to improvise operations and to try to define a role for themselves. The book takes us beyond the history of "China hands" versus American anticommunists who backed Chinese Nationalist Chiang Kai-shek, introducing more nuance. Sara B. Castro shows how potential benefits for the war effort were thwarted by politicization, but she also shows how the OSS officers overreached their authority and suffered from their own biases and blindspots. The book draws upon over 14,000 unpublished records from five archives plus numerous published white papers, memoirs, and scholarly studies to with a focus on the individual American intelligence officers who spent time in Yan'an working with Communist leaders"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-207) and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2023035487 |
| ISBN | 9781647124502 hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781647124519 paperback |
| ISBN | ebook |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |