Dragon by the Tail

This book is a mingling of history and autobiography, of long focus and close-up. Born in China during the last days of the empire, the author served as an American diplomat in the midst of the Chinese-Japanese conflict, acted as political adviser to General “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell during World War II, dealt with Chou En-lai and Mao Tse-tung, and from the American Embassy at Moscow observed the end of the war against Japan and the beginning of what he had foretold—the Communist conquest of China and the emergence in the Far East of a balance of power unfavorable to the United States. Two major themes interweave through this narrative. One is the collapse of traditional China and the fusion therefrom of a new, a Communist, China. A second theme is the American intrusion into East Asia, at first to trade with, enlighten, and baptize the Chinese, “open” Japan, “liberate” the Philippines, and assume the role of an imperial power in the Far East.