Our Man In Tokyo: An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor
Book by Steve Kemper
DETAILS
Publisher : Mariner Books (November 8, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 448 pages ISBN-10 : 0358064740 ISBN-13 : 978-0358064749 Item Weight : 1.39 pounds Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.6 x 9.7 inches Best Sellers Rank: #8,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Historical Japan Biographies #3 in Japanese History (Books) #51 in World War II History (Books) , A gripping, behind-the-scenes account of the personalities and contending forces in Tokyo during the volatile decade that led to World War II, as seen through the eyes of the American ambassador who attempted to stop the slide to war. In 1932, Japan was in crisis. Naval officers had assassinated the prime minister and conspiracies flourished. The military had a stranglehold on the government. War with Russia loomed, and propaganda campaigns swept the country, urging schoolchildren to give money to procure planes and tanks. Into this maelstrom stepped Joseph C. Grew, America’s most experienced and talented diplomat. When Grew was appointed ambassador to Japan, not only was the country in turmoil, its relationship with America was rapidly deteriorating. For the next decade, Grew attempted to warn American leaders about the risks of Japan’s raging nationalism and rising militarism, while also trying to stabilize Tokyo’s increasingly erratic and volatile foreign policy. From domestic terrorism by Japanese extremists to the global rise of Hitler and the fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, the events that unfolded during Grew’s tenure proved to be pivotal for Japan, and for the world. His dispatches from the darkening heart of the Japanese empire would prove prescient—for his time, and for our own. Drawing on Grew’s diary of his time in Tokyo as well as U.S. embassy correspondence, diplomatic dispatches, and firsthand Japanese accounts, Our Man in Tokyo brings to life a man who risked everything to avert another world war, the country where he staked it all—and the abyss that swallowed it. Read more
REVIEW
This book is so well researched and also highly readable. I would consider myself a WW2 history buff, having read books and watched documentaries for decades on WW2. But as most WW2 buffs know, the Pacific theater of war is far less represented than the European theater. And information that included Japan’s on-the-ground assessments of the war have been minimal at best (at least to Western language books). So, finding this book was a great find and I am thankful it was one that was recommended to me by Amazon! The information about Japan during the pre-Pearl Harbor days is a real gem to be able to learn about, and with direct sources like cables and diaries kept by the USA ambassador, one can feel the tension in the days leading up to Pearl Harbor. I really enjoyed this book and read it in less than 2 days. For anyone interested in Pacific theater of WW2, this book is a must!!
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