Prologue: The Crisis During the Second World War, the United States Government requested that
Lieutenant General Joseph W. Stilwell be placed in command of China's armed forces. Tuchman notes that an American's overseeing an ally's forces was an "unprecedented" arrangement.
General Chiang Kai Shek, who was the leader of the
Republic of China at the time, expressed his frustration at the request as it was not palatable to have a foreigner in command of his forces. The Chinese were said to be in a "desperate" situation in their struggles against the
Japanese Forces, and
President Roosevelt, in his message to Chiang, said that he knew of "no other man who has the ability, the force and the determination to offset the disaster that now threatens China." Chiang ultimately accepted the request with the remark, according to
General Patrick Hurley, that Stilwell had more power in China than he had. Tuchman narrates that the American's initiative to aid the Chinese sought to prevent the Japanese from "ravaging" China and the nearby countries, hoping to maintain a foundation of stability in Asia.
Foundations of an Officer Joseph Warren Stilwell, son of Benjamin Stilwell and descendant of Nicholas Stilwell, was a model student and athlete at the
public high school of Yonkers who was set for postgraduate study at Yale. However, during the senior dance in his final year, Stilwell assaulted the refreshment table volunteer with tubs of ice cream and trays of cake, which would later be known as the "Great Ice Cream Raid". Stilwell was then punished and not allowed to graduate. This led to discipline from his father which would eventually divert Warren Stilwell to enter the
West Point Military Academy and begin his military career. Stilwell would eventually meet his wife, Winifred A. Smith, during a campaign in Mexico 1908. The chapter ends with Stilwell's departure for China following the unfolding events of its
Revolution in the news.
Visitor To Revolution: China This segment of the book begins with Stilwell's arrival in China and his evaluation of China as a spiritual country. Stilwell remarks that China believes itself to be the center of civilization, warding off any evil spirits and barbarians that live beyond its border through "
Feng Shui". Tuchman provides an account of China's political history, introducing the
First Opium War that led to the
Treaty of Nanjing, opening up China to foreign countries. Efforts of revolution then began to surface in 1911 as an attempt by several Chinese parties to restore China's independence and equality among the nations. The section ends with Stilwell leaving China with the
Revolution still in its early stages.
The Great War: Saint Mihiel and Shantung Warren Stilwell was not content with his contribution to the Army during his early years of service, consisting mainly of serving in the Department of History and Modern Languages, where he taught Spanish. Tuchman narrates that Stilwell escaped the "fate" of remaining a language instructor when his proficiency in Spanish promoted him to a temporary rank of "
major" as
Military Attaché in Spain, 1917. Four months later, Stilwell was appointed to France not as front line but as staff reporting to Commanding General AEF for Intelligence duty. During his post there, France aided
the Allied aggression on the German defense in
Saint-Mihiel under the command of
John J. Pershing which eventually broke through. The fall of Saint-Mihiel and subsequent events led to the defeat of Germany which ended the First World War and led to the
Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Following the treaty briefly was Japan's efforts to continue holding strategical territory over China, seizing
Shantung after
President Woodrow Wilson conceded over Japanese pressure and confirmed Japan as successor to all
German concessions in Shantung. The bulk of the remainder of the section focuses on following the
student rebellion against
Japanese Occupation in Shantung and the rest of China.
Assignment to Peking: Years of the Warlords Stilwell was appointed as first language officer for China to represent the Army in 1919 where he would practice Chinese. Tuchman then informs of the complexity of the
Chinese (
Mandarin and
Cantonese) Language, as well as the various difficulties Stilwell encountered during his time learning Chinese. The rest of the section is devoted to Stilwell's journey through
Shanxi and
Shensi, visiting rural villages and the walled lotus courts in Peking China, communicating with both the lower and upper echelons of the Chinese society.
The "Can Do" Regiment and the Rise of Chiang Kai-Shek The Kuomintang, at this time infused with new strength by its alliance with the
Communist International, received aid from the Russians in the form of two advisors,
Mikhail Borodin and
Vasily Blyukher.
Sun Yat-Sen, leader of the Kuomintang, was convinced by the two advisors that the success of the Kuomintang party was not to be accomplished by relying on opportunistic alliances without a common goal, but first by an indoctrinated force of its own. Sun, heeding their advice, sent a thirty-seven-year-old
Chiang Kai-Shek, a disciple of Sun, on a military mission to Moscow, heading reciprocal indoctrination training. Soon after came Sun's death, and Chiang quickly surfaced as the Kuomintang's military chief. Chiang eventually rose to power after beginning his
extermination campaign of the
Communist party, seizing control of the main government. However, Chiang Kai-shek still held sovereign executive power over members of the Executive Committee in the party, and the disbandment between generals of different military divisions caused factions to move with or against each other at different times. Chiang claimed to support democracy, but Tuchman points out that Stilwell remained skeptical of the progress of "democracy" made by the Kuomintang.
"Vinegar Joe" Fort Benning was the Army's basic tactical school.
George Catlett Marshall Jr., assistant commander of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, was appalled by the casualties of
World War I and believed they resulted largely from insufficient training. He needed leadership of short simple orders focused on objectives without unnecessary detail. Knowing that Stilwell fit the prescription, he swiftly appointed Stilwell head of the First or Tactical Section in Fort Benning, 1929. Stilwell's four-year tenure at Fort Benning earned high praises, with many describing him as "a genius for instruction", "farsighted", "highly intelligent", etc. His coldness and expression towards stupidity at one point earned him the nickname "Vinegar Joe". Tuchman then covers the sudden attack by the
Japanese Kwantung Army on the
South Manchuria Railway in 1931. Tuchman points out that Chiang Kai-Shek was unable to retaliate and was forced to make a strategic retreat. This was mainly due to military energies being spent on his extermination campaigns of the Communist Party. Tuchman suggests that Chiang held "pacification" before social, political reform, or invader resistance, and narrates that if there was one thing that could qualify Chiang for greatness, it was his "gripping conviction" to "unite" his country before everything else. However, she states that this "conviction" was just one of the several miscalculations that many historical figures like Chiang have made, as she suggests the internal warfare between multiple conflicting parties in China would be unreasonable for this "conviction" to stand. Tuchman suggests that this unreasonable "conviction" absorbed the Government's military power and would leave China unprepared for the Japanese attack. == Themes ==