In 1937, Japan blundered into a debilitating war with China, beginning with a minor incident near Peking (now Beijing) that quickly escalated. The Japanese won significant battles and captured the capital, Nanking, after a horrific massacre of its citizens. Chiang Kai-shek, China's acknowledged leader, would not surrender--each side believed it could win a war of attrition. The U.S. sided with China, primarily because of President Roosevelt's personal bias in their favor. At first proposing an ineffectual "quarantine" approach to Japan, he eventually took active steps to block Japanese aggression. Drawing on a wealth of sources including interviews with key players, from soldiers to diplomats, this history traces America's unexpected and unpopular involvement in an Asian conflict, and the growing recognition of Japan's threat to world peace and the inevitability of war.
Author(s): G. William Whitehurst
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 350
City: Jefferson
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Introduction
I An Empire and an Army Are Born
II The Army in Retreat
III The Struggle for Control
IV Triumph and Uncertainty
V The Marco Polo Bridge Incident
VI The China Incident
VII The Home Front
VIII North China and the Failure of Mediation
IX Quarantine the Aggressor
X Charade at Brussels
XI The Rape of Nanking
XII Aftermath
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
