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Dragon by the tail;: American, British, Japanese, and Russian encounters with China and one another

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Dragon by the tail;: American, British, Japanese, and Russian encounters with China and one another [Hardcover]

John Paton Davies (Author)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Hardcover Hardcover Available from these sellers. Publisher: Norton Published: 1972	--	$20.00	$0.14
Paperback Paperback $25.95 In Stock. Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. Published: January 1, 1980	$25.95	$19.87	$19.83
Unknown Binding Unknown Binding Available from these sellers. Publisher: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Management, Scientific and Technical Information Division For sale by the National Technical Information Service Published: 1991	--	--	$56.49
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Product Details

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Norton; 1st edition (1972)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393054551
ISBN-13: 978-0393054552
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,716,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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First Sentence:
China is secluded from the rest of the continent of Asia by encircling mountain ranges and deserts. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
special envoys, imperial conference

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Soviet Union, Chinese Communists, Chiang Kai-shek, North China, East Asia, Chou En-lai, South China, Red Army, War Department, Chu Teh, Kwantung Army, Madame Chiang, Outer Mongolia, State Department, New Delhi, Far East, General Stilwell, Middle Kingdom, Pearl Harbor, Sun Yat-sen, White House, Chinese Army, Great Wall, Central Government

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb! Overlooked because of persecution of "China hands.", October 11, 1997

By	Marcus J. France (jfrance@henge.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon by the tail;: American, British, Japanese, and Russian encounters with China and one another (Hardcover)

If you wish to understand Sino-American relations in the 20th Century, this book by our most brilliant (and persecuted) Political Officer in the State Department, must be your starting point. It is more than educational. His digressions - descriptions of the voyages of Cheng Ho during the Ming Dynasty; Mukden during the early years of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria; the celebration in Moscow after V-E day; etc., etc. - reveal a literary gift of the highest magnitude. Truly, one of the best books I have ever read. In fact, it irks me that so few people have read it.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Martyr For A Sane Foreign Policy, August 2, 2005

By	Chimonsho (Turtle Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon by the tail;: American, British, Japanese, and Russian encounters with China and one another (Hardcover)

John Davies has crafted a superb tale of his years in Asia and Moscow. He was a classic Old China Hand, raised by missionary parents in China, a fluent speaker of the language, and a natural to serve in the State Department and as Army liaison during World War II. The book combines period documents with later reflections, dazzling readers with thrilling adventures and portentous encounters with the era's major figures: Generalissimo and Madame Chiang, Stilwell, Mao, Zhou Enlai, Roosevelt, Marshall. The 1948-9 Nationalist debacle sparked an anticommunist hunt for scapegoats blamed for "losing" China (it was never ours to lose), tragically depriving the US of wise counsel from Davies, John Service, Oliver Clubb, John Vincent and others. As J.K. Fairbank noted, neither before nor since has America had such gifted country experts to advise on foreign policy. Davies's view of a defense-minded Soviet Union again was more realistic than the official line which helped provoke the Cold War. His globetrotting is a little hard to follow, and fuller coverage of post-1945 events would be welcome, but these are quibbles. See L. Van Slyke ed, "The China White Paper." E. Sevareid, "Not so Wild a Dream" augments Davies's modest paragraph on their celebrated parachute jump and escape from Burma. E.J. Kahn, "The China Hands" details wartime conflicts and postwar persecutions, while J.S. Service, "Lost Chance in China" contains prophetic field reports by Davies's most astute colleague.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent 'first person review of chinese history., October 9, 1998

By	jerold a pick (Encino, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon by the tail;: American, British, Japanese, and Russian encounters with China and one another (Hardcover)

As above, a wonderful description of Chinese history in the 20th century by someone who was there. From the manchu's through early revolution to Chiang and the Communist struggle; one insight follows another.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb view of history
This is a little-known but superb view of the history of China. Written by an insider, it has wonderful detail and insight. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Mark Raven

5.0 out of 5 stars History written in beautiful English
I was referred to this book by an American Artist whom had lived in Japan for almost 50 years. As a Chinese, I thought I know Chinese history, but after reading through JD's... Read more

Published on September 16, 2007 by TSFWong

5.0 out of 5 stars First person report of a fascinating period in history
While I had previously read Seagrave's Soong Dynasty and Tuchman's Stilwell, it was the bibliographical notes of Ambassador Lilley's China Hands that got me turned on to this... Read more

Published on March 6, 2007 by JB

› See all 6 customer reviews...

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