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James Bradley

The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War Paperback – Bargain Price, November 8, 2010

by James Bradley (Author)

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On the success of his two bestselling books about World War II, James Bradley began to wonder what the real catalyst was for the Pacific War. What he discovered shocked him.

In 1905 President Teddy Roosevelt dispatched Secretary of War William Taft, his daughter Alice, and a gaggle of congressmen on a mission to Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea with the intent of forging an agreement to divide up Asia. This clandestine pact lit the fuse that would-decades later-result in a number of devastating wars: WWII, the Korean War, and the communist revolution in China.

In 2005, James Bradley retraced that epic voyage and discovered the remarkable truth about America's vast imperial past. Full of fascinating characters brought brilliantly to life, The Imperial Cruise will powerfully revise the way we understand U.S. history.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR THE IMPERIAL CRUISE:

"Incendiary...[The Imperial Cruise] is startling enough to reshape conventional wisdom about Roosevelt's presidency." (New York Times Janet Maslin)

"A provocative study...What is fascinating about Bradley's reconstruction of a largely neglected aspect of Roosevelt's legacy is the impact that his racial theories and his obsession with personal and national virility had on his diplomacy. Engrossing and revelatory, The Imperial Cruise is revisionist history at its best." (New York Times Book Review Ronald Steel)

"[Bradley's] ingenious narrative thread is to track an across-the-pacific 1905 goodwill voyage by Roosevelt's emissaries....[his indictment of Roosevelt] raises tantalizing questions." (American History Gene Santoro)

"For readers under the impression that history is the story of good guys and bad guys...this book could be useful medicine." (USA Today)

"A page-turner." (Associated Press)

About the Author

James Bradley is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Flyboys and Flags of Our Fathers and the son of one of the men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima. He lives in New York.

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (November 8, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316014001
ASIN: B007MXCB6Y
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 540 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2542 in Japanese History (Books)
- #1459 in International Diplomacy (Books)
- #3205 in Chinese History (Books)

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4 star		12%
3 star		3%
2 star		5%
1 star		15%

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David Mark de Mos

Filling in details of history of Asia, and the US.

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Currently finishing the translation of my mother's World War 2 diary in the Dutch East Indies. It explains how Japan went from cloistered but peaceful country in 1853 to westernized and agressive rogue state with support and direction of America. A lot of people, including my family,suffered from western hubris. In order to avoid repeating history we must learn from it. It also shows the reason why this period of American history was so odious (1880-1910). Holland does have to explain its need for control of the entire archipeligo, but saw them as worthy humans, and eventually brought infrastructure, and full educational system, puttimg them on the road to functioning democracy (eventually).

7 people found this helpful

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Lewis Bennington

Excellent when read with The China Mirage

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book along with The China Mirage by the same author, illustrates the disasters that follow when a few politically powerful leaders think they have the right and the wisdom to control the lives and affairs of others. It is both fascinating and chilling to see how an idea, a belief, a concept, can so permeate a person then a people, to the point where they are willing to do anything in either accord or defense of this belief, no matter who gets hurt. A great follow up book is Jordan Peterson's Map of Meaning.

6 people found this helpful

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Rod Bordeaux

Read: Knowledge is still a good thing.

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Americans need to read uncensored history.

7 people found this helpful

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C. Virginia

Frustrating history

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Well written sad truth of America's early history of taking the Philippines.

6 people found this helpful

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Steven

A must read!

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An enlightening story that gives you a perspective of Teddy Roosevelt seldom ever talked about and one you don’t learn about in public school school

3 people found this helpful

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C. Gregory Brown

Great Historical Perspective

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Sheds different light on one of our greatest Presidents!

2 people found this helpful

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Global Prof

Shocking indictment of US racism and imperialism on world history

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is ostensibly a history of a cruise that Taft and other American VIPs made prior to WWI, in which secret assurances were given to Japan that it could invade Korea. But it is also an indictment of how Teddy Roosevelt's racism and PR tactics changed the course of history in the Pacific, causing the inevitability of WWII, the rise of communism in China, and the Vietnam War.

You can't put this book down. It reads almost like a novel, although a few things are repeated several times (like Teddy Roosevelt's career as a best-selling writer). I was shocked to learn about the massacres that the US did in the Philippines, the water boarding torture that we practiced on a widespread basis, our deposing of the Hawaiian queen. History books have certainly whitewashed our behavior. It makes me ashamed; I no longer can feel anger towards the Turks for their treatment of Armenians when my own country indulged in wholesale slaughter in the Philippines, for no justifiable cause.

What impressed me most, however, was the way that this book showcased how our thinking has changed since the turn of the 19th century, when whites assumed that it was impossible for non-whites to attain civilization or achieve democracy. The arrogance is almost unbelievable -- until one remembers how unquestioned this worldview was. What similar arrogances do we currently indulge in, which will seem equally reprehensible a few generations from now?

As soon as I finished this book, I bought copies for numerous people, and signed up to give a summary of it to a book group. That's how important the message is.

23 people found this helpful

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Daniel

Great Read about Obscure, but Important History.

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A good read. Mr. Bradley pulls no punches pointing out historical facts that may make the Reader uncomfortable with the truth.

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Arthur Lowe

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

The other reviews provide a decent critique so I won't add to it. When looking at the current US Gov you wonder what might have happened if the War of Independence had been lost.

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G.Turner

An excellent easy read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2018

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An excellent easy read, well researched, exposing a little known part of American history. Probably little known because it's been deliberately kept hidden and certainly not taught in schools. For those wanting to know more about the murky dealings in the Philippines, this is a superb book.

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h f j savage

informative book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2018

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I was impressed with the book until I read that democracy develops upwards from the bottom of society.

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Amazon Customer

This book is a 'must' for any one interested in ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2016

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This book is a 'must' for any one interested in American history - and particularly for Americans. I have met James Bradley and his research is impeccable. You cannot always trust the written word - but this is a true record of events that little is known about. Do read it.

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Kenneth Molloy

Easy read about Teddy Roosevelt and his relationships with the far east

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2017

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Very interesting easy to read book with a lot of factual information that I am sure most people do not know about USA politics around late 19th early 20th century

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Alan C

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2015

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amazing book

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Rob B-I Western

Bradley is happy to exchange historical accuracy to drive his narrative

Reviewed in Canada on May 6, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book is an interesting read as a general history. However, it has a host of problems which essentially means that readers who rely on it exclusively for their history of this period will have a very warped sense of history.

It is U.S centric to an extent that Asian nations have no agency of their own. They simply react to, or usually suffer from, American actions. Bradley is happy to exchange historical accuracy to drive his narrative. As an example, he cites Kernow's superior book about the U.S in the Philippines called "In Our Image" to discuss the Philippine/American war, and yet frequently omits key details to make the U.S look as bad as possible, even going so far as to call Aguinaldo "the George Washington of the Philippines." He also paints a picture of American leaders who are all obsessed with race to the point that they can't imagine Chinese nationalism? This simply was untrue. While racism was rampant across the western world at that time, he paints Roosevelt and Taft as such Aryan nationalists that they cannot see past race. Of course why Roosevelt would be such an advocate of Japan, even over Russia and Germany, makes no sense if race is all they care about, but again the sacrifice of consistency and logic to drive the narrative is what is essential to the author.

However, there are fascinating details between the bias. In that sense, anyone who has read other, more grounded books on this period, may enjoy this book for the details surrounding Taft in Manila, Alice Roosevelt in Japan, or Teddy Roosevelt in Washington.

The facts presented in the book are accurate enough, but the facts omitted speak volumes about the author, his agenda, and his view of Asians in general. If you are looking for a much better book on the Philippine/U.S war and subsequent relations, read Stanley Kernow's "In Our Image."

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Heliworld

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on March 23, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Good reading, certainly opens one's eyes and mind as to how and why it is what it is now.

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Simon P

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book full of interesting info

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E. Edgar-Dimmack

Fascinating.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2013

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Very much enjoyed reading about the behind-the- scenes machinations of empire. A truly engrossong read for all history buffs - you will love it.

One person found this helpful

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Kanaris

A fascinating tale of American meddling in Asia

Reviewed in Japan on September 18, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Driven by imperial desires and a abiding belief in racial and cultural superiority, a secret diplomatic mission sent by President Theodore Roosevelt set the stage for a century of misguided wars in asia. Well-written and tightly-paced, this book will force many readers to re-assess reputation of Roosevelt, Taft and an ignorant generation of American leaders who caused great suffering and destruction in the Philippines and Korea.

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Fernando

邦訳が待たれる!

Reviewed in Japan on February 22, 2012

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映画『父親たちの星条旗』の原作者が書いた本。セオドア・ルーズベルト大統領の人となり、ハーバードでの人種論、米国のフィリピン、ハワイ併合の過程、金子堅太郎大活躍など、大変興味深い話が盛りだくさんです。日本の出版社の皆さん、良い翻訳者を見つけて翻訳出版したら絶対売れると思います。いかかでしょう？

2 people found this helpful

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Kotaro

Good Stories - Too Bad they are Unsubstantiated

Reviewed in Japan on August 11, 2015

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Really poor history with conclusions proper up with flimsy arguments and lousy sources. If you know the history of this period, it is a good read just because there are people who believe this fantasy.

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