cover image Burma: The Untold Story

Burma: The Untold Story

Won-Loy Chan, Won-Loy Chan, Won-Loy Chan. Presidio Press, $14.95 (138pp) ISBN 978-0-89141-266-3

The author, a Chinese-American born in Oregon, served as a Japanese intelligence specialist in Burma with U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Stilwell's forces. ""Vinegar Joe'' was, in theory at least, in command of all Chinese Nationalist troops in the Burma-India theater, but they ``obeyed'' his orders only if parallel orders came through Chinese channels. Chan describes how Stilwell nevertheless managed to win the Second Burma Campaign, capturing Myitkyina and reestablishing land communications with China. Chan's duties were unusually difficult to carry out for at least two reasons: First, the interrogation of Japanese prisoners was nearly impossible because Chinese soldiers usually killed them soon after capture. Second, during his intelligence-gathering trips to the front, Chan and his two principal colleagues, Japanese-Americans, were often mistaken for Japanese operatives. This book is of interest for its depiction of the process of military intelligence and its application in the field under the most adverse conditions. Photos. (December)