The China Mission TR by Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

Product Details

• Publisher: WW Norton (2019-04-16)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 496 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780393240955
• Item Weight: 391.23 grams
• Dimensions: 21.08 x 13.97 x 3.05 cm

An Economist Best Book of 2018
New York Times Book Review Editor’s Pick

“Gripping [and] splendid.… An enormous contribution to our understanding of Marshall.”—Washington Post

At the end of World War II, General George Marshall took on what he thought was a final mission—this time not to win a war, but to stop one. In China, conflict between Communists and Nationalists threatened to suck in the United States and escalate into revolution. Marshall’s charge was to cross the Pacific, broker a peace, and prevent a Communist takeover, all while staving off World War III. At first, the results seemed miraculous. But as they started to come apart, Marshall was faced with a wrenching choice—one that would alter the course of the Cold War, define the US-China relationship, and spark one of the darkest-ever turns in American political life.

The China Mission offers a gripping, close-up view of the central figures of the time—from Marshall, Mao, and Chiang Kai-shek to Eisenhower, Truman, and MacArthur—as they stood face-to-face and struggled to make history, with consequences and lessons that echo today.

About the Author

Daniel Kurtz-Phelan is the executive editor of Foreign Affairs. He previously served in the US State Department as a member of the secretary of state’s Policy Planning Staff. His reportage and analysis have appeared in publications including the New York Times and The New Yorker.