This week on Sinica, I chat with Stephen Platt, historian at UMass Amherst and author, most recently, of the book The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II. Like his previous works, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and Imperial Twilight, it offers a compelling narrative history of an overlooked chapter through a deeply empathetic and well-researched examination of individual lives. Please make sure to listen to the excerpt from the audiobook at the end of this podcast.
04:21 - Evans Carlson: A forgotten hero
07:49 - The Real Carlson vs. the constructed Carlson
10:04 - The book's origin
12:20 - Carlson's ideological transformation
16:50 - Carlson's religious beliefs and public perception
20:04 - Emerson's influence on Carlson's thinking
23:46 - Inner conflicts: Soul-searching or regret?
27:15 - Carlson's relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt
30:39 - Gung Ho Meetings: meaning, practice, and legacy
33:34 - Zhu De’s influence on Carlson
40:28 - Carlson’s relationships with Agnes Smedley and Edgar Snow
47:49 - Hopes for U.S.-China alliance
51:57 - Carlson’s death and his legacy
58:01 - Lessons from Carlson
Paying it Forward: Peter Thilly, Emily Mokros
Recommendations:
Stephen: 11.22.63 by Stephen King; Ted Chiang (author); Otoboke Beaver (band); Book of Mormon (musical)
Kaiser: Wobbler (band); The Religion by Tim Willocks; Zappa (2020)
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