New Books Network Zach Fredman and Judd Kinzley eds., "Uneasy Allies: Sino-American Relations at the Grassroots, 1937–1949" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
Sep 16, 2025
Zudd Kinzley, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Zach Fredman, an associate professor at Duke Kunshan University, dive into grassroots Sino-American relations from 1937 to 1949. They discuss how ordinary figures, like diplomats and servicemen, shaped interactions beyond elite diplomacy. The conversation reveals the complexities of U.S. intelligence efforts and highlights influential individuals such as Gong Peng, who navigated media perceptions during wartime. Their insights illuminate the lasting impact of cultural diplomacy in shaping modern relations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Grassroots Shaped The Relationship
- Grassroots actors reshaped U.S.-China relations by operating below top-level diplomacy.
- Non-elite soldiers, workers, scientists, and students built durable trans-Pacific networks during 1937–1949.
Wartime Networks Became Institutionalized
- The wartime period produced the largest-ever American engagement in China with varied non-state roles.
- Many wartime grassroots connections were later absorbed into state institutions after 1945.
Yardley Hired, Disappointed, Then Left
- British cryptographer Herbert Yardley was hired by the Nationalists to build a signals program before Pearl Harbor.
- Yardley's gambling, personality, and disappointing employment led to friction and eventual departure.
