In the Ruins of Empire The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia

With unprecedented access to firsthand materials, including previously top secret U.S. intelligence records, Ronald H. Spector reveals the fascinating story of the deadly confrontations that persisted in Asia after peace was proclaimed at the end of World War II and paints an absorbing picture of the postwar intrigues and violence. Under occupation by the victorious Allies, this part of the world was plunged into new power struggles or back into old feuds that in some ways were worse than the war itself. Through impeccable research and provocative analysis, as well as riveting accounts of Allied soldiers charged with overseeing the surrender and repatriation of millions of Japanese in the heart of dangerous territory, Ronald Spector casts new and startling light on this pivotal time-and sets the record straight about this contested and important period in history. Book jacket.

Ronald H. Spector is a professor of history and international relations at George Washington University. He was a distinguished professor of strategy at the National War College in Washington, D.C., and a guest professor at Kyoto University at Tokyo. Spector served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and is the author of six books, including Eagle Against the Sun: The American War with Japan, a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. He and his wife live in Annandale, Virginia.


From the Hardcover edition.