WORLD WAR II NONFICTION
"Secret War in Shanghai" by
Bernard Wasserstein 
If you are a scholar, serious student, or avid reader of World War II History, this book is for you. This book is exhaustively researched, meticulously crafted, and written with eloquent style.
Prior to World War II, Shanghai was a major trading hub in Asia. The city was populated by Americans, British, Japanese, Italians, Nationalist and Communist Chinese, French, Australians, Indians, Germans, Jewish Refugees, Russian Refugees, and other minor national players. Add to the population rogues, spies, soldiers-of-fortune, adventurers, Chinese gangsters, con men, thieves, murders, and low lives of other callings. Mix all of these elements together and start a major world war and the intrigues begin.
This is a tale of treason, collaboration, bravery, propaganda, and maneuvering for power, prestige, and money. Businesses wanted to continue operation and ignore the consequences. Torture, murder, extortion, imprisonment, and blackmail were tools of the day. Numerous intelligence organizations competed against each other and all had to rely heavily on the Chinese for information. One fact I found interesting was the Japanese distrust of the Germans because they were racists. I find this ironic. Another interesting fact was the Allies used 100,000 Japanese soldiers in and around Shanghai at the end of the war to keep order. The book is filled with excerpts from intelligence reports, newspaper articles, and the eventual demise of some of the more colorful characters. There is also a section of fascinating pictures.
After the war, Shanghai made an attempt to recover some of her previous glory, but much of her business moved on to Hong Kong and Singapore. The final blow was the defeat of the Nationalist forces by the Communists in 1949. The city has never been the same since.
Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith 18 December 1999
Available from:
Houghton Mifflin Company
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
