ABSTRACT

The “loss of China” is a centerpiece of the American understanding of the Cold War in East Asia. Before the fall of China to the Communists, many Americans had spoken of “saving China,” from Japan, for Christianity, or for Communism. In this chapter, we examine how the pre-World War II information regime of “saving China” was constructed inside China and the United States, and how this information regime—again consciously shaped by historical agents working mainly in the United States and China—shifted to a “lost China” paradigm during the early Cold War. The role of the Comintern, as well as of Communists and fellow travelers in the United States, is here emphasized, along with the information strategies of the Chinese Nationalist Party under Chiang Kai-shek, his wife, Soong Meiling, and the powerful Soong family. We also investigate the Amerasia Incident, the Institute of Pacific Relations, and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), revealing the nexus of Western academics and experts in creating a pro-Communist China information regime.