Secret war in Shanghai: treachery, subversion and collaboration in the second world war (1998;2017)

The paradise of adventurers, Shanghai during World War II was suffused with dangerous glamour. Racketeers, cutthroats and con-men jostled for advantage as secret agents of the great powers waged a complex and sinister struggle for power. In this classic account, Bernard Wasserstein draws on the files of the Shanghai Police as well as the intelligence archives of the many countries involved, to provide the definitive story of Shanghai's secret war. Bernard Wasserstein introduces the British, American and Australian individuals who collaborated with the Axis powers as well as subversive warfare operatives battling the Japanese – and one another. At times both shocking and amusing, this book lifts the lid on the bizarre underworld of the 'sin city of the Orient' during its most enthralling period in history. World War II / Shanghai He story of wartime Shanghai unveils the savage political intrigue, diplomatic maneuvering, and sometimes deadly espionage that defined this city at the height of World War II, as foreign representatives converged on the city with its promise of cheap living and excitement. During World War II, Shanghai was a killing field of brutal competition, ideological struggle, & murderous political intrigue. China's largest & most cosmopolitan city was the intelligence capital of the Far East & a magnet for an astonishingly corrupt & bizarrely colorful group of men & women drawn to "the Paris of the East" for its seductive promise of high living & easy money. Secret war was waged ceaselessly among Axis & Allied agents & collaborators. Political & sexual loyalty was for sale to the highest bidder. Nowhere on earth was the twilight zone between politics & criminality more evident than in this glittering & dangerous place. This is the first book to deal in depth with the little-known story of the intelligence war in Shanghai. The widely respected historian author has researched it entirely from original sources & has uncovered startling new evidence of collaboration & treason by American & British nationals. This book is history at its most exciting & surprising "Shanghai during World War II was a killing field of brutal competition, ideological struggle, and murderous political intrigue." "Secret War in Shanghai is the first book-length account of the little-known story of Shanghai's underground war. Bernard Wasserstein has researched if entirely from original sources and uncovered startling new evidence of collaboration and treason by American, British, and Australian citizens."--BOOK JACKET. On the night of 7 July 1937 Japanese soldiers staged a provocative incident at the Lukouchiao (Marco Polo) bridge near the old imperial capital of Peking - or Peiping as it was known at the time.