The Eurasian Triangle : Russia, The Caucasus and Japan, 1904-1945

Even the best books on international history are ignorant of the secret war against the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union waged jointly by the Caucasian peoples and Japan in the first half of the twentieth century. This book explores and exposes previously unknown passages in Eurasian international history. Although the secret war ultimately failed in liberating the Caucasian peoples, the lessons of this Eurasian collaboration were not lost on the United States, which after World War II confronted the Soviet Union just as Japan had earlier. Washington copied the strategy of its former enemy and developed it further. The Eurasian triangle of Russia, the Caucasus, and Japan is a forgotten history of cardinal importance that, stretching from the Russo-Japanese War to World War II, influenced Western Cold War strategies. This book is also the story of a friendship rare in international politics between two unlikely partners unspoiled by political vicissitudes. Eurasian history of the first half of the twentieth century, International politics Acknowledgments and Notes 7 1 Introduction 8 2 The Russo-Japanese War 20 2.1 War 21 2.2 The Akashi Operations 24 2.3 Japan and ``Total Espionage'' 53 3 A Lull 60 3.1 ``Pacification'' 60 3.2 The Impact of Japan's Victory 63 3.3 A New Global Political Configuration 67 3.4 ``Spy Mania'' 70 3.5 The Caucasus on the Eve of World War I 75 4 War, Independence, and Reconquest, 1914–21 80 4.1 World War I 80 4.2 Revolution 86 4.3 Reconquest 94 4.4 The Caucasus and the World 107 4.5 The Caucasus and Japan 109 5 Renewal 113 5.1 ``Pacification'' 114 5.2 International Realignments 120 5.3 The Renewal of Japan's Interests in the Caucasus 128 6 The Caucasus Group and Japan 135 6.1 Moscow versus Tokyo 135 6.2 Japan and Caucasian Émigré Forces 142 6.3 The Caucasus Group and Japan 151 6.4 The Anti-Comintern Pact 156 6.5 The Great Terror 163 6.6 Clandestine Operations 172 7 War and Dénouement 176 7.1 The Realignment of Forces 176 7.2 An Attempt on Stalin's Life? 180 7.3 The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and World War II 182 7.4 The Expansion of War 189 7.5 Dénouement 200 8 Conclusion 202 Appendix 210 Bibliography Archives and Private Papers 215 Bibliography 215 Printed Books 216 Articles 225 List of Figures 230 Sources of Illustrations 232 Index 233