It’s a pleasure to announce the publication of the 65th Anniversary Edition of Colonel Sidney Mashbir’s exciting 1953 autobiography:
I Was an American Spy.
Besides being an fascinating story, Colonel Mashbir’s autobiography is almost a textbook in the art of espionage and counter-espionage.
Colonel Mashbir (1891-1973) led an adventurous life – At the age of thirteen, he started his military career as a bugle boy in the Arizona Guard, in the still untamed Arizona Territory. During 1914-1916, he served under General Funston and General Pershing, and went on daring missions across the U.S./Mexican border during the Mexican Revolution, attempting to maintain peace along that border.
During World War One, Mashbir was assigned to protect U.S homeland security. He headed the U.S. Army’s Eastern Division section of counter-espionage where he eliminated an extensive domestic spy network.
After WWI ended, Mashbir was attached to the U.S. Embassy in Japan in the early 1920s. During that time, Mashbir was sent on a perilous top secret mission into Russia and China, where he used his clever bluffing abilities to prevent a regional war.
During the twenty years prior to WWII, Mashbir became fluent in Japanese language and intimately familiar with the Japanese culture. He allied and befriended many leaders of Japan, including members of the Japanese Royal Family. Together, they strove to preserve peace between their nations.
But the winds of war could not be stopped – When WWII erupted, Colonel Mashbir became General MacArthur’s top intelligence advisor – He commanded a top secret intelligence gathering organization called A.T.I.S. (Allied Translator and Interpreter Section) that dramatically shaped the successful war strategy in the Pacific. In spite of it being many decades since the end of WWII, ATIS is still little known about. This organization was composed mainly of thousands of Japanese American Nisei (persons born in the US whose parents were immigrants from Japan) who served as translators, interpreters, interrogators, and also went out into the battlefield. Their heroic contributions significantly shortened the war, saving countless lives.
Once WWII ended, Mashbir took a pivotal role in bringing Japan and the U.S. together again as allies. He served as translator and liaison between General MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito during eleven top secret meetings during the early reconstruction period of Japan.
As a pioneer of modern military intelligence, Mashbir was one of the two men who prepared the first draft implementing directives for the creation of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) at the request of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On a related note – The historical novel The Emperor and the Spy also highlights life and accomplishments of Colonel Mashbir. The research required for the writing The Emperor and the Spy, drew from Colonel Mashbir’s autobiography, combined with having access to Mashbir’s personal papers and official documents, as well as many other historical resources discovered over the years. Visit the website TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com to learn more.
***Colonel Mashbir is an unsung American hero who deserves to be known about – The 65th Anniversary Edition of his epic life presents the odyssey of a cunning Master Spy, who engaged in covert diplomacy and dangerous missions to shape world events.
The eBook is available to purchase on Amazon, at the affordable price of only $2.99.
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