Audiobook & Timeline

Colonel Sidney Forrester Mashbir (1891-1973) wore many hats during his long career: as a spy, a diplomat, a Japanese linguist, military strategist, and as a scientist/inventor/businessman. Hoping to maintain good relations between the U.S. and Japan during the 1920s and 1930s, he was befriended and allied with top Japanese leaders such as Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940, aka Tokugawa Iesato) and Baron Eiichi Shibusawa (1840-1931, aka Shibusawa Eiichi) in the mutual pursuit of peace. Prince Tokugawa held the influential position of President of the Japan’s Upper House of Congress (the House of Peers) for thirty years. Baron Shibusawa was a most influential international businessman who is known as the “Father of the modern Japanese capitalist economy”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mashbir Archives spotlight Colonel Mashbir and his allies’ significant roles in history, drawing from Mashbir’s personal letters, official documents, and photos, as well as other fascinating historical materials gathered during the past twenty years of research. As would be expected of an adept intelligence agent, Mashbir’s influence was mainly behind the scenes. He is an unsung heroic patriot to the highest degree that the world will one day realize.

Mashbir’s goal was to avoid war, but he was not a blind optimist in his pursuit of peace. He headed a still little known about top secret, quasi-governmental company, called the Washington Institute, that bridged the U.S. military’s industrial/technological requirements with the major corporations of that day, who could meet those needs, in the event that war could not be avoided. 

Mashbir served as an intelligence advisor to top ranking U.S. generals in both world wars, General Pershing and General MacArthur, making contributions pivotal to the Allied victory. He was also the individual who orchestrated the Surrender Signing Ceremony with the Japanese that officially ended WWII. That tragic conflict might have continued onto the Japanese mainland, if not for Mashbir’s personal and persuasive influence on the Japanese leadership thru his radio broadcasts, where he represented General MacArthur. Based on his Japanese linguistic skills he was able to present the peace treaty in a fashion that the Japanese could understand and accept.

During the early days of the U.S. Occupation of post-war Japan, Mashbir was the translator and facilitator for a top secret meeting between General Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito, where Mashbir assisted these two world leaders, who he knew well, to establish a re-establish diplomatic/political/economic partnership and friendship between their nations.

Mashbir would have remained unknown, like many heroic US intelligence agents/spies before and after him, but my acquisition of his personal papers motivated me to spend the past two decades trying to share his story in the hope that his contributions would serve as inspiring educational lessons for the current world of peace diplomacy and international cooperation.

Up till now, since the end of WWII, despite the fears of the Cold War, militarily we’ve felt generally safe due to mutually assured nuclear destruction, with relative peace on a global scale for the last 75 years – But beneath this current peace, there is a growing level of nationalism that must be recognized and prevented from turning into racism and international conflict – Colonel Mashbir’s career offers many helpful insights to better understand and deal with those issues of today.

 

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‘THE EMPEROR AND THE SPY’ Historical Novel Highlights Colonel Mashbir’s Exciting Exploits in the World of International Espionage.

Available from Amazon in Print, Digital Book, and in Audiobook.