Who was Colonel Sidney Mashbir?
Wishing to be in the proximity of the man I had studied for fourteen years, I stood over the tombstone of Colonel Sidney Forrester Mashbir, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California. It was the acquisition of his personal papers that first introduced me to this amazing patriotic hero.
Sidney Mashbir (1891 – 1973) grew up in Tucson, Arizona. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Arizona Guard as a bugle boy, during the time of the U.S. Cavalry. His military career continued through two world wars!
- Mashbir’s early clandestine missions included stabilizing the U.S. / Mexican border – In 1914, he personally escorted the legendary bandit/revolutionary Pancho Villa to a peace conference with General John J. Pershing. When relations with Villa turned sour after he attacked the U.S. city of Columbus, New Mexico, Mashbir assisted General Pershing in chasing Villa.
- During the years leading up to and during World War I, Mashbir headed the U.S. Army’s Eastern Division of homeland security, eliminating enemy spy networks in the U.S.
- During the 1920s and 1930s, Mashbir formed a close friendship and alliance with many of Japan’s more progressive leaders – Together, they delayed and attempted to prevent war between their nations. One of Colonel Mashbir’s closest and most influential Japanese allies was Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940), who for thirty years was the President of Japan’s upper house of congress. Prince Tokugawa was the heir to the last all powerful ruling Shogun of feudal Japan, but when that 265 year old dynasty ended, Prince Tokugawa instead devoted his life to diplomatically bridging Japan to the modern world.
- Prince Tokugawa held the significant role as personal mentor to Crown Prince Hirohito. Colonel Mashbir described Prince Tokugawa as the true power behind the Imperial Throne and that Tokugawa was so politically powerful, that if he had not passed in 1940, Japan would not have joined the Axis Powers in WWII.
- Another of Mashbir’s significant Japanese allies was Baron Eiichi Shibusawa, an international businessman, diplomat, and humanitarian. Shibusawa is known as the “Father of Japan’s modern economy”. Prince Tokugawa and Baron Shibusawa were lifelong friends and compatriots who creatively strove to maintain amity between Japan and the West, and respectful relations within Asia.
April, 1937, Tokyo: This group photo was taken at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, following a Pan Pacific Club luncheon hosted by Prince Iyesato Tokugawa to honor Colonel Sidney Mashbir’s return visit to Japan. Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1840-1940) is seated front row center, with his American friend and ally, Colonel Sidney Mashbir seated to his left. Accompanying them are several of Prince Tokugawa’s other Japanese and American advisers. At that time, there was a rising militant movement in Japan. Mashbir was on a dangerous undercover mission. During Mashbir’s 1937 visit, Prince Tokugawa shared top secret Japanese military intelligence information with Mashbir to bring back to the U.S. that might have preserved peace between their nations, but their efforts were undermined. The novel The Emperor and the Spy highlights this untold story.
- Despite their best efforts WWII could not be stopped….Colonel Mashbir was then recruited by General Douglas MacArthur to command a top-secret intelligence organization ATIS (Allied Translator and Interpreter Section) that dramatically shaped the battle strategy in the Pacific, shortening the war.
As WWII was coming to a close, Colonel Mashbir designed and orchestrated the Japanese Surrender Signing Ceremony which officially brought the conflict to an end, avoiding a major destructive conflict on mainland Japan, had the conflict continued.
General Douglas MacArthur gave Mashbir the distinct honor of being the first American (non-prisoner of war) to again set foot in Japan as part of the peace keeping Occupation forces. To encourage a smooth transition for Japan to again become a strong ally with the U.S., 11 Top Secret private meetings were arranged between General MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito, where Colonel Mashbir served as the main translator and liaison. As personal adviser to both General MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito, Mashbir shaped the rapport America would have with the Emperor and Japan during its Reconstruction period, and far beyond . . .
The below inscribed photo was gifted to Colonel Mashbir by General Douglas MacArthur – The General’s inscription reveals how highly he regarded Mashbir’s contributions.
To Mashbir:
With admiration and cordial regard from his old comrade-in-arms.
Douglas MacArthur
Tokyo – 1945
As a pioneer of modern intelligence, in 1942, Mashbir was one of the two men who prepared the first draft implementing directives for the creation of the future Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Fifteen years after Colonel Mashbir’s death, in 1988, he was inducted into the Army’s Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame for his major contributions to our nation’s security. Below is the honorary certificate that was given.
Despite this above great recognition, Colonel Mashbir has as is to be expected of talented spies, largely remained in the shadows of history, until now.
The Emperor and the Spy presents the fascinating and colorful life of this heroic individual. The novel strongly depicts actual events, but has been novelized to recognize its potential as an epic cinematic experience. It is thrill packed with action and suspense, humor, romance, and lots of historical surprises.
Available in PRINT, EBOOK, and as an AUDIOBOOK.
THE ART OF PEACE, the biography of Prince Iyesato Tokugawa
After WWII ended, there was an emphasis on leaving that tragic conflict behind and again establish Japan and the U.S. as friends and political allies. With that goal in mind, much of the significant, peaceful, Japanese diplomatic engagement during the decades prior to that war was lost, forgotten, or perhaps destroyed. For instance, the below photograph comes from what appears to be the last remaining crumbling copy of a 1934 Japanese magazine. It presents Prince Tokugawa receiving an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Southern California. The president of the university Dr. Rufus B. von Kleinsmid hands the certificate degree to Prince Tokugawa. (Left to right in photo: Prince Iyesato Tokugawa; Iyemasa Tokugawa; George I. Cochran; Dr. Rufus B. von Kleinsmid.)
This presentation took place during a special luncheon given March 19, 1934 in Los Angeles, hosted by George I. Cochran, the president of the school’s Board of Trustees. Prince Iyesato Tokugawa was accompanied by his son Iyemasa, the newly appointed Minister to Canada.
The Los Angeles Times stated that this honorary degree was given to Prince Iyesato Tokugawa “in recognition of distinguished service in international statesmanship,” and for his “support of many philanthropic and educational movements.”
In accepting the honor, Tokugawa respectfully said, “He wished to receive it in the name of the Japanese people as a whole rather than as a personal distinction.” The Los Angeles Times also stated that a banquet dinner was to be hosted by the Japan-America Society of Los Angeles to honor Prince Tokugawa’s visit. The Governor of California and the former Mayor of Los Angeles planned to attend.
Surprisingly, despite this great recognition given to Prince Tokugawa, the University of Southern California currently has no record of this event having taken place. What is curious, during the following year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was also awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Southern California, on October 1, 1935. Prince Tokugawa and President FDR knew each other well. During Tokugawa’s 1934 visit to the U.S. the two men met and discussed ways in which they could maintain amity between their nations. Prince Tokugawa even invited FDR to visit Japan with hopes that a face to face meeting with Japan’s leaders, including the Japanese Royal Family might help cement friendship and a better understanding of international events in their region.
October 1, 1935: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was given the Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree on the steps of USC’s administration building during a short stop on his motorcade through the city, his first visit to Los Angeles as president. After the stop he traveled to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to give a speech. Source of above photo: Courtesy of Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA
So as to honor Prince Tokugawa and his Japanese and non-Japanese allies who faced many dangers in their efforts for peace, the biography The Art of Peace was written. It is in a sense, a sequel to novel The Emperor and the Spy – The biography utilizes hundreds of fascinating illustrations, many rare and one-of-a-kind, offering an intriguing new perspective on U.S. Japan relations and world history.
THE EBOOK EDITION IS AVAILABLE THRU AMAZON LINKS BELOW:
Expanded Edition has an additional 100 pages of notes and an Index to assist researchers.
Below is the front cover for the upcoming Print edition of The Art of Peace
SOON TO BE PUBLISHED
While doing research for The Emperor and the Spy and The Art of Peace, another surprising discovery was made. Unique photos and written documents were acquired that strongly appear to reveal that former President Theodore Roosevelt went on a mysterious, covert, diplomatic visit to Japan in 1909, an UNTOLD STORY.
Details to follow . . .
A portion of book sales will go to these charities:
- American Veterans’ organizations in honor of Colonel Mashbir.
- Social service groups Colonel Mashbir was once active in, such as Rotary International.
- Also, the Japanese Red Cross, to show respect for the Japanese leaders Colonel Mashbir allied with in the pursuit of peace.