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. 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 economy”.
As would be expected of an adept intelligence agent, Mashbir’s influence was entirely behind the scenes. He is an unsung patriotic hero to the highest degree that I hope the world will one day realize. The Mashbir Archives spotlights 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.
Mashbir’s goal was to avoid international conflict, but he was not a blind optimist in his pursuit of peace, he also 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 the eleven top secret meetings between General Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito, where he assisted these two world leaders to establish a renewed diplomatic/political partnership and friendship.
Mashbir would have remained unknown, like many heroes and patriots 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 lessons for the current world of peace diplomacy and international cooperation.
Today, we get a sense of the world’s instability with the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. Up till now, militarily we’ve felt generally safe due to mutually assured 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 domestic racism & discrimination, as well as international conflict – Colonel Mashbir’s career offers many helpful insights to better understand and deal with the issues of today.
The below Illustrated Timeline gives an brief overview of Sidney Mashbir’s personal life & some of his significant achievements.
The Emperor and the Spy historical novel brings him to life!
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The Novel Highlights Colonel Mashbir’s Exciting Exploits in the World of International Espionage.
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