Korean War Archives - Stan. S. Katz

Colonel Sidney Mashbir’s good friend Colonel Robert F. Warren has just had his autobiography “Only In My America” published highlighting his distinguished military aviation career.

August 27, 2021 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

As an author and historian who has studied and written about Colonel Sidney Mashbir, it was my good fortune when Marine Colonel Robert Warren and his son Marine Captain William Warren contacted me three years ago in 2018 to discuss their close friendship with Colonel Mashbir decades earlier.

During the years leading up to and during World War One, Mashbir had taken a pivotal role in maintaining US homeland security against foreign enemy agents. During WWII, Mashbir headed a top-secret intelligence gathering organization for the Allies that greatly shaped military strategy in the Pacific theater of war. Mashbir met and shared this information with General Douglas MacArthur on a daily basis throughout the war. MacArthur five times recommended Colonel Mashbir be promoted to Brigadier General, but political differences following WWII, resulted in Colonel Mashbir never getting that deserved promotion. To learn more about Colonel Mashbir, fascinating exploits, you’re invited to explore this website TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com when you get the opportunity.

Robert and William Warren, both being younger than Mashbir, were inspired and influenced by Colonel Mashbir’s dedication to the United States of America. Colonel Mashbir was likewise impressed by the heroic military careers of Robert and William Warren and their dedication to their nation. William and Robert were interviewed and generously shared various personal and historical insights about their friend Sidney Mashbir. They also shared some fascinating photos linked to Mashbir’s career.

Both Colonel Mashbir and Colonel Warren had a mutual interest in military aviation – Colonel Mashbir designed the first sonar-guided blind-landing aviation guidance system for the military. And anticipation of the potential outbreak of WWII, Mashbir took a pivotal role in guiding the US industrial production of essential Naval aviation equipment and supplies during the decade prior to WWII.

BELOW IS A DESCRIPTION OF COLONEL ROBERT F. WARREN’S IMPRESSIVE AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

This is the engaging life story of a decorated United States Marine Corps aviator, who served with distinction in World War II, Vietnam and Korea. Colonel Robert F. Warren is the only Marine aviator who has commanded both a Marine Helicopter Squadron and later a Marine Jet Attack Squadron. Along the way, Colonel Warren earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Legion of Merit with Combat “V” and many other awards in recognition of his heroism and achievements in aerial flight, and his significant contributions to the success of the United States Marine Corps.
Born in Riverside, MI and raised in nearby Coloma, MI after being orphaned by the death of his mother, and the absence of his father, Bob was later adopted by family members. Separated from his older brother, they would both grow up to be pilots – Bill a pioneer in commercial aviation, and Bob a career military pilot.

Bob joined the Navy Flight Training Program in August, 1942. He received his Naval Aviator Wings and Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant commission at the age of 19. He trained to be a night fighter pilot at Vero Beach, FL in 1944.

In 1945, during World War II, Bob fought as a Marine night fighter pilot during the Battle for Okinawa, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight”.

Warren instructed Marine fixed-wing pilots transitioning to helicopters, at the outbreak of the Korean War, as part of Helicopter Experimental Squadron One in Quantico, VA (HMX-1). He was one of three original officers assigned to Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161); the first U.S. Military all-helicopter squadron, commissioned in January of 1951. Seven months later, HMR-161 embarked on the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86) for Korea.

Warren was a pioneer helicopter pilot during the Korean War, designing and manufacturing external sling hoists and quick releasing cargo hooks, in the machine shop on board the Sitkoh Bay, en route to Korea. In Korea, HMR-161 was located farther into North Korea than any other U.S. or South Korean force.

Warren participated in Operations Windmill I and II, the first time entire front line battalions were relieved in place, completely by helicopter. Warren was awarded a second Distinguished Flying Cross for Operation Blackbird, a combat operation executed in complete darkness. It was considered the most dangerous mission during the squadron’s entire Korean combat tour. Warren was awarded a third Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic efforts to rescue a downed pilot forty miles behind enemy lines.

After 14 years of helicopter flying, without an accident, Warren transitioned to flying swept-wing jets. He was assigned as Commanding Officer of a A-4 Marine Attack Squadron 331 (VMA-331). Colonel Warren served a thirteen month tour with distinction in Vietnam. Returning to CA, he commanded a Marine Air Group at MCAS, Tustin.

Warren retired in September, 1969 after more than 27 years of military flying. Between 1981 and 1987, Warren was recalled to active duty six times, to serve at the Pentagon on an Advisory Committee on Retired Personnel.

Below are some additional fascinating historical materials and information linked to the military career of Robert Warren:

1965: Colonel Robert F. Warren VMA 331 CO.

Below is the jet linked to Colonel Robert F. Warren:

1969: Colonel Robert F. Warren.

Col. Robert F. Warren was honored into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame on May 21, 2011. This hall of fame is part of what is known as the Air Zoo, which described below:

About the Air Zoo

The Air Zoo is a highly charged, multi-sensory atmosphere that goes beyond anything you’ve ever seen. It’s like no place else on Earth!

The Air Zoo, founded as the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, is an aviation museum and indoor amusement park next to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Portage, Michigan. The Air Zoo holds many historical and rare aircraft, including the world’s fastest air-breathing aircraft, the SR-71B Blackbird. Many of its antique planes are airworthy. Among its other attractions are a 180-degree Theater that projects a 4-D simulation of a B-17 bombing mission during World War II. There are also various amusement park-style rides, including Full-Motion Flight Simulators of a rocket trip to Mars, U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornets, a stunt biplane, a hot air balloon, and more. Air Zoo is a Smithsonian Affiliate.

https://www.airzoo.org/

Voted the “Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners” and “Best Place to Spend a Day with Your Family” three years in a row, offering historical exhibits and educational activities.

Our Mission is to preserve the legacy of flight for present and future generations.

Our Vision is to be the number one aviation museum in the world.

Our Pledge is to provide the best experience possible to everyone, every time.

The below biographical material comes from the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame:

Colonel Robert F. Warren, USMC, Retired

1923-

Colonel Robert F. Warren was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1923 and went on to join Helicopter Experimental Squadron One in Quantico, Virginia where he instructed marine fixed-wing pilots transitioning to helicopters at the outbreak of the Korean War. Warren was one of three original officers assigned to Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161), the first U.S. Military all-helicopter squadron.

Seven months after receiving its first helicopter, HMR-161 embarked on the USS Sitkoh Bay for Korea. Using the ship’s machine shops on route to Korea, Warren helped design and manufacture external sling hoists and quick-loading external cargo hooks which became the norm for helicopter operations for years to come.

Warren was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for Operation Blackbird, a night combat operation executed in complete darkness and considered the most hazardous by HMR-161 during its entire Korean combat tour.
On February 8, 1952, he rescued a downed pilot 40 miles behind enemy lines for which he was awarded a second Distinguished Flying Cross. In 14 years of helicopter flying, he never had a single accident, although he experienced complete engine failure twice. Both times he auto rotated to a safe landing.

Back in the U.S., Warren was promoted to major and selected as aide-de-camp to Medal of Honor winner General Christian Schilt, USMC. Upon Schilt’s retirement in 1957, Warren returned to Santa Ana where he joined HMM-363. He was in charge of a three helicopter special mission which transported President Dwight Eisenhower from the San Francisco International Airport to the Presidio.

In the U.S., he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served as a helicopter tactics instructor in the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico for the next four years. He was then transferred to the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C. to transition to flying fixed-wing jets. Upon completion, he was assigned as commanding officer, Marine Attack Squadron-331 (VMA-331). Warren is the only pilot to have commanded both a Marine Corps helicopter squadron (HMH-363) and a Marine Corps jet attack squadron (VMA-331).

In June of 1968, he returned to California in command of a Marine helicopter air group comprising seven squadrons and more than 5,000 Marines. He retired in September, 1969 after 27 years of active duty flying. From 1981 to 1987 he was recalled to active duty and ordered to the Pentagon six times to serve on an advisory committee for the Secretary of the Navy.
Col. Robert F. Warren was enshrined into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame on May 21, 2011.

___________________________________

Currently available as an EBook.

Print Edition available October 1, 2021, but can be pre-ordered.

Being a new release, please consider sharing a book review with Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads – Thank you.

This BLOG POST presents Robert Warren and William Warren’s personal memories of their secret agent friend Sidney Mashbir, someone they both highly respected.

Another BLOG POST highlights Colonel Kelvin Bailey, a mutual friend of Colonel Mashbir and Colonel Warren, who after retiring from his distinguished military aviation career, became the personal/corporate pilot for Walt Disney.

Colonel Mashbir was instrumental in correcting an injustice that made a life-changing difference to a couple of young soldiers he never met. This historical material also gives insights into U.S. Korean relations and the rise of communism just prior to the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-1953).

April 1, 2021 by Stan S. Katz 1 Comment

Shown below are a letter, a photo, and a four page document that were sent to me by Jody Baltz, the son-in-law of Robert Wilson Murphy, of one of those two soldiers.

Jody and his wife Lesa, who is the youngest of Wilson’s three daughters, contacted me to let me know that Colonel Mashbir was a hero not only to his father-in-law, but also to Jody and Lesa’s entire family, who deeply respected Colonel Mashbir for what he did.

Jody and Lesa live in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Circa 1950, Robert Wilson Murphy

Robert Wilson Murphy was restored to duty on 25 March 1949.

——————————————————————————————————

September 2020

Stan:

Attached is the Memo that Col. Mashbir wrote in 1948 that restored my future father-in-law, Robert Wilson Murphy (1928-2017), to duty. He was in the 6^th Division, 20^th Infantry Regiment, during the Korean occupation (post-WWII) and stationed in Kwangju. The unit was involved in demobilizing the Japanese forces and providing back up to the Korean constables as Korea was overrun at that time by organized criminal and/or communist gangs. During his tour of duty he and another soldier were attacked, but blame was assessed against them, and both were court-martialed and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Eventually they were pardoned and restored to duty.

For over fifty years my father-in-law had a lot of guilt and embarrassment about being court-martialed and imprisoned. He would never talk about his service, but since we were interested he finally let us digitize his photo scrapbook that covered his time in the army and began to tell us about what had happened. In 2006 he obtained a copy of his service file (scorched and partially burned, but it survived the infamous 1973 St. Louis fire) and that is when we found out that Col. Mashbir was instrumental in correcting an injustice. He had written a memo that analyzed the case and recommended his restoration to duty, which was ultimately approved.

After reading about Col. Mashbir’s background and service, we soon realized that it was a miracle that Wilson’s case crossed his desk at that time – first, in that Mashbir was at the Pentagon only a short time before retiring, so the window of opportunity for him to review the case was small, and secondly, in that no one could better appreciate the Korean/Far East situation at the time.

We know it was not a big incident in Mashbir’s career, but it sure made a life-changing difference to a couple of young soldiers he never met and that is why I thought you would be interested in it.

If you have any questions, or need more info, just let me know. If convenient, please reply so that I know the email with the attachments got through to you.

Regards,

Jody Baltz

P.S. As an aside, for many years we could not understand why one of Wilson’s favorite movies was “A Few Good Men” since he rarely watched movies with profane language; that is, until we heard his story.

——————————————————————————————————

The following four page document highlights Colonel Mashbir’s decision to exonerate Robert Wilson Murphy and another young soldier.

-Below the images of this document is a Transcription of the four pages.

This document almost didn’t survive a major fire, but it now lives on as a tribute to one of Colonel Mashbir’s many worthy achievements.

Colonel Mashbir’s father was an attorney, who went blind, and at the age of 13 Sidney Mashbir assisted his father in reading his legal documents to him, and various other legal responsibilities. His attorney skills are apparent in the below document.

Thanks go out to you Jody and your family for sharing this material.

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE ABOVE FOUR PAGE DOCUMENT:

COPY:

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

OFFICE OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL

Washington 25, D. C.

AGEZ 220.89 (2 Dec 48) 7 December 1948

MEMORANDUM FOR: Colonel Lloyd R. Garrison, Chief, Correction Branch, AGO

SUBJECT: Restoration to duty of Sergeant Robert W. Murphy, RA 14 219 538 and Private First Class Curtis V. Allred, RA 19 281 204.

DISCUSSION

Both of these men were sentenced for “acting jointly and in pursuance of common intent” with certain Koreans, in the damaging of a field safe valued at $40.12; in the felonious taking, stealing and carrying away of a pistol, ammunition and military payment certificates of a total value of $4,333.75 (changed by the court to $1,500); and of wrongly displaying cowardice in permitting depredation of the Non-Commissioned Officers Club, 20^th Infantry, and for wrongly displaying cowardice in failing to properly safeguard the contents of the club after overpowering the attackers, by permitting them to commit depredations of government property.

Certain facts are at once apparent:

a. These men were convicted by evidence of two Koreans, admitted criminals, whose testimony was contradictory to that of the Americans.

b. When first attacked by the armed Koreans, although unarmed, they instantaneously, entirely as a reflex action without time for consideration, and with great personal courage attacked and disarmed the latter, one of them receiving a hand injury while so doing.

c. (1) As is clearly evidenced, on being given a chance to think of the matter these soldiers used very sound and, for their years, quite mature judgement.

(2) Murphy realized that the military payment certificates had no real value for the Koreans and told them so.

(3) In fact, he pretended to go along with their [illegible – fire damaged]

attempting revenge on the 1^st Sergeant, and [illegible – fire damaged]

to burn the certificates. This clearly shows that he

used excellent judgement in that destruction [illegible – fire damaged]

entail no real loss. It must have been obvious to him

[Page 1]

AGEZ 220.89 (2 Dec 48) 7 December 1948

SUBJECT: Restoration to duty of Sergeant Robert W. Murphy, RA 14 219 538 and Private First Class Curtis V. Allred, RA 19 281 204.

that the threats to burn the club would, if carried out, be much more costly than some certificates which could be and were for the most part recaptured.

(4) Furthermore, the judgement he used in not shooting the Koreans when he had the shotgun is underlined by the fact that if he killed them both, he would have at least been convicted of manslaughter; had he only killed one, the other would have sworn him into prison. It must be borne in mind that the testimony of the Koreans who were self-confessed criminals, which was accepted to convict these men was directly contradictory to the evidence of the Americans themselves.

(5) Had they shot the Koreans the prosecution undoubtedly would have adduced evidence to prove that the duties of the soldiers were that of cook and mess-attendant; that they were not officially posted as sentries, and that the use of force was illegal. This latter point would have been emphasized by showing that Murphy shot them with a shotgun instead of a service weapon.

(6) The threats of the Koreans to the effect that their communist friends were surrounding the building and would kill the Americans and burn the building were admitted by the trial JA to have been the principal motive and cannot be discounted, as throughout the war we found the Koreans to be cowardly as individuals but cruel in gangs. The Korean conscript laborers when captured complained much more of the cruelty of their own Korean non-coms than that of the Japs. After the earthquake in Japan (1 September 1923) bands of Koreans began to loot, burn and rape, and to poison wells almost as soon as the fifteen minute first shock ended.

(7) It was a fair assumption, even to two youngsters relatively new to the Orient, that the two men alone would hardly have attempted the crime, unless covered by a larger force.

(8) The disparity in sizes was meaningless [this page section was fire destroyed]

all adult males are taught some form [this page section was fire destroyed]

-2-

AGEZ 220.89 (2 Dec 48) 7 December 1948

SUBJECT: Restoration to duty of Sergeant Robert W. Murphy, RA 14 219 538 and Private First Class Curtis V. Allred, RA 19 281 204.

Had they been expert athletes could the boys have coped with them unarmed. One of our earlier prisoners – a Korean coolie – feigned illness in the compound and when the Australian sentry came over to aid him, this five foot prisoner flipped the six foot armed Aussie half way across the yard.

Entirely aside from the threat of the Koreans that the band of communists would kill them later and burn the club, we have two American youths of excellent character, from average families, with good religious and family upbringing, to whom undoubtedly the killing of anyone – let alone unarmed men – would be repugnant, faced with the decision of calmly shooting them down with a shotgun in cold blood, or permitting them to damage a safe and burn some certificates or steal them knowing they would surely be caught. They had already shown their courage by their instinctive reflex action to surprise.

As opposed to this, and after their first reckless attack which did disarm the Koreans, the two men were confronted with the decision as to whether or not they should risk – what from the threats which they believed, appeared to be – certain death and the destruction of the entire club building and all its contents, in order to safeguard some comparatively worthless items which it was not, repeat not, their duty to guard with their lives.

CONCLUSIONS:

That the men both showed adequate courage in attacking and disarming the Koreans.

That, realizing the relative uselessness of the material to the Koreans and the moral certainty of its recapture, with good judgement the did not uselessly,

Risk what they believed to be certain death from the communists.

Risk destruction by fire of the clubhouse and all [illegible – fire damaged] tents which were much more valuable, than the articles taken.

That had they shot one or both of the unarmed Koreans [illegible – page section fire damaged]

gun they would inevitably have been charged with murder [illegible – page section fire damaged]

-3-

AGEZ 220.89 (2 Dec 48) 7 December 1948

SUBJECT: Restoration to duty of Sergeant Robert W. Murphy, RA 14 219 538 and Private First Class Curtis V. Allred, RA 19 281 204.

convicted, and had one or both Koreans survived, their perjured testimony would surely have convicted the two Americans.

That the disparity in physical size was meaningless in view of the age, toughness and probable skill in Judo of the Koreans.

That neither man was duly posted or armed as a sentry and that as cook and mess attendant it was not, repeat not, their duty to risk their lives for a $40.00 field safe, a non-regulation privately owned pistol and $1500 in military payment certificates which were worthless to the thieves.

That for some unknown reason, which might possibly have political implications, the sworn testimony of two American soldiers of excellent character, who could not have and were not alleged to or proven to have derived any pecuniary benefit, was disregarded and the evidence of self-admitted foreign criminals was accepted.

That the threat of seven communist confederates who would kill them and burn the building was highly credible… and was obviously fully believed by the two young Americans. This is admitted by the trial Judge Advocate to have been the real activating force.

That no civil crime of any kind was involved and the crime of larceny should not have been alleged.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That both men be restored to duty at the earliest practicable moment.

That steps be immediately inaugurated to set aside the findings of the court martial.

/s/ Sidney F. Mashbir

SIDNEY F. MASHBIR

Colonel [illegible – fire char]

Branch [illegible – fire char]

-4-

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COLONEL MASHBIR, YOU’RE INVITED TO VISIT THE WEBSITE:

TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com

Colonel Sidney Mashbir’s widow Alice gifted her husband’s portrait of General MacArthur to his good friends Marine Captain William Warren and Marine Colonel Robert F. Warren…Robert and William shared their personal experiences with their friend Sidney.

April 11, 2020 by Stan S. Katz 1 Comment

Having studied and written about Colonel Sidney Mashbir, it was my good fortune when Robert Warren and his son William Warren contacted me in 2018 to discuss their close friendship with Colonel Mashbir many years earlier.

William and Robert generously shared various historical materials linked to Colonel Mashbir (1891-1973). This blog post will present a number of those items, as well as Robert and William’s recollections of Colonel Mashbir. Also included is biographic material about Robert and William Warren, who being younger than Mashbir, were inspired and influenced by Colonel Mashbir’s heroic dedication to our nation.

-The oil painting illustration of General Douglas MacArthur shown above is courtesy of the William Warren.

Further details about the General MacArthur oil painting.

Below is an email sent by William (aka Bill) dated April 17, 2018, giving more info about the history of the painting and why it was gifted to him.

“Stan, here are photographs of the portrait of General MacArthur. I have provided three views, one where I stood back in order to give you an idea of the relative size of it.

According to Alice Mashbir, she thought that Sid would have wanted me to have this portrait as it was one of his most loved things. The portrait hung over his mantle at his house in Emerald Bay (Laguna Beach). Also according to Alice, Sid acquired this portrait from an art store in New York (City I think) and it was a big secret about what he may have paid for it. It was apparently commissioned by General MacArthur’s wife. The story goes that when she discovered an infidelity she threw champagne at the portrait. That may be true since one can clearly see very faint dribbles of something.

The artist of the portrait was Julian Lamar. I am not sure when it was painted. A bit about Julian Lamar:

Born Julian Kitchen Lamar Miller in Augusta, Georgia, he shortened his name to Lamar in 1922 to honor his mother’s family and to make his name more memorable as an artist. Although he began painting as a child, his family encouraged him to attend the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1918. After the Armistice, he resigned his commission to concentrate on his career as an artist. Lamar lived for a while in Chicago, then moved to New York in 1920.

He maintained an active studio in New York, but traveled extensively to paint his subjects in their native surroundings. He painted many prominent figures, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill; President Franklin D. Roosevelt; Franklin H. Martin, President, American College of Surgeons; and Governor Frank Dixon, Alabama. He was also an accomplished landscape painter.

You can Google him…there is a lot of information about him on the web.

Enjoy Stan. I will forward documents this afternoon.

Bill Warren”

August 19, 1945, Lt. General Kawabe, Takashiro met by Mashbir. Source of photo: courtesy of William Warren.

Besides taking a decisive role in the winning of WWII, Colonel Mashbir also helped orchestrate the Japanese Surrender Signing Ceremony, officially ending the conflict. In the above photo, Mashbir receives the Japanese Surrender Signing Arrangement committee in Manila, Philippines. They would work together to organize the details for the surrender.

The term V-J Day represents both the initial announcement of Japan’s surrender on the afternoon of August 15, 1945 in Japan, and because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945 when it was announced in the United States and the rest of the Americas and Eastern Pacific Islands. V-J Day is also represented as September 2, 1945, when the actual signing of the surrender document occurred, officially ending World War II.

A Gift to Colonel Mashbir from General MacArthur

The Photo inscription reveals Mashbir’s significant role in winning World War Two.

“To Mashbir”

“With admiration and cordial regard from his old comrade-in-arms.”

“Douglas MacArthur”

“Tokyo – 1945”

Twenty seven years later, in 1972, the below inscribed portrait photo of Colonel Mashbir was respectfully gifted to his good friend Robert Warren, who Mashbir addressed as:

“Colonel Bob Warren, a gallant Marine”.

Robert’s son, William, has added the below description linked to this photo.

“Here is a photo of Sid with an inscription to my Dad and Mother (Millie). Mother passed away in January 2010, but she, my Dad, Sid and Alice became good friends over the years. This photo is dated 1972. There are two photos of my Dad that I thought you might like to have, one was his official USMC photo taken in 1969 I think and the other where he is posed on the jet was taken, I think, in 1965 (see below). He was then a Lt. Colonel and was the Commanding Officer of the Marine Attack Squadron, VMA-331 based in Beaufort, SC. The squadron flew the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. A side note, one of the previous Commanding Officers of VMA-331 was Lt. Colonel Don Conroy who was the “Great Santini” character in Pat Conroy’s novel of the same name.”

______________________________

Presented below is further Information about Colonel Mashbir and other topics gathered during an interview with Colonel Robert F. Warren – May 18, 2018.

Colonel Robert F. Warren proudly mentioned that his son William had been an infantry platoon leader in Viet Nam, and that the survival rate for that position averaged only 4-6 months. Thank God he made it back.

Robert stated he spent many hours with Mashbir and recalled that Mashbir was angry with General Willoughby, who was General MacArthur’s chief of staff GHQ during WWII. Robert said that Mashbir would mockingly imitate Willoughby’s accent. Mashbir’s anger stemmed from his feeling that Willoughby had often prevented Mashbir from directly delivering urgent strategic information to MacArthur, and that Willoughby regularly took credit for many of Mashbir’s ideas.

Below are a number of other comments Colonel Warren made related to Colonel Mashbir.

-When Mashbir returned to the Imperial Hotel after surviving the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Hotel Manager Inmaru (sp?) responded as if, “He couldn’t be more surprised if he’d seen the Buddha step out of Hell.”

-Robert clarified a matter linked to the historical novel about Colonel Mashbir, titled The Emperor and the Spy. Robert said that Mashbir’s good friend James Moriarty (Marine) was sent to China first, then to Japan.

-Sidney Mashbir’s son Forrester (his older son) became the manager of entertainment at the Sands Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas.

-Robert met Don Mashbir (Sidney’s younger son) and Don’s wife Rosa.

-Sid told Don that Sid didn’t want heroics to keep him alive when he got near the end.

-Sidney Mashbir’s home was in Emerald Bay, in Laguna Beach, which has beautiful views.

-Sid came to Robert’s military retirement party.

-Sid started the Pan-Pacific Club of Tokyo. Robert said, “Sid had a strong positive feeling for the whole nation of Japan.”

-Robert stated, “Sid had respect for the top levels of the Japanese hierarchy who were against war; they were almost prisoners of the military or they were eliminated altogether.”

-When Mashbir was leaving Japan, he laid on the floor of the ship, so as not to see Mt. Fuji, because he was superstitious that if you do not wish to return to Japan, you should not look back at that magnificent mountain view.

William Warren wrote the below letter:

“I have just ordered two copies of your book [The Emperor and the Spy], one for my father and one for myself. Both of us had the pleasure of calling Colonel Mashbir our friend. I personally spent many, many hours with Colonel Mashbir at his home in Laguna Beach. He and his second wife, Alice were host to me on many, many weekends when I was a young Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. Sid also invited me to the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC where I believe he was a charter member. He was a most amazing man and one of my all-time heroes!! After Sid’s death, Alice sent me the original oil painting of General MacArthur that was one of his prized possessions. This portrait hung over the mantel in his Laguna Beach home. Alice told me that Sid would have wanted me to have this portrait and that I was to forever keep this in my family, never giving it to a museum or selling it. That portrait still hangs in my home today. Alice also gave me a copy of Sid’s book, “I was an American Spy” and she endorsed the book for me.

I have not yet read your book, but would love to keep in touch with you. Thank you for honoring this great man.

(William) Bill Warren, 9026 Mossy Hill Lane, Indian Land, SC 29707.”

Presented below are William Warren’s comments after reading this novel:

“Review of “The Emperor and the Spy”

“A true story of intrigue, history and a little known American hero.”

By Bill Warren on May 27, 2018

“I had the good fortune to have met Colonel Sidney Mashbir when I was a newly minted Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. It was my distinct honor to have spent hours and hours with him over the years, visiting him both in his home in Laguna Beach, California and at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC where he enjoyed the status as a charter member. During those visits, Colonel Mashbir related hundreds of stories and showed me untold number of documents and I think I spent hundreds of hours listening to him. I am not sure what cemented the relationship I had with this fascinating hero, but I treasured every moment and consider him to have been among my very best friends, mentor and teacher. I am both in awe of and pleased with Stan S. Katz who recognized a real hero of our country and that he undertook the mission to write this book. His research for The Emperor and the Spy, appears to be meticulous and he tells a story that NEEDS to be told. Not many would ever have guessed that Colonel Mashbir served with General Pershing in Mexico. Likewise, who would have believed that Colonel Mashbir would have become so endeared with, respected by and maintained a secret alliance with the royal family of Japan prior to World War II. The Colonel indeed had a special relationship with Prince Tokugawa, the Emperor Hirohito and their families. Through these relationships, Colonel Mashbir made a valiant attempt to avert WWII in the Pacific. That is just part of the story. The other part is the intelligence work performed for General Douglas MacArthur during the war that, without a doubt, shortened the war with Japan. Even after the war, Colonel Mashbir utilized his deep understanding of the Japanese and his friendship with many of its leaders to make major contributions to the peaceful occupation of Japan and without those efforts, the outcome of post-war Japan would have been a completely different country.

Stan Katz skillfully weaves this story into a very readable and exciting historical fictionalized novel. His facts, based on the stories told to me by Colonel Mashbir are genuine and because of the nature of Colonel’s work, are irrefutable. Stan easily stands with Bernard Cornwell, Jeff Sharra and Michael Sharra in his skill constructing a superb story around historical facts and with Brad Meltzer in his ability to develop historical characters while keeping the adventure exciting. If you like historical novels and want to learn about a real American hero, you will find it in this magnificent book.” Note: On May 13th, 2018, Bill Warren called his father Robert and related, “That his Dad had read the first half of The Emperor and the Spy, and was thoroughly enjoying it.”

Another Interview with William Warren linked to Colonel Mashbir.

William described Sidney Mashbir as the consummate gentlemen. Rarely, if ever, did he hear him raise his voice. William commented that I had captured the essence of the man in The Emperor and the Spy, and that he thought Sidney and I would have gotten along well, which made my day.

William confirmed what his father Robert had told him, that during WWII, Mashbir hated General Willoughby and they had numerous confrontations/tussles. William felt that Willoughby outranked Mashbir and Mashbir had to take it. “Mashbir couldn’t stand the man.” William said, “Willoughby might have blocked Mashbir from getting directly to General MacArthur, but Mashbir probably violated the chain of command to get to General MacArthur on occasion.”

William stated I got the story right in the novel, that when recruiting the Nisei for the WWII intelligence organization ATIS, it helped that they could both speak and read the language. Speaking Japanese is relatively easy, but reading it is much more difficult.

William said he thought that MacArthur felt somewhat abandoned in the Pacific theater, with most of the military resources going to the European theater of war.

THESE BOOKS OFFER FURTHER INSIGHTS INTO THE FASCINATING AND EXCITING EXPLOITS OF COLONEL MASHBIR.

This biography highlights one of Colonel Mashbir’s most influential Japanese allies, Prince Tokugawa Iesato.

During the 1920s and ’30s, Mashbir and Tokugawa heroically strove to maintain the goodwill between their nations.

Available in Print and Kindle EBook

EBOOK REPUBLICATION OF COLONEL MASHBIR’S 1953 AUTOBIOGRAPHY

PARTING NOTE:

It was a pleasure meeting Robert and William Warren, two impressive gentlemen who proudly served our nation.

Colonel Robert F. Warren wrote a screenplay, and in association with U.S. military historian and writer, Navy Lt. Charles Wyatt, they completed an adaptation of that screenplay into a short novel titled: The Elephants of Trabong – This dramatic and engaging story is linked to Robert’s experiences during the Viet Nam War, where his assignment was to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese citizenry thru improving the economic life in their villages. It would definitely make a great movie!

*Representatives of the film industry can receive a synopsis of the screenplay and novel thru the below contacts:

William Warren: [email protected]

Colonel Robert F. Warren also wrote an autobiography on his personal life story & military experiences in three wars.

Blog link on the website for more information about Colonel Warren and his autobiography “ONLY IN MY AMERICA”.