Author of The Emperor and the Spy
The illustrated Blog posts on this website focus on U.S. Japan relations and Japanese history.
Katz was a Specialist in Rare Books and Ephemera when he acquired the personal papers of a Master Spy, Colonel Sidney Forrester Mashbir (1891-1973). These fascinating materials, combined with his passion for history and many years of research resulted in the exciting historical novel THE EMPEROR AND THE SPY, followed by a sequel, an illustrated biography titled: THE ART OF PEACE.
For centuries, the Shoguns ruled over a relatively isolated feudal society. Prince Iyesato Tokugawa was to become the next shogun, but when that dynasty ended, he instead creatively guided an emerging Japan onto a modern, interconnected world stage.
Description of the book cover photo:
Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (aka Prince Tokugawa Iesato) receives an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Rufus B. von Kleinsmid President of the university bestows this degree.
As a writer and historian who has 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.
Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940 – aka Prince Tokugawa Iesato) devoted his life to promoting international goodwill. Regrettably, he saw the clouds of war growing in Europe, as well as the militants in his own country pushing Japan towards conflict with China. He resisted these aggressions, but in the meanwhile, he wished to protect as many innocent lives as he could. As president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, Prince Tokugawa presided over the 1934 International Red Cross Conference in Tokyo (aka XVth International Conference of the Red Cross), where he urged the delegates to “Serve for Humanity.” It was at this gathering, where there was the first known example in history for the international creation of demilitarized Safe Zones, where civilians could find shelter, as outside warring armies fought one another.
The Art of Peace presents the inspiring life and accomplishments of Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (aka Prince Tokugawa Iesato – 1863-1940), an amazing international statesmen and humanitarian. The biography is available in two versions: the more streamlined General reader edition and the ‘Expanded’ edition, which includes additional historical notes and an Index…This Index is presented further below to assist historians/educators/students doing research about this intriguing period of history, and for those pursuing genealogical research about their family members who were socially or politically active during that period.
Circa 1917: Roland Sletor Morris. Following his Sept. 20th, 1917 reception in Philadelphia, Morris soon proceeded to Japan. Source: Library of Congress /Bain News Service.
The interior of the Program/Menu to the reception is presented below.
It is an honor to announce the publication of:
The 65th Anniversary Edition of Colonel Sidney Forrester Mashbir’s exciting 1953 autobiography:
I WAS AN AMERICAN SPY
Besides being a fascinating story, Colonel Mashbir’s autobiography is a textbook in the art of espionage and counter-espionage.
Colonel Mashbir (1891-1973) led an adventurous life – At the age of thirteen, he began 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 stability between those nations. He personally escorted the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa to a peace parley with General Pershing in 1914.