I’m not sure even where to begin with this…
The copy alone is simply priceless:
“Stubborn and tenacious as a bulldog, fearless and unafraid, doggedly patient, this son of a village merchant is the strongest man China has produced for generations. In 1928, he set out to unify China. He was too successful. Japan attacked. Despite overwhelming odds, despite defeat after defeat, Chiang still fights on, confident in ultimate victory. This great man, a Christian by conviction, is indeed a man of stamina, the heart and soul of the Chinese resistance.”*
Yeesh. Who knew Henry Luce wrote trouser ads in his spare time?
As my friend and fellow historian Glenn (from whom I shamelessly grabbed this picture and so I tip my electronic hat in his direction) said on Facebook: “Before Bob Dole, there was…”
While on the subject of CKS for the moment, I thought I’d also share a little nugget I found while re-reading a speech Chiang gave soon after the Japanese surrender in 1945. Addressing a high-level meeting of the KMT, Chiang ponders what a post-war China would look like, and in this particular section discusses the status of former Qing territories such as Outer Mongolia