Henry R. Luce, Time, and the American Crusade in Asia

Robert E. Herzstein

Cambridge University Press, Jul 18, 2005 - Biography & Autobiography - 346 pages

Henry Robinson Luce (1898-1967) founded Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated. Born in China to missionary parents, Luce was a kind of lay preacher, anxious to mold the American mind and advance his ideological program: intervention, capitalism, democracy (when appropriate) and Christian activism. The most celebrated and influential editor of his day, Luce was also obsessed with the American mission in the world, and with China and East Asia, the place of his birth. Luce tried to 'sell' this mission to a sometimes reluctant public. A passionate anti-Communist interventionist, he also convinced Americans that the US had perversely 'lost' China to the Communists. A fervent advocate of the Vietnam intervention, Luce, author of the American Century edited incoming cables so that magazines might conform to his ideas.

What people are saying

Henry R. Luce, Time, and the American crusade in Asia

User Review  - Not Available - Book Verdict

In an informative but narrow analysis, Herzstein, a professor of history at the University of South Carolina, explores the role mid-century media mogul Henry Luce (Time, Fortune, Life) played in the ...

Contents

• Henry Luce and China Prelude to an American Crusade: 9
• Learning to Market Chiangs China: 32
• Bitter Victory: 49
• China on the Brink What Role for America?: 63
• LUCE AND THE LOSS OF CHINA 19471951: 77
• Cold War Strategy Allies and Enemies in the Battle for China: 79
• Losing China The Hunt for Culprits Intensifies: 97
• AntiCommunist Allies in Asia MacArthur and Rhee: 112
• McCarthy and Korea New Crises and Oppurtunities: 127
• The Campaign for a Wider War in Asia: 140
• Electing Eisenhower While Fighting McCarthy: 156
• TIME INC EISENHOWER AND ASIAN POLICY 19521959: 171
• Unwelcome Moderation Eisenhowers Caution in East Asia: 173
• Keeping the Pressure on Mao and Ho: 190
• TIME LUCE AND THE LOOMING DISASTER IN VIETNAM 19601967: 207
• Time Inc and NationMaking in Vietnam From Kennedy to Johnson: 209
• A Troubled Crusade in Vietnam: 226
• The Final Years of the Crusade in East Asia: 239
• Archival Sources: 255
• Abbreviations: 259
• Notes: 261
• Index: 327

About the author

Robert E. Herzstein is a Carolina Distinguished Professor of History at the University of South Carolina where he teaches. He is the author of numerous books including Henry R. Luce: A Political Portrait of the Man Who Created the American Century, Waldheim: The Missing Years, Roosevelt and Hitler: Prelude to War, Adolf Hitler and the German Trauma, and The Nazis (Time-Life Books). Professor Herzstein is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and the recipient of various awards and grants.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Henry R. Luce, Time, and the American Crusade in Asia
• Author: Robert E. Herzstein
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2005
• ISBN: 0521835771, 9780521835770
• Length: 346 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers; Business & Economics / Industries / Media & Communications; History / Modern / 20th Century; History / World; Social Science / Media Studies