author: Jennet Conant
name: Wayne
average rating: 3.07
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/04/03
date added: 2020/08/22
shelves: non-fiction-history
review:
The first thing you should know, is that the subtitle of this book is a little misleading. While Paul and Julia Child are in a fair amount of the book, this book is mainly about Jane Foster. The book also covers a fair amount of time after all of these folks have left the OSS.
Having said that, this is a fascinating, well-researched read. Jennet Conanat has written many books on the subject of covert operations during WWII, so she knows what she is writing about. While it is non-fiction, the narrative rips along like a good thriller. An interesting appendix and copious notes show the amount of detailed research that went into this book.
The subject is the OSS in the Pacific theater of WWII. It tells how ordinary people were recruited with seeming disparate or unconventional backgrounds. It tells of some of the morale operations undertaken to counteract attacks and occupation by the Japanese. The book goes into what the post-war was like in Vietnam and Indonesia, and how the operatives could see problems, but were powerless to report on those issues as their department was being disbanded around them.
During the post-war portion, it also goes into detail about Jane Foster and her troubles with McCarthy Era America. Evidence is given (such as it is) and the author maintains an unbiased opinion in presenting it until the epilogue. The conclusion she reaches is fair and well thought.
Morale operations in the Pacific, being hounded to near insanity by McCarthy's goons, good times and bad. If this interests you, I recommend this book.
via Wayne's bookshelf: read https://ift.tt/2FSHrwx
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