| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 107.5

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 107.5 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Canada and the United States

Catherine Forslund. Anna Chennault: Informal Diplomacy and Asian Relations. (Biographies in American Foreign Policy, number 8.) Wilmington, Del.: S R Books. 2000. Pp. xxxiii, 180. $19.95.

Catherine Forslund's book, the eighth in the "Biographies in American Foreign Policy" series from Scholarly Resources, departs from previous volumes by focusing on the concept of "informal diplomacy," which she defines as "any exchange between citizens or groups of citizens from two or more nations outside the boundaries of the official governmental institutional apparatus" who represent "interests beyond their own and who seek to influence events or attitudes of governments" (p. xiv). Forslund skillfully couples gender and ethnicity in her study of a woman remembered by many of her contemporaries as the wife of famed Flying Tiger General Claire Chennault, positioning Anna Chennault's "womanhood" and "Chineseness" within the structured context of an informal diplomacy that evolved from narrow anticommunism to commerce-driven internationalism. 1

Forslund credits Chennault's influence as an informal diplomat, career in business, and political choices, in part, to her male mentors; however, she also examines the Chinese context of Chennault's life and the significance of her ethnicity and gender. These factors affected Chennault's ability to make connections with influential Asian and American leaders, interpret life behind the "bamboo curtain," and influence American politicians to support Taiwan and increase trade with Asia. . . .

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