This authoritative and original work throws new light upon international relations after the Russo-Japanese War by exploring for the first time the important role of G.E. Morrison. As an Australian correspondent for 'The Times' living in Peking and later as a political advisor to four presidents of the Chinese republic, Morrison's concern for Australian interests often placed him at odds with his employers and the British Government.
In an era when British supremacy was being challenged in East Asia by the increasingly militant Japan, Morrison regarded himself as a watchdog for Australian national security. While the protection afforded to Britain under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance often meant that they turned a blind eye to Japanese activities in China, Morrison saw Australia's need to check the growing power of Japan as vitally important. By showing how Morrison worked both with and against power elites of different nations, this book traces how he managed to develop an effective personal diplomacy and a successful propaganda campaign which aroused international public attention.
In addition to Morrison's diaries, memoranda, correspondence and articles in 'The Times,' Woodhouse examines multi-national scholarly sources, including British, Japanese and American personal and official materials, i order to develop the context in which Morrison carried out personal diplomacy and to delineate the many-sided story into which he has been placed. The centenary period of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and the Russo-Japanese War provides an ideal backdrop against which to re-examine these events.
In an era when British supremacy was being challenged in East Asia by the increasingly militant Japan, Morrison regarded himself as a watchdog for Australian national security. While the protection afforded to Britain under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance often meant that they turned a blind eye to Japanese activities in China, Morrison saw Australia's need to check the growing power of Japan as vitally important. By showing how Morrison worked both with and against power elites of different nations, this book traces how he managed to develop an effective personal diplomacy and a successful propaganda campaign which aroused international public attention.
In addition to Morrison's diaries, memoranda, correspondence and articles in 'The Times,' Woodhouse examines multi-national scholarly sources, including British, Japanese and American personal and official materials, i order to develop the context in which Morrison carried out personal diplomacy and to delineate the many-sided story into which he has been placed. The centenary period of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and the Russo-Japanese War provides an ideal backdrop against which to re-examine these events.
