Description
Book SynopsisThe Allied occupation of Japan is remembered as the good occupation. An American-led coalition successfully turned a militaristic enemy into a stable and democratic ally. Of course, the story was more complicated, but the occupation did forge one of the most enduring relationships in the postwar world. Recent events, from the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to protests over American bases in Japan to increasingly aggressive territorial disputes between Asian nations over islands in the Pacific, have brought attention back to the subject of the occupation of Japan.In Architects of Occupation, Dayna L. Barnes exposes the wartime origins of occupation policy and broader plans for postwar Japan. She considers the role of presidents, bureaucrats, think tanks, the media, and Congress in policymaking. Members of these elite groups came together in an informal policy network that shaped planning. Rather than relying solely on government reports and records to understand policymak
Trade Review
Barnes's excellent study examines the vast network that constructed policies for the US-led occupation of postwar Japan—from FDR's White House and bureaucratic agencies handling US foreign policy to State Department specialists, the War, Navy, and Treasury Departments, and the US Congress.
* Choice *
Offers a fascinating glimpse into the policy-making process.... Barnes's book examines wartime planning in the years leading up to Japan's surrender. As Barnes explains in the conclusion, her book serves as a 'prologue to occupation histories.' But the book is much more than a prologue; it is a captivating testament to the power of ideas in foreign-policy making.
* American Historical Review *
This is a nicely executed study of American planning for the postwar world, with a particular focus on Asia and Japan. It is especially valuable for its wide scope.... It considers a wide range of actors beyond those explicitly tasked with planning or sitting in the highest decision-making positions.
* Pacific Historical review *
Barnes' engaging intellectual and social history of the planners provides a fresh window into the origins of today's liberal international order.
* Foreign Affairs *
Architects of Occupation skillfully weaves diverse voices into a complex narrative that instructs on the wartime planning for Japan's postwar occupation.
* PACIFIC AFFAIRS *
Barnes offers novel and valuable insights.... She compellingly contextualizes the occupation in longer-term developments and in broader shifts in the worldviews of government planners and beyond.... a valuable supplement to the existing field of occupation histories.
* Journal of American-East Asian Relations *
This is a fascinating book that is rigorously researched and intricately crafted... Architects of Occupation will be invaluable to scholars and students interested in postwar Japan and US foreign policy, and those eager to understand the contingent roots of postwar planning and Washington's postwar liberal internationalism.
* Journal of Contemporary History *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Behind the Curtain 1. Flip-Flopper with the Final Say: Roosevelt and Japan 2. Elbow Patches and Orientalists: Bureaucratic Wrangling3. Unofficial Officials: Think Tanks and Policy4. Information and Ignorance: Media Coverage5. Sucker Nation and Santa Claus: Concerns of Congress6. Ready or Not: Harry Truman and the End of the WarConclusion: The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men
