George Bronson Rea, Propagandist

The Life and Times of a Mercenary Journalist

Leslie Eaton Clark

George Bronson Rea, Propagandist brings to life the extraordinary story of a journalist, publisher, engineer, spy, lobbyist, blackmailer and fortune hunter, who represents twentieth century journalism gone awry. Rea’s career as a foreign correspondent and then magazine publisher illuminates essential issues of journalistic ethics that still resonate in today’s world, and provides a fascinating look at international relations and U.S. history from the Spanish-American War to the Great Depression. This is also a who’s who biography including Rea’s connection to: U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, historic icons William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, J.P Morgan, writer Stephen Crane, China’s revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen and many others. The biography reveals what made Rea switch from being a trusted “old China hand” to betraying his allies to become a propagandist for Japan’s invasion and take-over of Manchuria.

University Press Copublishing Division / Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

Pages: 292 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-1-68393-091-4 • Hardback • November 2017 • $123.00 • (£95.00)

978-1-68393-092-1 • eBook • November 2017 • $116.50 • (£90.00)

Series: The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Series in American History and Culture

Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers, History / Modern / 19th Century, History / Intellectual History

George Bronson Rea, Propagandist

The Life and Times of a Mercenary Journalist

Hardback

eBook

Summary

George Bronson Rea, Propagandist brings to life the extraordinary story of a journalist, publisher, engineer, spy, lobbyist, blackmailer and fortune hunter, who represents twentieth century journalism gone awry. Rea’s career as a foreign correspondent and then magazine publisher illuminates essential issues of journalistic ethics that still resonate in today’s world, and provides a fascinating look at international relations and U.S. history from the Spanish-American War to the Great Depression. This is also a who’s who biography including Rea’s connection to: U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, historic icons William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, J.P Morgan, writer Stephen Crane, China’s revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen and many others. The biography reveals what made Rea switch from being a trusted “old China hand” to betraying his allies to become a propagandist for Japan’s invasion and take-over of Manchuria.

Details

University Press Copublishing Division / Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

Pages: 292 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-1-68393-091-4 • Hardback • November 2017 • $123.00 • (£95.00)

978-1-68393-092-1 • eBook • November 2017 • $116.50 • (£90.00)

Series: The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Series in American History and Culture

Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers, History / Modern / 19th Century, History / Intellectual History

Author

Leslie Eaton Clark is an independent scholar.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Incorrigible in Brooklyn
Chapter 2: The Herald’s Man in Havana
Chapter 3: Marching with Generals
Chapter 4: Facts and Fakes about Cuba
Chapter 5: Taps
Chapter 6: The Best Days of Their Lives
Chapter 7: A Bittersweet Battle
Chapter 8: Earthquake and Financial Panic
Chapter 9: The American Group
Chapter 10: A 10,000 Mile Dream
Chapter 11: A Contemptible German Trick
Chapter 12: The Allied Propagandist
Chapter 13: The Competition
Chapter 14: Love and Influenza
Chapter 15: The Conference That Changed Everything
Chapter 16: Nefarious Activities
Chapter 17: Frenemies
Chapter 18: The Maelstrom
Chapter 19: Hoover’s Goldmine
Chapter 20: Raw Deals
Chapter 21: Dejá Vu
Chapter 22: The Case for Manchukuo
Chapter 23: Epilogue
Index
About the Author

Reviews

Leslie Eaton Clark brings to life the improbable story of George Bronson Rea—journalist, propagandist, lobbyist, and entrepreneur. Rea covered the Spanish-American War, founded the influential Far Eastern Review, and played a significant role in American foreign relations with both China and Japan. Rea’s controversial career, which mingled reporting, financial opportunism, and political lobbying, not only illuminates American foreign policy in early 20^th century, but offers a cautionary tale about the importance of objective journalism in our own day.
— Chris Rasmussen, Associate Professor of History, School of the Humanities, Fairleigh Dickinson University

George Bronson Rea, Propagandist

The Life and Times of a Mercenary Journalist

Leslie Eaton Clark

George Bronson Rea, Propagandist

The Life and Times of a Mercenary Journalist

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