This book is a mingling of history and autobiography, of long focus and close-up. Born in China during the last days of the empire, the author served as an American diplomat in the midst of the Chinese-Japanese conflict, acted as political adviser to General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell during World War II, dealt with Chou En-lai and Mao Tse-tung, and from the American Embassy at Moscow observed the end of the war against Japan and the beginning of what he had foretold--the Communist conquest of China and the emergence in the Far East of a balance of power unfavorable to the United States. Two...