Context matters: rescuing allied civilians interned in the japanese-controlled areas of China, 1944–1947

Abstract

Around 13,500 Allied civilians were interned by Japan throughout China during the Second World War. This article explores how these Allied internees were rescued after the war. It finds that the Allied and Japanese governments made painstaking efforts to make the rescue mission a success. The complex military, diplomatic, and political context in China around the end of the war caused numerous difficulties for the rescue mission. This context also facilitated the mission to a certain degree by creating the conditions for the Allied internees to become increasingly valuable, which, in turn motivated the Allied and Japanese governments to work actively towards their relief.