MADAME’S AMERICAN ADVENTURES: U.S. news magazines’ coverage of Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s 1943, 1944-45, and 1948 visits to the United States

Abstract

Henry Luce’s many critics accused him of using his Time Inc. media to advocate for Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist party during the pre-war, World War II, and post-war eras. Specifically, Luce is accused of using Soong Mei-ling, the English-speaking, American-educated, and Christian wife of General Chiang, as part of his strategy to generate support among Americans for the Chiangs’ Nationalist Party. This research reviews U.S. news magazines’ coverage of Madame Chiang’s three trips to America in 1943, 1944-45, and 1948 to understand the differences in the reporting, thereby potentially revealing an embedded Luce agenda. While the reportage in the U.S. news magazines evolved, this analysis demonstrated few substantive differences in the magazines’ portrayals of Madame Chiang during her three visits during the 1940s, challenging common depictions of Luce’s distinct agenda. The tone and direction of the coverage mirrored the changing relationship between the United States and China.