Jessica Chen Weiss
A riveting account of American efforts to subvert and ultimately work with the People's Republic of China during the Cold War, Agents of Subversion masterfully uses the stories of American strategists, intellectuals, and secret agents to show the perils of universalistic impulses and fears of foreign influence. This is an essential work of history and strategy.
Evan Osnos
Brilliantly conceived and superbly researched, Agents of Subversion transforms our understanding of US-China relations. John Delury provides a riveting portrait of espionage and diplomacy, showing how the fear of subversion, and cycles of repression, shape dealings between Washington and Beijing.
Barbara Demick
In this gem of a book from one of our best northeast Asia experts, John Delury writes of a key episode from the Cold War years. Agents of Subversion is a cautionary tale of intelligence failure set against the backdrop of the evolving relationship between the United States and China.
Robert Carlin
John Delury brilliantly traces the threads of dead-end intelligence operations, intense foreign policy battles, and philosophical riptides that patterned American Cold War engagement with East Asia. Agents of Subversion describes the trends and sets of relations that fixed Beijing and Washington into decades of hostility.
Joanna Chiu
Agents of Subversion reveals how Washington's missteps in the conduct of espionage in China have led to enduring consequences in both US foreign policy and American civil rights. Through innovative reconstruction, John Delury illuminates pivotal moments of Chinese history from before the establishment of Chinese Communist Party rule. Fascinating and essential reading.
Stephen Platt
John Delury's illuminating history of Cold-War relations between China and the United States is a driving story of espionage, counter-revolution, diplomacy, and war. In this earlier era of mistrust we can find dark lessons for the rising tensions of the present day.
Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Agents of Subversion is a captivating and exciting read. John Delury brings together human drama and the complex histories of movement between China, the United States, and Korea.
