Lost in the Cold War
The Story of Jack Downey, America’s Longest-Held POW
$45.00
- Hardcover
344 pages
- Release Date
29 November 2022
Summary
In 1952, John T. “Jack” Downey, a twenty-three-year-old CIA officer from Connecticut, was shot down over Manchuria during the Korean War. The pilots died in the crash, but Downey and his partner Richard “Dick” Fecteau were captured by the Chinese. For the next twenty years, they were tortured, put through show trials, held in solitary confinement, placed in reeducation camps, and toured around China as political pawns. Other prisoners of war came and went, but Downey and Fecteau’s release hin…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780231199124 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0231199120 |
| Author: | John T. Downey, Jack Downey, Thomas Christensen |
| Publisher: | Columbia University Press |
| Imprint: | Columbia University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 344 |
| Release Date: | 29 November 2022 |
| Weight: | 692g |
| Dimensions: | 229mm x 152mm |
| Series: | A Nancy Bernkopf Tucker and Warren I. Cohen Book on American–East Asian Relations |
What They're Saying
Critics Review
An engrossing read, Lost in the Cold War is a testament to one man’s incomparable strength of character and endurance-both physical and mental. Inspiring and enlightening all at once. – Ret. Lt. Gen. James Clapper, former U.S. director of national intelligence
Most Cold War historians knew that Jack Downey had spent twenty years in Chinese captivity, but because of the low profile he kept following his release, they didn’t know him. Now, posthumously, he’s introduced himself with an extraordinary account of endurance, perseverance, and ultimately quiet triumph. Highly recommended indeed. – John Lewis Gaddis, author of The Cold War: A New History
In this extraordinary book, Jack Downey vividly describes how he, an American POW and an American hero, lived through the horror of twenty years of solitary confinement in Mao’s China. Thomas J. Christensen insightfully narrates the larger background—why and how confrontation was replaced by rapprochement between Beijing and Washington. – Chen Jian, author of Mao’s China and the Cold War
This inviting, smartly observed account of one man’s experience is all the more emotionally palpable because of its unsentimental presentation. The impressive interspersed chapters add perspective that will be invaluable to readers. – Charles Hayford, former editor of the Journal of American-East Asian Relations
Unique and worthy of reading. * International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence *
Lost in the Cold War tells what happens to an American who bears the brunt of foolish policymaking. * Foreign Affairs *
About The Author
John T. Downey
John T. Downey (1930–2014) was the longest-held prisoner of war in U.S. history. He went on to serve as commissioner of the Department of Public Utilities for the state of Connecticut and as a Connecticut Superior Court judge. In 2013, the CIA awarded Downey the Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the agency’s highest honor.
Thomas J. Christensen is the James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations and the director of the China and the World Program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He served as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2006 to 2008, and his books include The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power (2015).
Jack Lee Downey is the John Henry Newman Professor of Roman Catholic Studies at the University of Rochester. He is the author of The Bread of the Strong: Lacouturisme and the Folly of the Cross, 1910–1985 (2015).
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