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Q. What casualties had the US after the Cold War?A. First an exhaustive list of US Cold war casualties. Then accounts of John Birch, the first Cold War casualty (last article most complete).American Cold War Veterans, Inc.The first casualty of the Cold War - Aug 25, 1945 - HISTORY.comOn this day in 1945, John Birch, an American missionary to China before the war and a captain in the Army during the war, is killed by Chinese communists days after the surrender of Japan, for no apparent reason.After America had entered the war, Birch, a Baptist missionary already in China, was made a liaison between American and Chinese forces fighting the Japanese. But on August 25, Birch, commanding an American Special Services team, was ordered to halt by Chinese communist troops. A scuffle ensued, and Birch was shot dead.In the 1950s, Robert Welch would create a right-wing, anticommunist organization called the John Birch Society. For Welch, Birch was “the first casualty in the Third World War between Communists and the ever-shrinking Free World.”John Birch (missionary) - WikipediaJohn Morrison Birch (May 28, 1918 – August 25, 1945) was an American Baptist minister, missionary, and United States Army Air Forces captain who was a U.S. military intelligence officer in China during World War II. Birch was killed in a confrontation with Chinese Communist soldiers a few days after the war ended. He was posthumously awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal.The John Birch Society, an American anti-communist organization, was named in his honor by Robert H. W. Welch, Jr. in 1958. Welch considered Birch to be a martyr and the first casualty of the Cold War. Birch's parents joined the Society as honorary Life Members.August 25, 1945: Captain John Birch MurderedSometimes regarded as the first casualty of the Cold War, Captain John Birch died seventy years ago. Born in 1918 in India to American Baptist missionaries, he followed in his parents’ footsteps by becoming a missionary in China in 1940. After the Doolittle Raid he helped rescue some of the raiders who landed in China. He was commissioned a First Lieutenant, later promoted to Captain, in the Fourteenth Air Force. General Chennault, legendary founder of the Flying Tigers, got him to accept the commission by telling him that he could still function as a missionary in his off hours. He performed intelligence missions behind enemy lines for the Army Air Corps and the OSS. While on these missions he would conduct services for Chinese Christians. He was utterly fearless, despising both the Japanese and the Chinese Communists. He built up an extensive network of Chinese who passed along information to him about Japanese troop movements and shipping that he passed on to Chennault for bombing attacks.On August 25, 1945, as he was leading a group of Americans, National Chinese and Koreans to liberate Allied personnel in a Japanese POW camp, he was ordered by a party of Chinese Communists, who had intercepted his group, to surrender his revolver. Birch refused and was murdered by the Communists. He was posthumously awarded a Distinguished Service Medal. Dead at age 27, he had led a short but eventful life.The John Birch Society was founded by businessman Robert Welch in 1958. Never large in numbers, the Society, as a result of its frequently bizarre claims, was useful for critics of American conservatism in their ongoing effort to portray conservatives as paranoid crazies. Denounced by most mainstream conservatives, the organization continues to exist but with little influence. Jimmy Doolittle, who met Birch, thought that he would not have been pleased to have his name used in this fashion. However, both of the parents of Birch joined the Society as life membersRobert Welch, founder of the John Birch Society shown in his Belmont (Mass.) headquarters with a painting of U.S. Army Capt. John Morrison Birch for whom the society was named. Birch was a Baptist soldier-missionary who was killed by communists in China in 1945.John Birch Society Records at the John Hay LibraryHistory: August 25, 1945: First Victim of the Cold War, John BirchA Brief HistoryOn August 25, 1945, American Army Intelligence officer, Captain John Birch, was killed by communist revolutionaries in China a mere 10 days after the end of World War II. Birch is seen by many, especially hard corps right wing anti-communists, as the first martyr or victim of the Cold War between the totalitarian communist states and the democratic capitalistic nations (largely East vs. West).Digging DeeperBirch was the son of Christian missionaries and was born in India in 1918. Highly intelligent, hard working, and a dedicated patriot, Birch graduated Magna cum laude from Mercer University in 1939, a Baptist affiliated school. His idea of Christianity was rather strict and literal, with no tolerance for divergent ideas. Birch followed his conscience and studied to become a missionary, traveling to China in 1940, learning the language and volunteering for service in the US Army when the US joined World War II.Considered too valuable for his knowledge of Mandarin and the ways of the Chinese to serve as a chaplain, Claire Lee Chennault, commander of the famous Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group) made Birch an intelligence officer instead.Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1893 – July 27, 1958), was an American military aviator. A contentious officer, he was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fighter-interceptor aircraft during the 1930s when the U.S. Army Air Corps was focused primarily on high-altitude bombardment.When the war ended China was torn between revolutionary communists and the Nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek. The US military employed the former occupiers of China, the Japanese Army, to keep order while things were sorted out, a situation that infuriated the Chinese communists. While traveling with a small group of Americans Chinese and Koreans, Birch was stopped by a communist patrol that demanded he turn over his pistol. Birch refused, a confrontation ensued, and Birch was shot and killed, the other members of his party taken prisoner.Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正1940 photo of Chiang Kai-shek in full military uniform.Chairman of the National Government of ChinaJohn Birch became a symbol of anti-communism as a martyr in the struggle against the atheistic socialists, and in 1958 the John Birch Society was formed by Robert Welch, Jr., an American businessman. The John Birch Society is a radical right wing organization that firmly resists the idea of wealth redistribution, “big government,” any hint of communism or socialism, government intervention in business or society and later became synonymous with resistance to the Civil Rights movement by condemning the Civil Rights Act of 1964. At first considered a far right but still sort of mainstream organization without undue stigma attached to membership, the John Birch Society became demonized as a radical right quasi racist outfit that national level politicians could not associate with and expect to get elected, though in some extremely conservative localities politicians can still afford to proudly claim membership. This shift in social acceptance happened rapidly after 1985 when the founder, Robert Welch, died.Originally based in Massachusetts, the John Birch Society is now based in Wisconsin. It is hard to determine exactly how many members the JBS currently has, although the Southern Poverty Law Center estimates as many as 100,000 people may have been members during its peak in the 1960‘s, and numbers are believed to be somewhat less today. The JBS may well have gotten a surge in interest and membership due to the elections of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and his policies such as “Obamacare” remain priority targets of the group.John Birch was decorated for his military service with a Distinguished Service Medal and twice awarded the Legion of Merit, among other decorations. Jimmy Doolittle, commander of the famous “Doolittle Raid” was assisted by Birch and his unit after crash landing following the bombing of Tokyo in 1942, and later opined that Birch would not have approved of the use of his name in the John Birch Society. Was Birch a martyr to the Cold War? Is the John Birch Society a legitimate American organization or should they be considered radical pariahs? Share your thoughts on these subjects with your fellow readers. For opposing views, see these links: https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2013/bringing-back-birch and http://www.jbs.org/For God and Country: The Story of John Birch (warfarehistorynetwork.com)September 6, 2016The story of John Birch, missionary and intelligence officer, reveals a hero’s contribution to victory.by Sam McGowanIn the 1960s the John Birch Society was well known to most Americans as a right-wing political organization noted for its anti-communism and conspiracy theories. Yet few knew anything at all about the man whose name the organization bore. Most assumed that John Birch founded the society, and even members of the organization knew only that the real John Birch was a missionary who became an intelligence agent in China and died at the hands of Chinese Communists in the closing days of World War II.While his death as the “first American soldier killed in the war against communism” was considered heroic by adherents of the society’s principles, few knew that Captain John Morrison Birch not only was truly a hero, but that his actions in World War II rival those of the most swashbuckling Hollywood spymaster. Even fewer Christians realize that, even though Birch was an Army Air Forces intelligence officer, he was also a dedicated defender of the faith who continued to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in China even after he had undertaken a new mission serving his country.Recognizing Lt. John Birch for his bravery in undertaking hazardous missions behind Japanese lines in China, General Claire Chennault, commander of the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force, pins a medal on the hero’s chest.John Birch was born on May 28, 1918, in India, where his parents were serving as missionaries. Two years later the family returned to the United States because of his father’s ill health, first settling in New Jersey, then moving to Georgia when John was in his early teens. When the family decided to return to the Birch farm near Macon, John and his younger brother went down and cleaned up an abandoned house for the family to live in and planted the fields, which gave him a strong bond with the land and an appreciation for the outdoors.Born with keen intelligence, as a boy John was fascinated with airplanes and aeronautics. After the family moved to rural Georgia, he became interested in radios and designed and built his own set, using the cardboard centers from toilet paper rolls and copper wire to make coils. Raised in a devout Christian home, John was baptized into a Baptist church in New Jersey at the age of seven. His parents had left their Presbyterian church because they believed the denomination had become modernist, and they joined a nearby Baptist congregation. When he was 11, John decided to become a missionary after hearing one describe his adventures in South America. After graduating from high school, John enrolled at Mercer University, a Baptist school in Macon, from which he would graduate first in his class.Two major events occurred during Birch’s years at Mercer. The young man fell under the influence of J. Frank Norris, a legendary and controversial Baptist preacher from Fort Worth, Texas. During a service in Macon, Birch heard Norris tell about the accomplishments of two missionary families in China and how they were praying for a strong young man to come to China to work with them. During the invitation at the conclusion of the service, Birch went forward and told Norris that God was calling him to China and he would go. Shortly afterward, Birch became involved in a campus controversy when he and other members of the ministerial student body brought charges against members of the faculty for teaching things that were contrary to Baptist doctrine. An uproar resulted, and fellow students branded Birch as the vilest person on campus. He was threatened with expulsion but held true to his convictions and refused to go along with demands made by the college dean to cancel a planned city appearance by Norris. The controversy was settled when Norris inexplicably canceled the meeting.True to his word, immediately after his graduation from Mercer, John Birch began the journey to China by enrolling at Norris’s Fundamental Baptist Bible Institute in Fort Worth. He completed the two-year seminary course in a year, and in the summer of 1940 set sail for Shanghai, along with another graduate named Oscar Wells. They arrived to find a country in disarray, with thousands of refugees from the country crowding the streets and disease and starvation on every corner. China was literally divided, with Japanese troops occupying much of the central coastal areas, Communists in the northern mountains, and Free China to the west. They were met by Fred Donnelson, who took the two new missionaries to his apartment, where they met the other members of the World Fundamental Baptist Missionary Fellowship team in China, which consisted of Donnelson and his wife, Effie, an elderly missionary affectionately known as Mother Sweet, and her partner in the mission field, Margaret Fitzgerald.Birch and Wells enrolled in the Adventist Chinese Language School in Shanghai, where Birch’s zeal and intelligence allowed him quickly to gain a working knowledge of the language. He felt called to minister in the distant towns and villages away from Shanghai and the coast. Hangchow was the city that was on his mind, and he finally got the opportunity to visit it when J. Frank Norris’s associate, Beauchamp Vick of Detroit Baptist Temple came to China.John Birch poses with a Mongolian pony he once rode for 60 miles through a snowstorm over rough terrain in one day.John was convinced this was where he should minister and he returned to Hangchow in early 1941. From then on, his ministry was in the inland regions of China as he ventured out from Hangchow to preach in the villages and towns in the surrounding no-man’s-land where Chinese guerrillas fought Japanese troops. In August, he was visited by his friend Oscar Wells, who was ministering in Shanghai, where he had met and become engaged to a young female missionary from the Reformed Church. Along with Pastor Du, the Chinese pastor in Hangchow, the two young men set off on a journey to Shangjao, a city in the mountains in Free China almost 200 miles away. Journeying by bicycle and on foot, they slipped through the Japanese lines then made their way westward until they were well into the mountains. As they left Japanese territory, they realized that the food was better and the people happier. When they reached Shangjao, they were directed to the Baptist church and were invited to conduct services that evening. The local Christians were eager to host the missionaries and told Birch that there were many places to the west where they could establish churches. He promised to come back.Birch Told His Friends That if He Wasn’t at Breakfast That He Would Have Already Slipped Through the Lines on His Way Into Free ChinaBirch made friends with dozens of Chinese pastors during the next few months and established relationships that would later prove beneficial. Many Chinese Christians were involved in the guerrilla movement, while others were members of the Nationalist army. Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Madame Chiang, were both Christians, and Chiang had written a tract about his belief in Jesus Christ that was passed through the ranks of the army. Birch was more than welcome among the Nationalist troops, and he was encouraged to preach to them. But clouds of war were gathering, and American missionaries were told to get out of the country. Many decided that their place was in China, and even though they knew that if the United States entered the war they would be interned, the Donnelsons, Mother Sweet, the Wellses, and Birch all elected to stay.In November, John was scheduled to take a language exam in Shanghai, so he journeyed through the Japanese lines to Hangchow and caught the train to the city. He finished the exams on a Friday and left the next day for Shangjao. He arrived in Hangchow and visited some Presbyterian missionaries, who encouraged him to spend the weekend. Birch felt he should be on his way and refused the offer; he told his friends that if he did not appear at breakfast with them the next morning, he would have already slipped through the lines on his way into Free China. The next day was Sunday, December 7, in China and Saturday in the United States. Had Birch accepted the invitation to remain in Hangchow for the weekend, he probably would have been interned by the Japanese. He got word of the attack on Pearl Harbor from Chinese soldiers he met on the road.Over the next six months, John Birch was a stranger in a foreign land, cut off from his friends, who had been interned by the Japanese, and with little funds. He had some traveler’s checks, but the Chinese banks in Shangjao refused to cash them. Still, he continued his ministry, preaching in homes and churches in the mountains around the town. In April 1942, he wrote a letter to the U.S. military mission in Chungking inquiring about the need for someone with his qualifications. His first choice was to be a chaplain, but he offered to do whatever was needed. In the letter he mentioned his knowledge of radio and stressed his ability to withstand physical hardship. Three days later, the Chinese Army cashed his checks and he sent most of the money to his friends through a courier who had made the long journey to inform him that they were interned and in need of funds.On April 27, John Birch was sitting in an inn in a remote river town when a Chinese man sat down at his table and asked if he was an American. Sensing that he might be watched, Birch silently nodded that he was. The Chinese told him to finish his meal, then follow him, but to be careful that they were not seen. The man led the missionary to a sampan sitting low on the water. He nodded toward the boat and said, “Americans.” Birch was incredulous—how could any Americans be out here in the middle of China? As far as he knew, he was the only American within hundreds of miles. He knocked on the door of the cabin and called out, “Any Americans in here?” After a moment of silence, a voice from inside said, “No Japanese could mimic an accent like that,” and the door swung open. He looked inside and saw five Americans dressed in military uniforms. The leader stuck out his hand and said, “I’m Jimmy Doolittle. We just bombed Tokyo.”Lt. Col. and future Gen. Jimmy Doolittle poses with several of his fellow survivors of the famed April 1942 raid on Tokyo. Also pictured is one of the friendly Chinese who risked their lives to shelter the raiders from the vengeful Japanese.Birch was with Doolittle and his crew for barely 24 hours, but the young missionary made an impression on the veteran pilot. Doolittle told Birch to write down any notes or letters he wanted delivered, and he would take them back to the United States. Birch stayed with the sampan until it reached its destination, then guided Doolittle and his crew to a Chinese Army post at Lanchi. He told the officer in charge who the men were and asked if they had word of any other fliers. The officer asked Birch to inform Doolittle that the Chinese Army was doing everything possible to prevent any of the airmen from falling into Japanese hands. Birch continued on to Shangjao where he found a telegram from the Army telling him to report to the nearest air base at Ch’u Hsein and await further orders.When he arrived at the airfield, Birch found two other American bomber crews who were badly in need of an interpreter. Birch made arrangements for a flight to take them to Chungking. He received a phone call from a missionary in Yang Kou, who told him that Doolittle had left money and instructions. Another crew arrived as he was preparing to leave to pick up the money. Doolittle had left $2,000 in Chinese money and instructions to arrange for the burial of Corporal Leland Faktor and any others whose bodies might be brought in, to arrange for medical aid, to obtain all information pertaining to survivors, and to serve as an interpreter for crews who came to the field.Doolittle Raider 80 Brave MenWhen the last crew left, Birch was to go with them and report to the U.S. military mission at Chungking. Over the next several days, Birch was able to account for 60 of the Doolittle Raiders. When Birch asked the military commander about purchasing a burial plot, the Chinese said he would not sell it to him but would give it for a hundred years or as long as needed. The Chinese also paid for the coffin and the cost of the marker. Birch conducted a memorial service for Faktor with 13 Doolittle Raiders present, then two weeks later conducted a graveside service.Birch did not make it out on the last plane; instead he made his way to Kweilin by truck, on foot, and by train looking for Claire Chennault, who he had been told was there at his forward operating base. He found the American Volunteer Group (AVG) commander in his operations cave on the side of a mountain. When he introduced himself, Chennault revealed that Jimmy Doolittle had spoken of him and the aid he had provided to the members of the mission to bomb Japan. Birch replied that he wanted to be a chaplain, and Chennault asked which denomination. When Birch said he was a fundamental Baptist, Chennault replied that he was a Baptist himself, a member of a congregation in Louisiana.Men of the U.S> Fourteenth Air Force attend Sunday church services at their base in China.Birch told Chennault that he wanted “to serve God and my country.” Chennault said he already had one chaplain but might be able to make him an assistant. Birch asked Chennault for a ride to Chungking and was told to meet him at the airport. Birch was there at the appointed hour, and he climbed aboard the airplane with Chennault himself at the controls. When they landed, Chennault took the young missionary to Hostel A, where he and his pilots stayed, and arranged for a room.Birch arrived in Chungking in late May, at a time when the U.S. military role in China was developing. Although he held the rank of general in the Chinese air force, Chennault had yet to be brought back into the United States Army, from which he had retired a few years previously. After seeing that the young missionary had a place to stay, Chennault turned him over to a U.S. Army officer for a debriefing on his activities with the Doolittle Raiders.It was at this point that Birch detected an air of superiority among the Americans, an attitude that directly affected the conduct of the war in China. When Birch turned in the $2,000 Doolittle had left for him and related that the Chinese Air Force had paid the costs of the burials, the debriefing officer was incredulous. Birch had grown to love the Chinese and was offended when the American commented, “All of the Chinese we’ve dealt with have their hand out.” Such an attitude was common among the Americans who made up the China military mission. Birch was soon to learn that many Americans, including their commander, Lt. Gen. Joseph Stilwell, preferred Mao Tse-tung’s Communists over Chiang’s Nationalists. Birch could not believe his eyes when he visited the American Office of War Information and found a pamphlet praising Mao’s revolutionaries.An Army Air Force B-25B bomber takes off from USS Hornet (CV-8) at the start of the raid, 18 April 1942. Note men watching from the signal lamp platform at right. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.The Doolittle Raiders – The MissionBirch also learned that most of Chennault’s AVG men would soon be leaving. With the exception of a few who agreed to accept induction into the U.S. Army, most refused to serve under Colonel Clayton Bissell, the U.S. Army officer who replaced Lt. Gen. Lewis Brereton as commander of Tenth Air Force in India and whom General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold had picked to command U.S. air operations in the theater. The pilots and mechanics of the AVG were all former military personnel who had been recruited from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, and the former naval aviators were particularly turned off when they were told they would become part of the Army instead of returning to their previous branches of service.Chennault Wanted Nothing Less than Birch’s Total Commitment; Birch Told Him He Would Have to Pray About itWhen Birch arrived in Chungking, the transition to the Army was still a few weeks in the future, so he decided to delay his entry. As an ordained minister, he was exempt from the draft and could not be inducted. His impression of Chennault had been highly favorable, and he decided he would prefer to serve directly under him. The admiration was a two-way street; Chennault had been equally impressed with the young missionary, and while he was willing to let him go through the motions of applying for an appointment as a chaplain, he realized he could be far more important in another role.Over the next few weeks, Chennault and Birch were frequently together. On an occasion when Chennault invited him to ride into town, he brought up a new subject. He told Birch he had a need for field intelligence officers with experience in China, men who had lived there before the war, spoke the language, and were familiar with Chinese customs. He told Birch how important the work would be to the winning of the war and that it would be extremely dangerous. The punch line was when he told the young missionary that he would be free to preach on Sundays if he chose to accept a commission as an intelligence officer. There was one thing Chennault wanted, and that was total commitment. He told Birch that if he decided to accept the job, he would give him an immediate field commission. Birch said he would pray about it.On July 4, Birch attended a barbecue hosted by the first lady of China, Madame Chiang (formerly Soong) herself, and General Chennault, held at the home of the Chinese president, Lin Sen. Birch was surprised to get an engraved invitation. Madame Chiang’s sister, the widow of the founder of the Chinese Republic, Sun Yat Sen, was also present. When Birch came through the receiving line, Chennault introduced him to the Soong sisters as “a missionary who helped General Doolittle and his flyers.” Birch and the Soongs had something in common; the sisters’ father was a Methodist minister, and as young women they had attended Wesleyan College in Macon. They were thrilled to learn that Birch was from Macon and greeted him warmly.Another member of Chennault’s entourage was also from Macon. Colonel Robert L. Scott, who would take command of the 23rd Fighter Group, was a Macon native. Although the two knew each other—Birch was part of the 23rd Fighter Group—the young missionary was not the inspiration for the title of Scott’s famous book, God Is My Copilot. The title came from a comment made by another missionary, Dr. Fred Manget, who treated Scott for minor shrapnel wounds.On July 5 at breakfast, Chennault again approached Birch about becoming an intelligence officer. Birch told Chennault that he thought he knew what the delay was; although he met most of the requirements for being a chaplain, J. Frank Norris’s school was not accredited, and graduation from an accredited seminary was a requirement. The senior chaplain in Chungking had told Birch he would request a waiver, but no word had come down. Chennault told Birch he could accept a commission as an intelligence officer and transfer to the chaplaincy later if an appointment came through. The concession excited Birch, who immediately accepted. Chennault had the paperwork drawn up and commissioned John M. Birch as a second lieutenant assigned to the 23rd Fighter Group as the group intelligence officer.Although he had been commissioned as an intelligence officer, Birch volunteered to assist Chennault’s chaplain, Paul Frillman, another missionary who had joined Chennault’s staff in the Chinese Air Force and had come into the U.S. Army as a chaplain. Frillman would later become an intelligence officer himself. Frillman was Lutheran while Birch was a fundamental Baptist, and although there was disagreement between the two over issues of personal conduct, Frillman made Birch his assistant and assigned him to preach at Sunday services when he was absent and to orient new personnel to the theater.Birch was still focused on becoming a chaplain, and when he learned that the chief of chaplains for the CBI was coming to Chungking, he requested that his file be reviewed. The request was approved. When he went to tell Chennault the good news, the Old Man told Birch he wanted him to go on a mission for him. Birch agreed, under the condition that if the appointment came through, he would be allowed to transfer. Chennault countered by asking Birch whether he would remain as his intelligence officer if the appointment did not come through. Birch said he would, and the two shook hands.Birch’s mission was to journey into southeastern China to inspect clandestine airfields that Chennault had ordered built two years previous and had stocked with gasoline and ammunition. Chennault wanted to know the condition of the airfields and supplies so he would be able to use them as forward airfields if the need arose. Birch and a Chinese soldier named M.L. Wang left on the mission in mid-September. It was the first of many long treks into contested territory. They took only what they could carry. Birch also carried maps, a list of contacts, and a roll of gospel tracts written in Chinese to pass out along the way. They covered more than 1,000 miles on the two-month journey, traveling by land, water, and air. When they were in Japanese-controlled territory, they moved by night. Birch’s contacts, many of whom were Chinese Christians, allowed them to sleep in their homes, and on Sundays he was usually offered the opportunity to preach in homes and local churches.Birch and Wang inspected the airstrips and asked the contacts to show them the supply caches, which had been ingeniously concealed. Gasoline cans and ammunition boxes were buried under pagodas, hidden in corn cribs, suspended on ropes in wells, hidden in caves, and buried underground. Birch was pleased to discover that local villagers had kept the airstrips in good condition. When they returned, Chennault read Birch’s report and immediately wrote a letter of commendation for his personnel file and recommended that he be promoted. It was the first of several recommendations for Birch’s promotion made by Chennault, along with recommendations for decorations, but the convoluted command structure in the CBI required that they be approved by Tenth Air Force Commander Clayton Bissell, who was quick to disapprove just about any recommendation Chennault made.Maj. Gen. Clayton Bissell (left), commander of the U.S. Tenth Air Force, and Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault (right) were bitter rivals. This meeting at Tenth Air Force headquarters in Delhi, India, was strained.The command arrangement in the CBI caused many problems. Although the War Department apparently originally saw China as a base for an aerial bombing offensive against the Japanese home islands, the Japanese victory in Burma and the offensive in China in the wake of the Doolittle Raid caused the theater to lose its importance. General Stilwell went to China as the senior American officer, but he had little regard for Chiang and the Nationalists and was focused entirely on avenging his defeat in Burma. Stilwell and nearly everyone else in any position of authority were jealous of Chennault’s relationship with Chiang and the military successes of his shoestring forces in the Chinese interior.Hap Arnold hated Chennault and had been forced by the White House to accept him as the senior air officer in China. He had seen to it that Chennault’s authority was diminished by making him subordinate to Bissell. He wrote the orders promoting both of them to brigadier general so that Bissell outranked Chennault by one day. He also placed Chennault’s China Air Task Force (CATF) under Bissell’s Tenth Air Force and required that Chennault go through Bissell with every request. Birch’s family would learn after the war that he had been recommended for every combat decoration up to and including the Medal of Honor, but the recommendations were all mishandled except for the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Service Medal. Bissell and his staff disapproved most of the recommendations for decorations submitted from China on the basis that the men were “just doing their duty.” The attitude led to great resentment against Bissell and his staff, who were safe in offices in Delhi.Birch learned that no authorization for him to become a chaplain had come through, so he accepted the position as Chennault’s intelligence officer. Chennault told him that he was his “intelligence department” and would answer directly to his command. Birch’s office was a shack a few yards from Chennault’s headquarters. His first duties were to make corrections to aerial maps and debrief pilots returning from missions. He would be in charge of all intelligence, no matter from what source. A few weeks later he discovered that Bissell had decided to take over the intelligence department as well, without consulting with Chennault.Questioning a local villager as to their position, members of Y Force stop in a remote Chinese village for the night. Utilizing a map, they attempt to orient themselves during their foray into northern Burma and work to establish radio communications.On December 10 two officers arrived at Kweiling, where Bissell had ordered Chennault to relocate his headquarters, and informed Chennault that they had been sent by Bissell to become his chief intelligence officer and assistant. After his initial meeting with the two officers, Chennault ignored them for more than a week. He told them that he did not appreciate Bissell picking his staff and that he already had an intelligence man, Lieutenant John Birch.The two officers were actually well qualified and did not appreciate being caught in the middle in the war between Bissell and Chennault. Lt. Col. Jesse Williams had been in Shanghai for 18 years as an oil company executive, while Captain Wilfred Smith was the son of missionaries and had studied oriental history at the University of Michigan. Neither had the kind of experience Birch did, but they were well qualified to serve as intelligence officers in China. They finally decided to ignore Chennault and go to work. They went to Birch’s office and told them who they were. It was an uncomfortable moment as Birch answered directly to Chennault on his order, and he commented to the two officers that Bissell was not too popular in that part of the world. Yet, he recognized that they were superior officers and told them to pull up a chair and he would show them what he was doing. The three men got along well together and soon all were laughing over the feud between the two generals.Birch Needed to Cover More Than 300 Miles in Japanese-Controlled Territory, So He Decided to Disguise Himself as Chinese.Although he was an intelligence officer, Birch still had the opportunity to preach. He was amazed to discover that the American military personnel responded to him better than they did to the chaplain. The young soldiers and airmen realized that Birch did not have to be in the Army because as a member of the clergy he was exempt from the draft, yet he was undertaking dangerous assignments far from friendly lines. He had thought that he could best serve God as a chaplain but discovered that he was more effective in the spiritual role in a different status. He was also able to continue ministering to Chinese Christians when he went out on intelligence-gathering missions in the countryside.In early 1943, Chennault was finally promised reinforcements. He went to Williams and Smith and told them he needed intelligence from the coast. He wanted his own intelligence network in China so he would not have to rely on Stilwell’s headquarters, which usually was a week or more late in passing on reports that would have been important to mission planning if they had been more timely. When Smith commented that they were not the Office of Strategic Services and did not have the resources for such a program, Chennault responded that they had John Birch. He told them to send Birch out with some radios on a mission to set up a network of reliable Chinese agents who would pass intelligence regarding Japanese shipping back to him. Chennault realized that Japanese supply routes to Formosa were just off the coast and believed that his CATF could interdict shipping. When Smith informed Birch of the mission, Birch only had one question—could he preach in Chinese churches on Sunday? Smith responded that he could preach on Monday if he wanted, as long as he got the job done.Birch left Kweiling and flew to the CATF’s easternmost airfield, from which he set out on foot. He hired a coolie to assist him with his cargo of radios and prepared to trek to his first destination in Fukien Province. He would have to cover more than 300 miles in Japanese-controlled territory, so he decided to disguise himself as Chinese. He dyed his brown hair black, then donned traditional Chinese peasant garb and put on sandals. His initial trek was over mountains, and as he climbed he taught the coolie an old children’s spiritual, “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.”After they descended the mountains and reached a river, Birch sent the coolie back home and obtained a sampan from a guerrilla. He repeated the process of using a coolie when trekking overland and sampans on rivers when he could, a system that allowed him to average nearly 40 miles a day. He kept in touch with Smith by radio. He frequently encountered Chinese Christians who were incredulous to see a missionary so deep inside Japanese territory, and he preached to several congregations as he came across them on his way to the coast. On one occasion he and his coolie hid their cargo in a dung pot and carried it through a Japanese checkpoint as the guards held their noses and turned away.When he reached a village near the coast, Birch sought out a Christian he had been told to contact. The man took him to the leaders of the local church, where Birch explained his mission and told them he needed two fishermen who were “willing to risk their lives for China.” One of the deacons said he was a fisherman and that he had a friend who would help. Birch interrogated the two men to be sure they were dedicated to defeating the Japanese and then showed them how to work the radios. He also promised them $10 a month apiece to cover their expenses and compensate them for their time away from their livelihood. He gave them a radio and a codebook that was set up so they could translate their messages into English.Birch devised his own system of mixing up the pages to confuse the Japanese who monitored the transmissions. Meanwhile, Captain Smith had set up monitoring/relay stations in Free China to pick up the messages from the coast and pass them along to his headquarters. By the time Birch returned to Free China, Smith was receiving as many as 50 messages a day.The intelligence was priceless. The coast watchers transmitted reports of ship sightings that were relayed to CATF. Chennault set up a Teletype system at his main base to pass along mission orders to his dispersed bases. In some instances, CATF aircraft were in the air on their way to intercept Japanese ships within 10 minutes after the coast watcher transmitted the report. Some ships were attacked less than an hour after they were reported. Smith also compiled a daily report that was transmitted to Navy personnel at Stilwell’s headquarters in Chungking, which then transmitted the information to U.S. Navy submarines and ships operating in the China Sea. Chennault was elated at the quality of the intelligence and recommended Birch’s promotion to first lieutenant for the third time.A bomb hit on a Japanese patrol boat is recorded by a photographer aboard an American aircraft. During the same mission in which they sank this vessel off the Shantung Peninsula, pilots of the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force destroyed 45 Japanese planes on the ground and damaged 55 others.Although Arnold still considered him a crackpot, in early 1943 Chennault was allowed to break out from under Tenth Air Force control as the CATF became the Fourteenth Air Force. Chennault’s staff members were elevated in rank, and John Birch was promoted to first lieutenant while his immediate superior, Captain Smith, jumped two ranks to become a lieutenant colonel. Chennault was promised a force of 500 planes, and Stilwell was ordered to transfer control of the Hump airlift from Bissell to Chennault. Stilwell refused.In the spring of 1943, Japan launched a new Chinese offensive, and Smith sent Birch to serve as a liaison between Fourteenth Air Force and Chinese Marshal Hsueh Yo’s army on the Yangtze River. Birch’s mission was to set up air support for the Chinese ground forces. He would seek out targets and guide air strikes in on them and set up a rescue network to retrieve downed airmen. It was a pioneer effort, and Smith and the Fourteenth Air Force staff hoped to establish tactics for a larger effort with new agents who would be trained to take his place.Birch went by train and sampan to Changsha, where Yo had his headquarters. After familiarizing himself with the area, he set out with a team of Chinese soldiers on a 300-mile hike to the front lines, where he was turned over to guerrillas who took him deep inside Japanese territory. Once again, he disguised himself as a coolie. He and Smith had worked out a plan under which Birch would mark targets with white cloth panels pointing in the direction of the target. His first target was a pagoda that had been converted into an ammunition dump.A Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk fighter came in for a strafing run that set off the ammunition. Then Birch directed the fighter onto a Japanese artillery piece. He and his guerrillas slipped back into the forest and crawled on their bellies in the darkness of night to locate their next target, a fuel dump at a Japanese camp. Early the next morning a pair of Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers hit the dump, causing fires that spread through the camp. Birch remained at the front for more than a month, calling in air strikes that enabled the Chinese troops to drive the Japanese back into their previous positions.In mid-1943, Birch was summoned back to Kunming, where he was to take part in the commissioning of a new batch of intelligence agents, including his friend Arthur Hopkins, who had served briefly with him the year before, and Chennault’s former chaplain, Paul Frillman. Birch briefed the men on his experiences, and Williams pointed out that he was the first U.S. agent to live and work with Chinese troops. The commissioning of the new agents gave Birch the opportunity to ask Chennault for permission to apply for pilot training. He had been interested in aviation since childhood, and seeing the Fourteenth Air Force fighters and bombers in action at close range had rekindled his interest. Chennault agreed to pass the application forward but would later tell Birch that he was more valuable to him in his present capacity than 10 pilots would have been.Guerrillas Operating Near the Bombing Site Reported That Bodies of Dead Japanese Were Hauled Away by the Truckload.Birch’s next mission was to set up a network of agents along the Yangtze to keep watch on river shipping. Arthur Hopkins and Sergeant Leroy Eichenberry would assume his previous role with Marshall Yo. They would fly together to Changsha. Then, Birch was to continue northward to contact General Heuen Yoh, commander of the Second Guerrilla Brigade. Birch remained in Changsha for a few days before continuing his journey to visit members of the China Inland Mission and deliver supplies he had brought for them. Accompanied by two Chinese radio operators and a team of coolies, he then set off on a 10-day trek in scorching heat through swamps and over hills to link up with General Yoh. The guerrillas planned a route for Birch and his two radio operators down the Yangtze in a series of junks. Once again, Birch set up a system for rescuing downed airmen. While on the Yangtze, he learned that the Japanese were drawing considerable material from the iron mines at Shihweiayo and arranged an air strike against them.Birch’s determination was revealed when he got wind of an ammunition dump at Hangkow that had been established in a former residential area. He infiltrated through Japanese positions and located the dump, then radioed directions back to the Fourteenth Air Force. The area was too congested to risk laying his customary white panels, and when the formation of bombers came over, the crews were unable to identify the target. Birch then made his way back to a remote landing strip where he was picked up by a light airplane and flown to the bomber base. He went up in the nose of the lead airplane and pointed out the target to the bombardier. The first bombs set off the dump, and the series of explosions spread through the Japanese camps. Guerrillas operating in the area reported that bodies of dead Japanese were hauled away by the truckload.In the spring of 1944, Birch went on “a trip,” as he called his missions, to the plains of the Yellow River. There he found huge numbers of Japanese troops massing for an offensive. Riding on horseback, he set out to locate the enemy lines of supply. Birch saw thousands of Japanese marching southward from northern China. He wondered why Mao’s Communists had made no attempt to stop them. After setting up observation teams to keep watch on the railroad, he boarded a sampan for the journey down a tributary of the Yangtze to Lao Ho Kow, where he was to link up with two other members of the intelligence team.Laden with Chinese commandos, sampans make their way down the Liu River en route to attack Japanese positions in the hills near Tanchuk.On May 17, Birch joined Lieutenant William Drummond and Sergeant Eichenberry, then set out with them to search for a place to set up an intelligence base before proceeding north to Shantung Province to establish a network of Chinese agents. As they proceeded northward, they came into an almond-shaped valley on the Yellow River, which had been bypassed by the Japanese. An army of 100,000 Chinese soldiers had been cut off in the valley for over a year. Birch immediately recognized the 100-mile-long valley as a natural location for a forward base, with a radio station and secret airfields at each end. Birch visualized the airfields being used as emergency landing strips for airplanes returning from missions to the north and as refueling stops for bombers and fighters going on missions into Manchuria—and perhaps even Japan. They could also serve as gathering points for downed aircrews to be picked up by Fourteenth Air Force transports.Birch radioed his headquarters for approval, then explained his idea to the Chinese general in command of the troops and received permission to go ahead. After setting up the radio station, Birch took a squad of Chinese soldiers looking for sites for airstrips. Relying on experience gained during a summer in which he measured cotton in Georgia, he laid out a 3,500-foot runway himself. Thousands of Chinese soldiers worked with picks and shovels to level out a dry streambed and then packed the runway with sand and gravel. With the airstrip complete, they constructed a small terminal and radio shack nearby. A second strip was laid out in a pasture. The first airplane into the valley came to evacuate Sergeant Eichenberry, who had come down with cholera. The two airfields were constructed entirely by Chinese military personnel and without any assistance whatsoever from U.S. sources other than Birch’s supervision. They had not cost the U.S. Army one thin dime.John Birch also suffered from serious medical maladies, particularly malaria, the same disease that had forced his father to leave India. In early August, he was picked up at one of the secret airfields and flown to Kunming to be decorated with the Legion of Merit.Recognizing that Birch was ill and tired, Chennault told him to take a 60-day furlough and go home for a rest. Birch refused, telling his commanding general that he did not want to take up a slot that some other soldier could use. Birch was true to his word when it came to furlough. He never took leave the entire time he served in China, not even to visit a young Scottish Red Cross worker he met in China, but who transferred to India shortly after they met. Birch proposed marriage to the girl, but then retracted the proposal when he realized that his postwar plans were to take the gospel into either Tibet or Turkestan, remote areas that would make life rough on a woman. The woman remained single for the rest of her life.A Japanese offensive in mid-1944 cost the Allies considerable territory in eastern China, a defeat that Chennault and many others blamed on Stilwell’s obsession with Burma and neglect of China. Stilwell’s days in China were numbered, although he attempted to gain complete control over the theater. He is believed to have drafted a plan giving him command of all the Chinese armies and sent it to Washington, where it was presented to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When a message came back ordering Chiang to turn command over to Stilwell, “Vinegar Joe” made the mistake of delivering the message himself—“to break the Peanut’s face” as he expressed his feelings in his diary. The plan backfired. Although Chiang had been willing to relinquish command, Stilwell’s arrogance not only caused him to change his mind, but he also wired Washington that he was through with Stilwell and demanded that he be replaced.The arrival of General Albert C. Wedemeyer brought about a change in the fortunes of the Fourteenth Air Force. Chennault began receiving support that Stilwell had withheld, and Fourteenth Air Force returned to offensive operations throughout the country, striking targets in northern China and south into Indochina. Chennault supported Birch’s plan to use the new base on the Yellow River for intelligence operations in north China and ordered the delivery of supplies to the airfield at Anhwei.Birch returned to duty and went north with the supplies. Shortly after he got there, he took a squad of Chinese soldiers and radios and headed further north. As was his practice, he carried a New Testament and a supply of gospel tracts. He was gone for two weeks. In early November, the effort paid off. One of the new agents radioed that he had discovered the crew of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, who had bailed out of their airplane six months before and had been hiding in the mountains. Guerrillas brought the men to the new base, and they were flown out in a C-47. On the day the transport came, an intense thunderstorm struck the valley and the airplane arrived in the middle of a heavy downpour. Birch ran out to the radio shack and got a bearing on the airplane, then talked the pilot in for a landing in nearly zero visibility.In early 1945, Birch arranged the evacuation of a number of missionaries who had been ministering in northern China. Mostly elderly, they were American, British, and Dutch who had ministered in rural towns that had been bypassed by the Japanese. As the war intensified, they began to fear for their lives. Some of those in the Anhwei area got wind of Birch’s base and sent word through guerrillas that they wanted to be rescued. Birch advised them to come out of the mountains and that he would evacuate them somehow. Several stranded airmen were also in the valley waiting for a plane.In late December, the missionaries began arriving. Birch called Kunming but learned that Colonel Smith had been called back to the United States for an urgent meeting. No one else in Kunming was sympathetic to the missionaries’ plight. Birch was told that they were not running an airline for missionaries. There were not enough downed airmen to justify sending a transport, and even when Birch sent word that they were running out of supplies, he was told he would have to wait.Lt. John Birch (second from left) and a pair of fellow Americans pose with officers of the Chinese Army.Birch finally got Kunming’s attention when he told them that he had a bag of sensitive intelligence that needed to be sent back. He was finally promised that an airplane would arrive when the weather broke. Birch rode a pony the 50 miles to the airstrip and discovered a snow-covered runway. He went to General Wang, the Chinese commander, and told him he needed men with shovels. Wang asked how many, and Birch said about 800 would do. The Chinese soldiers quickly cleared the runway, and the plane came in and picked up the stranded airmen and all but one of the missionaries, who had to wait for another month. The pilot gave Birch what he considered to be distressing news. Birch and his men were going to be transferred to the OSS, which was why Colonel Smith had been called to Washington.This was something Birch had feared. A planeload of OSS colonels and majors had arrived at Kunming before he left and started throwing their weight around. A few days after the pilot told him of the rumor of the impending transfer, Birch received a message sent under Chennault’s name that he and the other Fourteenth Air Force intelligence men would be transferring to the OSS and that the move would be beneficial for them. Birch was not buying it. He was convinced that the OSS would cause nothing but problems and that they would mess up the entire intelligence program he and the agents who followed him had been working for years to set up and maintain. He sent a return message in which he said he would rather be a Fourteenth Air Force buck private than a full colonel in the OSS and have access to Wild Bill Donovan’s slush fund, knowing that the message would be intercepted and read by every OSS man in China.Birch Told Chennault That the War Was Almost Over, and He Intended to Stay Until “the Last Jap is Out of China.”Birch’s opinion of the OSS changed when Lieutenant Bill Miller, a recent West Point graduate, came to visit him at Ankang where he had been hospitalized during another bout with malaria. The young officer told Birch that he was famous in the OSS and that everyone back in Washington had heard about him. Birch replied that it was probably because of the message he had sent. Miller confirmed that he knew about it but that Birch was widely respected for the magnificent job he had been doing in China for the past three years. He told Birch that he had been assigned as an escape and evasion agent to the airfield at Foyuang about 50 miles from Birch’s base at Linchuan. Deciding he liked Miller, Birch offered to help him all he could.When Smith returned from Washington, he brought Birch back to Kunming to attempt to talk him into accepting the transfer to the OSS. Birch was adamant in his refusal and insisted on remaining with the Fourteenth Air Force. Smith was not surprised. The rest of his staff had also been opposed to the transfer, but he had managed to talk all of them into accepting it. All, that is, except Birch. Chennault himself joined in the effort to convince Birch to accept the transfer, but the officer, who had been promoted to captain, remained obstinate. They finally worked out a compromise. Birch would work for and with the OSS but would remain on the Fourteenth Air Force roster. Chennault attempted once again to convince him to take a furlough in India, and Birch was tempted since it would offer him an opportunity to spend time with his former fiancée. Birch told Chennault that the war was almost over, and he intended to stay until “the last Jap is out of China.”Birch was now a captain, and the Chinese had given him a name, Bey Shang We, which literally meant Birch Captain. Although his activities were classified, John Birch was well known throughout China, especially among the Chinese military and the Christian community. He was also known to the Communists, who occupied a mountainous region in northern China and had done very little to oppose the Japanese. Birch was a strong anti-Communist and had been before he came to China. When he got there, he learned from the veteran missionaries that the Communists were considered to be more of a menace than the Japanese.After three years in China, Birch had come to believe that Mao and his Communists were merely waiting for the Allies to defeat the Japanese, and were depending on combat to wear down the Nationalist forces so that they would be unable to resist a Communist takeover after the war. Birch was not one who kept his views to himself and frequently admonished his friends and associates of what he believed were Communist intentions—to take over China, then move into Korea.Birch had been in the war since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, first as a missionary wandering through remote regions and existing on starvation rations, then as an intelligence officer operating in enemy territory. He was emotionally if not physiclly worn out, and was tired of the war. He also felt that he, like Chennault, was being shoved aside. He had discovered the Anhwei pocket and set up operations there, but now there were three bases in the area he had pioneered and he had been made subordinate to an OSS major. When he got word that his family was thinking about selling the farm he had worked so hard to establish, he became even more morose. He wrote an essay reflecting his emotions entitled “The War Weary Farmer.”Birch’s intelligence network brought news of Communist activities in northern China and Manchuria. Chinese Communist troops were occupying territory that had been abandoned by the Japanese, who were in full retreat now that the end of the war was near. Communists in Henan Province tore up dikes that held back the Yellow River, causing flooding in the Anhwei pocket that destroyed what had promised to be a bumper crop. Birch was at his base at Linchuan when he got word of the detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. He also received orders telling him to make preparations to move north into Japanese territory to accept the surrender of Japanese garrisons.Keeping a sharp lookout for movement by the Japanese enemy, Chinese soldiers have taken cover in deep and lengthy trenches just beyond the Burmese frontier.Immediately after the Japanese surrender announcement, Mao’s Communists came out of the hills where they had been hiding and moved into Japanese territory as quickly as possible before American and Nationalist forces could come in. Their intention was to capture arms and ammunition and disrupt Allied lines of communications. General Wedemeyer ordered OSS offices in China to make plans to get their agents to Japanese installations as quickly as possible to make arrangements for surrender to the proper authorities. Birch and his friend Bill Miller were ordered to Süchow. Miller made plans to go by junk and suggested that Birch and his party go with him, but Birch replied that it was too risky and that he hoped to get a plane. The two talked openly in their regular morning radio conversation since the war was over and they felt no need to speak in code.The plane did not come through so Birch made plans to hike overland to Kweiteh and catch the east train on the Lunghai railroad. His friend and fellow agent Captain Jim Hart warned him that the Communists might already be in control of the railroad and suggested he go with Miller instead. Hart later reported that Birch went into a tirade about how the Antichrist would soon take control of the world and that Communists were his servants.The following morning Birch and his party departed. Three other Americans—Lieutenant Laird Ogle, Sergeant Albert Meyers, and Albert Grimes, a civilian OSS operative—five Chinese officers, and two Japanese-speaking Koreans along with Birch made up the party. One of the Chinese, Lieutenant Tung Fu Kuan, was assigned as Birch’s aide. When they arrived at Kweiteh, they were joined by two Chinese who had collaborated with the Japanese, a general and his orderly. The general was to escort them to his counterpart in Süchow, where they would accept the Japanese surrender. A Japanese officer received the party at Kweiteh and assured them they would be well received at Süchow, but that there were Communist guerrillas along the railroad to the east.Forty-five miles down the railroad the train halted at the station at Tangshan. The Japanese stationmaster informed the Korean interpreters that the railroad had been sabotaged up the line and that Communists, Japanese, and Chinese puppet troops were fighting in the area. The train was going to remain in the town until the rails had been repaired and the fighting ended. Birch and his party discussed their options. Ogle proposed that the four Americans go on alone. Birch decided they would all go and commandeered the locomotive and a baggage car. After only 10 miles, the locomotive came to a halt when the engineer saw that the rails ahead had been removed. Ogle and Birch went into a village to hire coolies but learned that Communists had come in the night before and killed most of the men. A Japanese work crew arrived with new rails. Birch commandeered the handcar and told the Japanese commander to have his men move it over the break.After spending the night in a village about a mile down the tracks, Birch and his party got under way again early the next morning, with each man taking turns pumping the handcar in the hot China sun. Sometime before noon they ran into a group of about 300 Communists, all carrying arms. The Americans and Chinese were all in uniform, and Birch wore the well-known Flying Tiger insignia of the Fourteenth Air Force on his arm. There was little doubt who they were. Birch took Lieutenant Tung ahead of the party to meet the Communists, identifying himself as Captain John Birch of the American intelligence services on a mission under the orders of General Wedemeyer. He asked to be taken to their “responsible man.”One of the Communists said he would take them to their leader, but they must first disarm. Birch refused, responding that the Americans and Chinese were allies and must respect each other. The Communist argued for a time, then gave in and took Birch to a man he identified as their commanding officer. The officer demanded that he be allowed to examine the men’s equipment, and Birch refused, replying that their equipment was the property of the U.S. government and not for personal use. He advised the Communist that the United States dealt harshly with thieves and demanded that they be allowed on their way.Birch Grabbed Their Guide by the Collar and Said, “What are You People? If I say Bandits, You Don’t Look Like Bandits. You are Worse Than Bandits.”Over the next few hours the party encountered several groups of Chinese Communists but managed to make its way through them. Birch griped constantly about the Communists, referring to them as nothing but common thieves and bandits. His men realized he was agitated and feared for their lives. When a pair of North American P-51 Mustang fighters flew over at low altitude, they attempted to signal them, but without success.Lieutenant Tung proceeded ahead of the party to deal with the Communists. When they reached the town of Hwang Kao, Tung entered the railroad station and found it occupied by hostile-looking Chinese. He advised them that they were on a mission to Süchow for General Wedemeyer and asked to speak to their “responsible man.” When one of the Communists blurted out that they must disarm the Americans, Tung replied that if they attempted to do so it would cause a serious misunderstanding. The senior officer told Tung he would send someone with him back to the party, but Tung heard him advise the man to take his gun along and if anything happened to shoot Tung first.Lt. Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, overall Allied commander in China and chief of staff to Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-Shek, chats with the Generalissimo.By this time, Birch was thoroughly incensed at the treatment he and his men were receiving from their reputed allies. When Tung and the Communist joined the party, he asked the Communist if he was “another bandit.” General Peng, the Chinese collaborator, and Albert Grimes advised Birch to take it easy. When Tung told Birch that the Communists intended to disarm them, Birch exploded, blurting out that Americans had liberated the entire world, but now the Communists wanted to disarm him and his men! The Communist told Birch that he was not the “responsible man” but that he would take them to him, but that since they refused to disarm, he would not be responsible for anything that happened. Tung later reported that he and Birch expected the Communists to let them pass, then shoot them in the back.Finally, a Communist wearing the Sam Browne belt that identified him as an officer told Birch that he could see their responsible man. Ogle and Grimes insisted that they go along, but Birch told them to wait with the rest of the party and he and Tung would proceed alone. Tung later reported that Birch told him that he wanted to see how the Communists were going to treat Americans and that he did not care whether they killed him. If they did, America would punish them with atom bombs. At one point Birch grabbed their guide by his collar and said, “What are you people? If I say bandits, you don’t look like bandits. You are worse than bandits.” Tung told the Communists that Birch was joking.A little later someone called out, “Look, here is our leader.” Birch and Tung turned and saw that they were referring to the man in the Sam Browne belt. The officer told his men to load their guns and disarm Birch. Tung had taken off his sidearm earlier and told the Communists to let him get Birch’s gun in order to avoid “a serious misunderstanding.” The officer ordered one of his men to shoot Tung, which he did. He then told a soldier to shoot the American. The Communist hesitated, then fired a shot into Birch’s leg. Shortly afterward, Tung passed out from loss of blood. When he woke up, he was lying in a ditch next to Birch’s lifeless body.Word of John Birch’s death soon reached other OSS operatives. When Bill Miller arrived in Süchow, he was informed that Communists had killed his friend. Japanese soldiers and friendly Chinese found Tung and Birch’s bodies and took them to Süchow, where Tung was hospitalized. Both Tung and Birch had been badly beaten, and an autopsy found evidence that after Birch had been shot in the leg, he had been bound and then shot in the back of the head. His face had been slashed beyond recognition by bayonets. Miller was able to identify the body by Birch’s general build and from photographs taken when it was found.The senior Japanese officer at Süchow had refused to surrender to the Communists and waited for someone from the Nationalists to arrive in the city. He was sympathetic to Miller for the loss of his friend and offered his services to conduct an appropriate military funeral. Miller, the Japanese, Chinese puppet officers, and Jesuit missionaries who were in the city planned the funeral together. Two other Americans, pilots who had been killed in a crash near the city, would be interred along with Birch. A Catholic high mass was held for the young fundamentalist Baptist, and after the mass the entourage of Japanese and Chinese officers and Jesuits led a procession through the city to the music of a Japanese military band. The coffins were carried by 24 coolies. The three bodies were interred in a plot on the side of a mountain just outside the city. A Chinese Protestant conducted a graveside service. Japanese soldiers fired the traditional volley as the bodies were lowered into their graves.Frequent contributor Sam McGowan is a pilot and resident of the Houston, Texas, area. He has written extensively on World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater.China-Burma-India Theater of World War II (Feb 1, 1945)The Adventures of Captain John BirchThe John Birch Society Published on Dec 11, 2007John Birch, missionary and American intelligence officer in China during WWII, spreads a message of hope while risking his life behind enemy lines. During a chance meeting, he is led to Colonel James H. Doolittle and members of the World War II raiding party that had just completed the dramatic and legendary bombing raid on Tokyo, in April, 1942. This accidental meeting behind enemy lines proved to be the rescue the airmen had hoped for. With his encyclopedic knowledge of the language, customs, and geography of China, Birch was able to convey Doolittle and the crews of many of the other American bombers to safety in free China.Birch, an American Baptist missionary serving in China since 1940, then became an intelligence analyst as a second lieutenant with the China Air Task Force of the American Army—General Claire Chennault's legendary "Flying Tigers." He was the first American to live and work in the field with a Chinese army fighting against the Japanese. Performing high-risk intelligence-gathering missions on the ground, Birch earned the reputation as "the eyes of the 14th Air Force," devising an early warning system that enabled U.S. air units to come to the aid of Chinese units under enemy attack. He also organized a rescue system for pilots who were shot down by the Japanese. Chennault credited Birch with the fact that 90 percent of his downed flyers were rescued.The story of Birch is not as well-known as Doolittle's raid, but plays an integral role in leading the downed airmen to safety. Without Birch, many more of the raid may not have survived to tell their story nor perhaps would victory come as quickly as it did in then free China. Ten days after the war, Birch was killed by Chinese Communists as he was on his way to rendezvous with small pockets of Japanese soldiers, who were to surrender to him. Birch would never know the fact that details of his death were kept from the American people. Nor would he know of Robert Welch, who would found an organization bearing his name and who would continue Birch's quest to spread the message of freedom. He also would not know that his parents would proudly accept life memberships into the organization.John Birch: A Life: Terry Lautz: 9780190262891: Amazon.com: BooksJohn Birch was better known in death than life. Shot and killed by Communists in China in 1945, he posthumously became the namesake for a right-wing organization whose influence is still visible in today's Tea Party. This is the remarkable story of who he actually was: an American missionary-turned-soldier who wanted to save China, but became a victim instead.Terry Lautz, a longtime scholar of U.S.-China relations, has investigated archives, spoken with three of Birch's brothers, found letters written to the women he loved, and visited sites in China where he lived and died. The result, John Birch: A Life, is the first authoritative biography of this fascinating figure whose name was used for a political cause.Raised as a Baptist fundamentalist, Birch became a missionary to China prior to America's entry into the Second World War. After Pearl Harbor, he volunteered for the U.S. Army in China, served with Claire Chennault, commander of the famed Flying Tigers, and operated behind enemy lines as an intelligence officer. He planned to resume his missionary work after the war, but was killed in a dispute with Communist troops just days after Japan's surrender.During the heyday of the Cold War in the 1950s, Robert Welch, a retired businessman from Boston, chose Birch as the figurehead for the John Birch Society, believing that his death was evidence of conspiracy at the highest levels of government. The Birch Society became one of the most polarizing organizations of its time, and the name of John Birch became synonymous with right-wing extremism.Cutting through the layers of mythology surrounding Birch, Lautz deftly presents his life and his afterlife, placing him not only in the context of anti-communism but in the longstanding American quest to shape China's destiny.Editorial Reviews"Lautz skillfully provides one of the most important benefits of scholarly study - the correction of ignorant assumptions through disseminating historical fact. Lautz's effective, four-part account of Birch's 27 years provdies readers an opportunity to examine 20th-century fundamentalism, relatively unknown military efforts of WWII, the postwar rise of communism in China and anti-communism in the US. A valuable addition to any collection."-Choice"This remarkable book made clear to me how wrong I was in my assessment of John Birch. Because his name is associated with the right-wing John Birch Society, I assumed he personified its extreme views. Read this gracefully written biography and learn the fascinating truth about this extraordinary Christian, patriot, and good man."-Lee H. Hamilton, U.S. House of Representatives, former member, and U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council"With the support of extensive and highly original research, Terry Lautz has written a fascinating and informative biography of John Birch, allegedly the 'first victim of the Cold War.' This is the engaging story of the real person behind the myth, and why and how the former was transformed into the latter as a symbol of conservative politics in America."-Chen Jian, Hu Shih Professor of History and U.S.-China Relations, Cornell University"This engaging study of the life and legacy of John Birch offers an illuminating read for anyone interested in the American missionary and military experience in China or the politics of anti-Communism in the U.S. Based on exhaustive archival and interview research, Terry Lautz's wonderful book is full of surprises about the origins of the infamous John Birch Society and the (unlikely) man in whose name it was founded."-Elizabeth J. Perry, Henry Rosovosky Professor of Government at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute"A fascinating window into the tumultuous events of American involvement in China during World War II. Lautz's depiction of the John Birch affair provides the human story behind a mythical figure in American political life. This is an eye-opening account that scholars as well as general readers interested in American and Chinese history and politics will value."-David Shambaugh, George Washington University and The Brookings Institution"Most treatments of Birch's life have tended to present it as a short preface to the history of the society carrying his name. But now, in "John Birch: A Life" (Oxford), Terry Lautz reverses the usual proportions and presents a biography of Birch in which the society figures as a sort of epilogue. Lautz has the kind of credentials-a trustee of the Harvard-Yenching Institute; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations-guaranteed to give fits to any Bircher past or present, but his book is thorough, judicious, and, except for a few overdone academic references to Cold War "paranoia," respectful of larger historical realities. Even conservatives near the mainstream's right bank will be hard-pressed to see it as another anti-anti-Communist undertaking." --Thomas Mallon, -The New Yorker"Lautz sorts the real story from the 'lunatic fringe'. A useful work that elucidates both the U.S. role in China and some elements of the contemporary conservative mindset." -Kirkus Reviews"Lautz rounds out a commendable study that fills a significant scholarly gap." - Publishers Weekly"Mr. Lautz's meticulous, readable book tells the whole story, from Birch's birth in India to missionary parents to his controversial afterlife. It is a pungent and poignant tale that touches on several major themes of midcentury history-Western evangelism in China, U.S. relations with the Chinese Communists and the caustic accusations of treachery made against American officials after those Communists took power in 1949." --Richard Bernstein, Wall Street Journal"The only way to learn about the real John Birch is to read about him - and Lautz's biography is the right place to start." --John J. Miller, National Review"Beyond bringing us back to a chapter of irrationalism in our past, Lautz's equally interesting contribution is to rescue John Birch, the man, from obscurity and from the society that pirated his name." --Gabriel Schoenfeld, lThe Weekly Standard'"Lautz painstakingly reconstructs the brief life of this missionary, soldier and spy, who arrived in China to save souls in 1940 and was shot dead by Communist soldiers five years later. Birch becomes a case study in the "well-meaning idealism and misguided adventurism" that had animated the interest of Americans in China since the 19th century... Lautz has written an enlightening reflection on a complex history." --Global Asia"In his splendid new biography "John Birch: A Life," Terry Lautz of Syracuse University asks many questions about Birch's life and legend. The first, in the opening pages, is the most compelling: How did a young, obscure lieutenant killed in a remote province of China become the namesake of an anti-communist organization whose zealous supporters shook the foundation of American political life?" --Alaska Dispatch NewsAbout the Author: Terry Lautz is a Moynihan Research Scholar at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and former vice president of the Henry Luce Foundation. He is also a director of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, trustee of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He graduated from Harvard College, served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, and holds an MA and PhD from Stanford University.Who Was John Birch?By Rick FlandersMost people who have heard of John Birch associate his name with the John Birch Society, a public-policy educational association founded in the 1950s to combat communism. But the truth is that if nobody had named an organization for him, his name would be properly honored today, especially by fundamental Baptists. On August 25, 1945, John Birch was murdered in China, which was a significant event at the beginning of the Cold War because he was killed by Communists who, at the time, were supposed to be our allies. The seventieth anniversary of his murder occurs this year, and there are many reasons for Christians to remind themselves at this time of who this great man was.HE DID NOT FOUND THE JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY. The John Birch Society was organized in 1957, but not by John Birch, who had been dead for more than a decade. The founder was Robert Welch, a successful candy manufacturer who had made himself a serious student of world events and saw the need to take action against forces he saw were threatening the freedom of the United States and the so-called “Free World.” The society was named for John Birch because of the significance of his death to the larger situation we called the Cold War. Not only was the young Birch killed by the Communists, but the murder was covered up by the United States government. This cover-up of an act of aggression against us by the Communists, along with several more such cover-ups that were exposed in the post-war era, revealed a tangled web of treason and conspiracy that moved some to take action for the preservation of their liberty from powerful forces that threatened them. The death of John Birch, and the efforts of the American government to hide the facts about it, demonstrated the awful predicament in which our nation has been since World War Two. It also relates the remarkable story of the bravery and dedication of a young American Christian to his country and to his Lord in the face of great peril.HE WAS A BAPTIST PREACHER! John Birch was born in India to Presbyterian missionary parents in 1918, and was twenty-seven years old when he died. At seven years of age, he was “born again” (read John 3:1-17) by trusting in Jesus Christ for his salvation after hearing the gospel in the Baptist church his parents (who had been Presbyterians but left them over theological liberalism) had joined. When he was eleven, he surrendered to the Lord’s call to be a missionary. John was a dedicated Christian as a teenager and a strong Bible-believer as were his parents. When the time came for him to go to college, he went to a Southern Baptist Convention institution, Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, to begin ministerial training. He was already an accomplished preacher and preached often as a student, even pastoring a Baptist church for a time while in school.HE WAS A FUNDAMENTALIST. As a student at Mercer, John Birch came to see clearly the issue of infidelity in the churches, and took a stand against professors at the university who were undermining the faith of the students. He also had a chance to hear the famous fundamentalist preacher, J. Frank Norris, preach against what in those days was called “modernism” (a term for the liberal theology that had crept into the churches, which questioned or denied cardinal doctrines of the Christian Faith), and determined to take his stand. In his senior year, Birch united with a dozen other Mercer students to petition the state Baptist convention to investigate certain teachers on charges of heresy. In the midst of the furor that ensued, University officials threatened to expel the upstart. The newspapers made his name a household word in Macon, in either positive or in negative terms. In time, the heresy charges failed to convict the professors, and John Birch finished his senior year. He was graduated magna cum laud from Mercer. Instead of going on to a Southern Baptist seminary to further his education, he enrolled in the new Fundamental Baptist Bible Institute that had been organized in Fort Worth, Texas, by Norris, who was a leader in the national “fundamentalist” movement. Fundamentalists contended that Christianity must be defined in terms of the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, and that those who denied any of these cardinal tenets of the Faith, even if they are ordained ministers, are not really Christians. Fundamentalism was a grassroots movement in the historically evangelical churches against the influence of liberalism. John Birch was an all-out fundamentalist, and his intentions were to train to be a missionary and go to China to help the Baptist fundamentalists who were laboring courageously and faithfully there.HE WAS A MISSIONARY. In 1939, God sent John Birch to China as an independent Baptist missionary. He worked with two legendary fundamental Baptist men, Oscar Wells and Fred Donnellson. When he arrived, China was torn in the conflict that became the Second World War. Japan had invaded China, and the United States was putting pressure on them while seeking to stay out of the war. The government of Nationalist Chaing Kai-Shek over China was being challenged both by a Communist insurrection and the Japanese invasion. As the war progressed, his missionary support diminished to a trickle, and the place of his service came under Japanese control. Nevertheless he vigorously and zealously spread the Gospel, won souls to Christ, and nourished the Baptist churches in occupied China. American interest in the plight of China brought military help from the United States even before Peart Harbor. Volunteers from our country formed a unit of air force to aid the Chinese that was famously called “The Flying Tigers,” which fought the Japanese bravely until they were absorbed into the U.S. Army after we entered the war. All this time John Birch served the spiritual needs of the Chinese people with the war raging around him.HE WAS A PATRIOT. In this situation, Birch volunteered to join the United States Army. He made application to be enlisted, based on two appeals: (1) he wanted to help his country and the Chinese he came to serve, and (2) he needed an income. He argued that his fluency in the language and familiarity with the culture of the people would make him valuable to the war effort of the United States. As an ordained Baptist minister, he was seeking appointment as a chaplain. Eventually he made an attempt to join General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers, the fighting unit of American volunteers this great man commanded. It was the general that told Birch that they had no need for a chaplain, but that they did need an intelligence officer who could work behind Japanese lines and provide important information for the 14th Air Force (as the Flying Tigers came to be known). Eventually Birch was appointed an officer and served in the Army during World War II while he served the Lord as a missionary and an evangelist in war-torn China. He preached on Sundays and spied for Chennault during the week. After Birch was killed, General Chennault said, “John was more than just a very good officer in my command. In fact, I have always felt toward him as a father might feel toward a son.” In a letter to the Birch family after John’s death, General Charles Stone, his commander after Chennault, commended his service.“As an intelligence liaison officer of the Fourteenth Air Force, Captain Birch performed invaluable services which greatly aided the achievement of ultimate victory. His work was performed to a great extent behind enemy lines and often under hazardous conditions, in circumstances of extreme personal hardship and immediate danger. His unassuming manner, unswerving loyalty, and personal courage earned him the respect and admiration of officers and enlisted men among both American and Chinese units.”John Birch played a unique role in wartime China: he was a combination of Baptist missionary and American intelligence officer. His service at to both God and country was virtually unprecedented.HE WAS A HERO. While interviewing with General Chennault regarding his application to serve in the Army, Birch played an important role in the renowned mission of Colonel Jimmy Doolittle to bombard Tokyo. After the attack on Japan, Doolittle’s squadron of planes ran into trouble over China, as the famous flier’s plane ran out of fuel. He and his comrades wandered the Chinese landscape until providentially they ran into John Birch. Birch and his cohorts were able to get the great pilot and his men to American troops and safety. The news of his heroic efforts in this incident gave Birch credibility and favor before General Chennault, and got him a commission as captain. As the war with Japan came to a close, Birch had proven himself to be a remarkable soldier. He also had come to serious spiritual and political conclusions about the significance of the war. He wrote to his family,“I believe that this war will set the stage for Antichrist. I’ll have a lot to tell you when I get home. Things about the future of China and of the world.”As he prepared to come home, John Birch was to fulfill one more mission. Under orders of General Albert Wedemeyer, commander of American forces in China, he and ten other soldiers (three Americans, five Chinese, and two Koreans) were to take a train to Suchow to inspect the airport there before Birch would make his way back to the United States. In their journey the eleven where detained by Communists and eventually John Birch and his Chinese personal aid were shot and Birch was killed. The aid (whose name was Tung) was badly wounded and basically left for dead but survived and gave an eyewitness account of the captain’s abuse at the hands of the Communists. John Birch repeatedly refused to surrender weapons and other equipment carried by his men, insisting that since the war was over and Americans were supposed to be allies of the Communists, they were under no obligation to be subject to this treatment. They would not be disarmed by the Red Chinese. The arguments were heated and repeated. Tung warned John Birch against antagonizing the Communists, and several times the captain replied, “Never mind, Lieutenant, I want to see how the Communists treat Americans. If they kill me, America will stop the Communist movement [advance] with atom bombs.” They did kill him. He was buried we think in Suchow. But instead of holding the Communists responsible for this hostile action, the American government decided that the incident should not be made known. The story of the murder of John Birch became a tightly-guarded secret.HE WAS A WITNESS FOR JESUS CHRIST!In a letter to his parents in 1944, John testified,“If my hour to depart should strike, I am ready to go, thanks to the merits of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”The source of his bravery in the final hours of his service to his country was the assurance John Birch had in his mind and in his heart that he would go to Heaven. His decision to risk his life by standing for the rightful interests of the United States was based on the conviction that his life could be a sacrifice for the betterment of the world. All of these amazing qualities in the life of John Birch resulted from the work of grace wrought in his heart by Jesus Christ.After the war a newspaper reporter who had spent much time in China (Adeline Gray) wrote in amazing terms about John’s life and service in a letter to his parents.“Yesterday, I read of John Birch’s death in the [Washington, D.C.] Evening Star and was very shocked. Your son was one of the finest men who ever came to China. He never drank, smoked, swore, or did an unkind thing to anyone. He believed that wars were due and are due to lack of religion. He talked of this in most lofty and beautiful worded sentences. He exerted a profound effect upon the thousands of people who came in contact with him…“His loss is a great loss not only to China, but to America and the world. He loved China and the Chinese people dearly and planned to stay in China all his life. During the war he performed many dangerous and heroic feats. As a member of the U. S. Army Intelligence, he often was parachuted out into Japanese areas and spent weeks and months behind the lines. He was a beloved man of the U.S. Army in China; he was widely known all over China…“I understand that no news agency was allowed to send out the story of your son’s death from China for fear of arousing Chinese Communists and American relations to a higher pitch of instability and ill-will. So his death was not mentioned in any news story from China. Otherwise, it would have been on the front page of every paper in the U.S.”On the Fourth of July in 1945, he had written a letter home that eloquently stated his perception of the need of the world:“There is only one real problem in the world with all its complicated evils, and there is only one answer, amidst the maze of futile plans. Here is the problem and the answer: ‘The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Romans 6:23).”Over the years after his death, the heroism and martyrdom of John Birch occasionally leaked out from the classified report, with statements made about him in Congress and the press. But the report itself was never seen by the public until it was de-classified in 1980. However, the testimonies of soldiers and family-members who knew his story have inspired thousands of Christians and patriots for seventy years. How he lived, what he said, and what he did tell us all that there is more to life than staying alive, that only in Christ can the needs of men be met, and that the still-spreading collectivist conquest of nations is evil at its core and essentially spiritual in its errors. May he be remembered, and the lessons of his life heeded.Have you bowed to Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior? Reader, have you received the gift of eternal life by faith in the Son of God? Christian friend, will you stand bravely for the truth of God in these dark days when many may be challenged to pay a price to live for Christ? As we remember John Birch, may the Lord use the testimony of his life and death to draw us to love the One Who loved us, and gave Himself for our salvation.“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”(Revelation 6:9-10)SOURCES OF INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN BIRCH:Welch, Robert. The Life of John Birch. Belmont, Massachusetts: Western Islands, 1960.Hefley, James and Marti. The Secret File on John Birch. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1981.The John Birch Society, 770 N. Westhill Blvd., Appleton, WI 54914—920.749.3780.Arlington Baptist College, 3001 West Division, Arlington, Texas 76012—817.461.8741: ask for information on John Birch.

Q. What are the most creative methods colleges have used to advertise admission?A2A:50 Creative Ways Colleges Are Recruiting Students Today5 New Ways Colleges Are Reaching High School Students (usnews.com)For decades, schools have made college recruiting an art. From slick marketing packages to the ultimate campus visit, there are seemingly endless ways to entice new students to enroll. But these days, admissions staff are armed with a whole new set of tricks, thanks to technology developments, social media, and good old-fashioned ingenuity.Rating systems: More schools are tracking data on prospective students, developing rating systems and devoting more or less time to each student based on the likelihood that they would enroll.Interactive video game tours: At DePauw University, students can take a tour of the campus through an interactive video game.Appearing to be more selective: Some colleges hope that exclusivity will breed desire, cutting out early acceptance programs and making the acceptance process just a little more cutthroat.Going green: Green living and environmental technology is a big deal these days, and colleges have gotten on board, attracting students with green facilities, cafeterias, and even educational offerings.Different protocol for different candidates: Schools are changing the way they deal with adult recruits, offering a more tailored recruiting experience for non-traditional students.Special programs: Colleges who make a home for a certain type of student are bound to attract more, like the University of Pittsburgh has done with its group for students with autism and Asperger’s.Freebies:Would you choose a college based on getting a free iPad? That’s what the Illinois Institute of Technology was counting on when it announced that it would be giving free Apple iPads to all incoming undergraduate freshmen, and it worked.Free tuition: A free iPad’s nice and all, but what about free tuition? It’s a reality at the University of New Haven’s business school, offering free tuition to a student with the next great entrepreneurial idea. iPads are also available as prizes, as well as gift cards to the bookstore.Short films and viral videos: Alumni filmmakers and students often create viral videos or short films that share what’s great about their alma mater, bringing new students to campus.Student blogs: To build credibility among prospective students, MIT features 10 student blogs on its site.Email follow-ups: Email is a major part of creative college recruiting today, with many colleges sending out email blasts and follow-up messages.Salary reports: In recruiting mail-outs, Stanford is careful to highlight one of its best features: the great salary students will enjoy with a Stanford degree. The school included PayScale - Salary Comparison, Salary Survey, Search Wages statistics that explain just how valuable a Stanford degree can be.Groupon promotions: National Louis University recently made history as the first academic institution to offer a daily deal promotion on Groupon, sharing a three-credit course that could be applied to a graduate degree.Courting valedictorians: Valedictorians are the Holy Grail of college recruitment, so many colleges offer the top scholarships. Often, schools will send out letters informing valedictorians of their available merit scholarship.One-on-one connections: With social media, admissions officers are able to offer one-on-one connections with potential students, letting them know how important they are and that they should apply.Podcasts: Allegheny College shares a series of podcasts featuring faculty members and undergraduates that prospective applicants to listen to and explore what the college has to offer.Sponsored search results: Colleges want to make sure they’re in the results when students search for colleges online, so many of them have used sponsored search results including Google AdWords and Yahoo! Sponsored Search.Overseas agents: Although it’s an illegal practice in the U.S., some colleges are able to send agents overseas to attract international students. These agents advertise and go to recruitment fairs in foreign countries, something that most colleges don’t have the resources to do without outside help.Unique clubs and activities: Groups like the MIT Assassins Guild, University of Kentucky Rock-Paper-Scissors Club, and the Princeton Mime Company attract students with their unique offerings.Text marketing:Ads on radio, TV, and in theaters get students to connect with colleges using their cell phones, encouraging them to text their email address for more information.Student-led photos: Schools used to just take photos of campus and put them on their website, but now, they’re using Instagram streams and tagging to encourage students to take the lead and share their own photos.Amazing dorm rooms: Academics are just part of the equation when it comes to choosing a college: dorm rooms are a big deal, too. So many universities are beefing up their dorm amenities to attract students, with bathroom renovations, larger spaces, appliances, and new furniture.Facebook forums:These days, college Facebook pages often turn into Q&A forums during admissions season, allowing students to ask questions about the school.Live chat sessions: Students who are interested in a college can drop in and chat with admissions officers in live chats to learn more about the campus and admissions process.YouTube applications: Tuft University recently allowed prospective students to create a YouTube video as a supplement to their application, and many have gotten thousands of hits on the site.Social media date reminders: Admissions officers on social media keep their schools at the forefront of students’ minds by posting reminders, news, and application deadlines on Facebook and Twitter.Tuition freezes: As the cost of higher education rises each year, schools that can offer a better deal are attracting a lot of attention. Some schools are even freezing tuition in the hopes of increasing enrollment.Virtual college fairs: Some students simply don’t have time to visit with admissions representatives in person, so many colleges are offering virtual college fairs to make it easier and attract more students.QR codes: Using QR codes, colleges are able to get students quickly connected with the recruitment information they want to share.Stronger student support: At Ashford University, the admissions staff has been slashed to better allow the school to support students. Instead, there will be a new department to work with prospective students to make sure they’re prepared for a university education.Hosting Hangouts:Using Google+ Hangouts, colleges reach out to students by hosting video chats explaining the school, academics, and admissions.Parent chats: Parents can be major decision makers in the admissions process, so some universities host video chats not just for students, but parents as well.Student Facebook pages: At MIT, there’s a student-run Facebook page for accepted students, offering an authentic look into the school for prospective students.Student ambassadors: Schools like CUNY use their students to reach out to recruits in area high schools, posting fliers and ads, and hosting recruiting sessions of their own.Accelerated courses: In today’s instant gratification society, students want their degrees, like, yesterday, and with accelerated courses, colleges are able to make that happen, making classes longer, but terms shorter.Good, old-fashioned phone calls: In today’s world of online interaction, some schools take an older, more personal approach: phone calls. It doesn’t work for every student, but some are impressed by the personal touch.Incredible facilities: Some universities seem to be in a facilities arms race to attract the most students with bigger and better new buildings. They’re splurging on high-profile architects to create spaces that are sure to bring in new students.Web history tracking: Some schools track the pages students visit on their site and customize their Web experience, giving them pages that are of post interest to them.Skyping: Group video chats work well, but some schools are finding that one-on-one video conversations between counselors and students work well, too.Facebook contests: At Misericordia University in Pennsylvania, the school offered bookstore gift certificates to freshen who replaced their Facebook profile photos with the university logo.Highlighting alumni on social media: Many colleges are calling attention to the fact that they have great alumni, and social media outlets are a great place to do it.Free travel: Many Massachusetts colleges have made it a point to attract more diverse candidates to their campuses. During recruitment season, Amherst flies almost 200 potential students from around the country in to participate in “diversity open houses,” and offers then two round-trip plane tickets to use every year, making it easier for them to visit family back home.Mobile websites: As more students use their phones to connect to the web, colleges are making sites that are mobile-ready, making it easy for students to browse what they have to offer.Mobile apps: In addition to mobile sites, some schools have taken it a step further and created mobile apps that students can take on the go to explore their schools.Webcasting: Webcasts and web conferences offer a large forum for prospective students to ask questions and share answers with the entire group.Showcasing activities: Social media is a great place for colleges to share the campus lifestyle, including events and activities that potential students may enjoy.Personalized websites: At schools like Case Western Reserve, students sign on to personalized portals. For example, students who express an interest in engineering will be greeted with news about engineering on campus and links to profiles of professors or other students in the field.Incomplete application follow-ups: Instead of allowing incomplete applications to sit and rot, many schools are following up with these students to make sure they come back to complete the application.Unique campus tours: Tour a campus by bike or boat, and you’ll get a whole new perspective and appreciation of what the school has to offer. At least, that’s what some colleges are hoping for as they introduce more unique campus tours to their potential students.Business partnerships: At the graduate level, schools are partnering with businesses to bring in new students for further education and growth in their schools.5 New Ways Colleges Are Reaching High School Students (usnews.com)Each fall, the recruiting season seems to be the same process for colleges and universities: Send recruitment mailers to prospective students who signed up online or at college fairs to receive information and wait for them to arrive on campus for the standard tour and Q&A session.While discussions about rejuvenating the recruitment strategy presumably take place in admissions offices annually, the threat of declining applications due to a new campaign that flops may be serving as a roadblock to innovation."I think you can get so caught up in trying to be different or unusual that it could backfire on you," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission at Hamilton College in New York. "There's something safe, too, about being one of the pack."Still, there are some colleges and universities that are breathing new life into the recruiting process in order to supplement—or buck—the traditions. Here are five examples of schools using social media and technology to connect with prospective college students.[See how technology is changing classrooms around the country.]1. QR codes: Colleges and universities are increasingly experimenting with posting QR codes in school publications and recruitment mailers. A QR code, short for Quick Response code, is essentially a barcode that sends users to a Web address with the snap of smartphone's camera.At Hamilton College, dean Inzer began seeing the black and white squares everywhere on campus. When the time came to plan for the annual fall admissions poster, the college created one that featured only a giant QR code, which leads visitors to a custom welcome page from the school.The poster, which has generated about 1,200 visits to the Hamilton website so far, was a diversion from the normal goal of an admissions poster: to have "your [campus] picture be prettier than the other pretty pictures" of colleges featured in a high school, according to Inzer."The beauty of this campus is one of its selling points," Inzer says. "[But] there was only an upside with this. If people are talking about this [poster] and trying to figure out how to access the page, that's exactly what we want."Knute Gailor, a junior at Hamilton, says the poster has had an effect in the high school he attended, as he's heard from students asking for more information about the college. "I heard from one [who] said, 'Hey, that's really cool,'" he says. "And the other one called up and said, 'Hamilton's got this poster in the guidance office. I don't know what to do with it.' So, I think it's probably had a mixed impact."2. Video chats: College officials traditionally have had only one opportunity to interact face to face with the many prospective students who live too far from campus to make multiple trips. But with the proliferation of video chat technology, Ohio Wesleyan University has been able to meet with students, no matter where in the world they are located.[Discover how high school students are using Skype to learn.]During the academic year, the university hosts four or five group video chats for students and their parents, says Rebecca Eckstein, vice president for enrollment at Ohio Wesleyan. "It gives students and parents a feel for who we are and what we have to offer," she says.Each chat has a theme, ranging from admissions counselors discussing the application and enrollment process to current students sharing stories about their study abroad experiences.Students have responded positively to the chats, notes Eckstein, as 220 of the 260 students who participated in a video chat last year applied to the university, and 92 ultimately enrolled.Kalynne Trembly, a freshman at Ohio Wesleyan, credits these video chats with helping her make her college decision. "I remember getting off the first video chat, and I [said], 'Mom, I want to go here. I feel so much more sure about my choice.'"3. Facebook contests: Despite being established in 1924, Misericordia University in Pennsylvania is still battling for awareness in its region, says Jim Roberts, director of marketing communications—so it turned to Facebook.To engage with incoming freshmen and reach prospective students, the school offered university bookstore gift certificates as prizes to incoming freshmen who replaced their Facebook profile pictures with the university logo.[Learn why colleges are bringing campuses to Facebook.]Of the roughly 370 incoming Misericordia freshmen, 63 students participated during the two-week summer contest—a success, according to Roberts. The university took the uncommon step of creating a friend profile on Facebook, rather than a fan page, to engage with individual students. This made tracking the contest more manageable since students "friend" the university on the social network, giving the school access to their public posts."The fact that we could monitor the conversations that their friends were having about the [profile pictures] really made us think that the contest was successful," Roberts says.[Find out why colleges are using Facebook to research students.]4. Tweeting behind the scenes: Colleges' traditional recruiting practices have typically been one-sided conversations, says Cory Chandler, marketing supervisor for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Texas Tech University. "In the past, there was no other option than to rely [only] on printed materials," Chandler says.In an effort to add depth to the printed materials, Texas Tech used Twitter to cover a photo shoot for a story included in the annual recruiting mailer. The school Tweeted updates using a hashtag and shared photos and videos of the shoot—which chronicled a student lab on Texas Tech's campus that had recently been named by Popular Science as one of the country's "Most Awesome College Labs."[Read about five unique uses of Twitter in the classroom.]"We wanted to bring kids in to what is going on behind the scenes [in recruitment]," Chandler says, "Almost making it an event, as opposed to just a piece of mail."5. YouTube video series: College recruitment videos typically promote what's best about a school, and often claim that any student can make that particular campus feel like home. But that is not the strategy the New School in New York City has implemented in its "Are You New School?" recruiting videos, says Cory Meyers, director of admission communications."We're not trying to be everything to everyone, and that's going to turn some students off—and we're kind of OK with that," Meyers notes.The series of videos, which are hosted on YouTube, feature student voices discussing topics not commonly heard on recruitment videos, from the school's dating scene to students being intimidated by the city. It's these honest, uncensored clips that separate New School's videos from other colleges and universities, says Meyers."Obviously, the New School is a little bit more progressive and out there than some of your more traditional institutions," he acknowledges. "So I doubt a lot of schools would have videos with students cursing in them … but, ultimately, we don't want to hide who we are."

I usually don’t answer to anonymous trolls, and I won’t do it now, but since Quora team returns with the same question again and again, I will let World’s most credible society to give an answer through their protest to USA President Barack Obama, signed by at least more than 350 respectful Academics worl-wide:To The Honorable Barack ObamaPresident, United States of AmericaWhite House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20500Dear President Obama,We, the undersigned scholars of Graeco-Roman antiquity, respectfully request that you intervene to clean up some of the historical debris left in southeast Europe by the previous U.S. administration.On November 4, 2004, two days after the re-election of President George W. Bush, his administration unilaterally recognized the “Republic of Macedonia.” This action not only abrogated geographic and historic fact, but it also has unleashed a dangerous epidemic of historical revisionism, of which the most obvious symptom is the misappropriation by the government in Skopje of the most famous of Macedonians, Alexander the Great.We believe that this silliness has gone too far, and that the U.S.A. has no business in supporting the subversion of history. Let us review facts. (The documentation for these facts [here in boldface] can be found attached and at: http://macedonia-evidence.org/documentation.html)The land in question, with its modern capital at Skopje, was called Paionia in antiquity. Mts. Barnous and Orbelos (which form today the northern limits of Greece) provide a natural barrier that separated, and separates, Macedonia from its northern neighbor. The only real connection is along the Axios/Vardar River and even this valley “does not form a line of communication because it is divided by gorges.”While it is true that the Paionians were subdued by Philip II, father of Alexander, in 358 B.C. they were not Macedonians and did not live in Macedonia. Likewise, for example, the Egyptians, who were subdued by Alexander, may have been ruled by Macedonians, including the famous Cleopatra, but they were never Macedonians themselves, and Egypt was never called Macedonia.Rather, Macedonia and Macedonian Greeks have been located for at least 2,500 years just where the modern Greek province of Macedonia is. Exactly this same relationship is true for Attica and Athenian Greeks, Argos and Argive Greeks, Corinth and Corinthian Greeks, etc.We do not understand how the modern inhabitants of ancient Paionia, who speak Slavic – a language introduced into the Balkans about a millennium after the death of Alexander – can claim him as their national hero. Alexander the Great was thoroughly and indisputably Greek. His great-great-great grandfather, Alexander I, competed in the Olympic Games where participation was limited to Greeks.Even before Alexander I, the Macedonians traced their ancestry to Argos, and many of their kings used the head of Herakles - the quintessential Greek hero - on their coins.Euripides – who died and was buried in Macedonia– wrote his play Archelaos in honor of the great-uncle of Alexander, and in Greek. While in Macedonia, Euripides also wrote the Bacchai, again in Greek. Presumably the Macedonian audience could understand what he wrote and what they heard.Alexander’s father, Philip, won several equestrian victories at Olympia and Delphi, the two most Hellenic of all the sanctuaries in ancient Greece where non-Greeks were not allowed to compete. Even more significantly, Philip was appointed to conduct the Pythian Games at Delphi in 346 B.C. In other words, Alexander the Great’s father and his ancestors were thoroughly Greek. Greek was the language used by Demosthenes and his delegation from Athens when they paid visits to Philip, also in 346 B.C.Another northern Greek, Aristotle, went off to study for nearly 20 years in the Academy of Plato. Aristotle subsequently returned to Macedonia and became the tutor of Alexander III. They used Greek in their classroom which can still be seen near Naoussa in Macedonia.Alexander carried with him throughout his conquests Aristotle’s edition of Homer’s Iliad. Alexander also spread Greek language and culture throughout his empire, founding cities and establishing centers of learning. Hence inscriptions concerning such typical Greek institutions as the gymnasium are found as far away as Afghanistan. They are all written in Greek.The questions follow: Why was Greek the lingua franca all over Alexander’s empire if he was a “Macedonian”? Why was the New Testament, for example, written in Greek?The answers are clear: Alexander the Great was Greek, not Slavic, and Slavs and their language were nowhere near Alexander or his homeland until 1000 years later. This brings us back to the geographic area known in antiquity as Paionia. Why would the people who live there now call themselves Macedonians and their land Macedonia? Why would they abduct a completely Greek figure and make him their national hero?The ancient Paionians may or may not have been Greek, but they certainly became Greekish, and they were never Slavs. They were also not Macedonians. Ancient Paionia was a part of the Macedonian Empire. So were Ionia and Syria and Palestine and Egypt and Mesopotamia and Babylonia and Bactria and many more. They may thus have become “Macedonian” temporarily, but none was ever “Macedonia”. The theft of Philip and Alexander by a land that was never Macedonia cannot be justified.The traditions of ancient Paionia could be adopted by the current residents of that geographical area with considerable justification. But the extension of the geographic term “Macedonia” to cover southern Yugoslavia cannot. Even in the late 19th century, this misuse implied unhealthy territorial aspirations.The same motivation is to be seen in school maps that show the pseudo-greater Macedonia, stretching from Skopje to Mt. Olympus and labeled in Slavic. The same map and its claims are in calendars, bumper stickers, bank notes, etc., that have been circulating in the new state ever since it declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Why would a poor land-locked new state attempt such historical nonsense? Why would it brazenly mock and provoke its neighbor?However one might like to characterize such behavior, it is clearly not a force for historical accuracy, nor for stability in the Balkans. It is sad that the United States of America has abetted and encouraged such behavior.We call upon you, Mr. President, to help - in whatever ways you deem appropriate - the government in Skopje to understand that it cannot build a national identity at the expense of historic truth. Our common international society cannot survive when history is ignored, much less when history is fabricated.Documentation for the Letter to President Barack Obamamisappropriation . . . . of Alexander the Great: More recently even Alexander’s father, Philip, has also been abducted:“When Macedonia renamed Skopje airport for Alexander the Great in 2007, this seemed a one-off to annoy Greece. More recently, however, the government has broadened a policy the opposition calls “antiquisation”. The main road to Greece has been renamed for Alexander and the national sports stadium named after his father, and plans are afoot to erect a huge statue of Alexander in central Skopje.”The Economist April 2, 2009Even the popular but supposedly serious periodical Archaeology, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, has recently (January-February 2009) published an article with the name “Owning Alexander: Modern Macedonia lays its claim to the ancient conqueror’s legacy.”called Paionia in antiquity: The geographic situation is made clear by Livy’s account of the creation of the Roman province of Macedonia in 146 B.C. (Livy 45.29.7 and 45.29.12). The land north of Mt. Barnous and Mt. Orbelos was inhabited by Paionians. The natural barrier formed by these mountains must be acknowledged. Barnous (modern Voras or Kaimaktsalan) reaches a height of 2524 meters, while Orbelos (the whole range extending to east and west of the Strymon; the western ridge is the modern Beles or Kerkini with a height of 1474 meters) has a maximum height toward the east of 2211 meters.Strabo (7. frag 4), writing a few years before the birth of Christ, is even more succinct in saying that Paionia was north of Macedonia and the only connection from one to the other was (and is today) through the narrow gorge of the Axios (or Vardar) River.does not form a line of communication: M. Sivignon, in M. Sakellariou (ed) Macedonia (Athens 1982) 15.subdued by Philip II: Diodorus Siculus 16.4.2 See also Demosthenes (Olynthian 1.23) who tells us that they were “enslaved” by the Macedonian Philip and clearly, therefore, not Macedonians. Isokrates (5.23) makes the same point.for at least 2,500 years: See, for example, Herodotus 5.17, 7.128, et alibi.about a millennium after the death of Alexander: For the first appearance of the Slavs in the Balkans in the mid-6th century after Christ, see Walter Pohl, “Justinian and the Barbarian Kingdoms,” in Michael Maas (ed.), Age of Justinian (Cambridge 2005) 469-471; for their devastating path through Greece in the 580’s, see Anna Avramea, Le Péloponnèse du IVe au VIIIe siècle, changements et persistances (Paris 1997) 67-80thoroughly and indisputably Greek: In the words of the father of history “I happen to know that [the forefathers of Alexander] are Greek” (Herodotus 5.22). The date of when Alexander I competed at Olympia is not sure, but it certainly occurred between 504 and 496 B.C. He established his Hellenic roots by tracing his ancestors back to Argos and, ultimately to Herakles. Hence the coins with the head of Herakles wearing the skin of the Nemean Lion from Archelaos and Amyntas, among others.Euripides – who died and was buried in Macedonia: Thucydides apud Pal. Anth. 7.45; Pausanias 1.2.2; Diodorus Siculus 13.103. Some modern scholars doubt this tradition, but not that Euripides spent time in Macedonia.Philip, won several equestrian victories at Olympia and Delphi: Plutarch, Alexander 3.9 and 4.9; Moralia 105A. Philip advertised his victories, and therefore his Greekness, by minting coins commemorating those victories. Below is a silver coin with the head of Olympian Zeus on the front and Philip’s victorious horse on the reverse, labeled with his name “of Philip” in Greek. A gold coin with the head of Apollo of Delphi on the front, and Philip’s winning two-horse chariot on the reverse, again labeled with his name “of Philip” in Greek.............conduct the Pythian Games: Diodorus Siculus 16.60.2delegation from Athens: See, inter alios, Demosthenes, De Falsa Legatione, and Aischines, De Legatione. It is the tirades of Demosthenes against Philip (e.g. 9.30-35 in which he calls Philip not only “not a Greek, nor related to a Greek, nor even a barbarian from someplace that can be called good”) that have given rise to the notion that the Macedonians were not Greek, but Demosthenes tended to call all his enemies barbarian, even fellow Athenians (e.g. 21.150).Another northern Greek, Aristotle: Because Aristotle’s native city, Stageira, was established in the 7th century B.C. before the Macedonians had developed their kingdom, Aristotle cannot be called a native Macedonian, although his father, Nikomachos, was the friend and doctor of Amyntas III (393-369) according to Diogenes Laertius 5.1. Philip later, as a part of his conquest of the whole of the Chalkidike in 348 B.C. (Demosthenes, 19.266) , seems to have laid waste to Stageira, but rebuilt it in 342 B.C. at Aristotle’s request (Diogenes Laertius 5.4). Clearly the relationship between him and Macedonia was close.tutor of Alexander: Diogenes Laertius 5.4; Plutarch, Alexander 7.2-8.1. Aristotle also taught a number of Alexander’s peers and comrades, some of whom later became kings like Ptolemy of Egypt.classroom which can still be seen: A spacious room cut back into natural bed rock with cuttings for roof supports and a bench for the students is easily repeopled in the visitor’s imagination with Aristotle standing in the middle and Alexander and his pals on the bench.It was Aristotle who advised Alexander to “treat the Greeks as if he were their leader, other peoples as if he were their master” (Plutarch, On the Fortune of Alexander 329B). In the event, Alexander did not take this advice for his only wives were non-Greek orientals.Aristotle’s edition of Homer: Plutarch, Alexander 8.2founding cities and establishing centers of learning: Although cities like Pergamon and Alexandria in Egypt became major cultural centers under the successors of Alexander (the Attalids and the Ptolemies, respectively), it was Alexander who laid their foundations. See Diodorus Siculus 20.20.1 and Justin 13.2, and Arrian 3.1.5, respectively.as far away as Afghanistan: Excavations at Ai Khanoum on the northern border of modern Afghanistan have produced great quantities of Greek inscriptions and even the remnants of a philosophical treatise originally on papyrus. One of the most interesting is the base of a dedication by one Klearchos, perhaps the known student of Aristotle, that records his bringing to this new Greek city, Alexandria on the Oxus, the traditional maxims from the shrine of Apollo at Delphi concerning the five ages of man:· In childhood, seemliness· In youth, self-control· In middle age, justice· In old age, wise council· In death, painlessnessKlearchos inscription, ca. 300 B.C., now in Kabul MuseumFor further information about the Greekness of Ai Khanoum, see Robin Lane Fox, The Search for Alexander (London 1980) 425-433, and figures on pages 390-393, and elsewhere; and Paul Bernard, Les fouilles d’Ai Khanum (Paris 1973).Slavs and their language were nowhere near Alexander or his homeland until 1000 years later: see above.The ancient Paionians: The ancient Paionians may have been of Hellenic stock, but relatively little is known about them, partly because “no Paionian Philip ever dominated Greece, and no Paionian Alexander ever conquered the known world” ( Irwin L. Merker, “The Ancient Kingdom of Paionia,” Balkan Studies 6 (1965) 35).Nonetheless, they appear already in the Trojan War (albeit on the Trojan side; Homer, Iliad 2.848-850, 16.287-291, 17.348-351). Their confrontation with the Persians is recorded by Herodotus (5.1, 12-17). They fought against Philip who subdued them and with Alexander against the Persians, especially in the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 B.C. (Quintus Curtius, History of Alexander 4.9.24-25.They enjoyed, even under the Macedonians, a certain degree of autonomy as is shown by their negotiations with Athens (IG II2 127) and the many coins minted under a series of Paionian kings, whose names are Greek and inscribed in Greek on the coins. See, for example, the following silver issue of Patraos, probably depicting the slaying of a Persian satrap by the Paionian Ariston as told by Quintus Curtius (see above):Even more significantly for the assimilation of Paionia into the Greek world are the dedications of statues of Paionian kings made at Delphi and Olympia, and especially the bronze head of a Paionian bison, also at Delphi. See BCH 1950:22, Inschriften von Olympia 303; and Pausanias 10.13.1, respectively.Greekish: No Paionians are recorded as victors in the Olympic or other Panhellenic games. This may, of course, be a reflection of a lack of athletic ability rather than a lack of Greekness.territorial aspirations: We would note that in 1929, in an effort to submerge unruly local identities into a unified Yugoslav nation, King Alexander of Yugoslavia named the region the Vardarska province, after the major river that runs through it. See, for example, the Yugoslav stamp of 1939 with the ancient Paionia labeled with the name Vardarska.This effort to reduce ethnic tensions was rescinded by Tito, who used the “Macedonian” identity as leverage against Yugoslavia’s Greek and Bulgarian neighbors. The (mis)use of the name Macedonia at that time was recognized by the United States State Department in a dispatch of December 26, 1944, by then U.S. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius:“The Department [of State] has noted with considerable apprehension increasing propaganda rumors and semi-official statements in favor of an autonomous Macedonia, emanating principally from Bulgaria, but also from Yugoslav Partisan and other sources, with the implication that Greek territory would be included in the projected state. This government considers talk of Macedonian ”nation”, Macedonian “Fatherland”, or Macedonian “national consciousness” to be unjustified demagoguery representing no ethnic nor political reality, and sees in its present revival a possible cloak for aggressive intentions against Greece.”[Source: U.S. State Department, Foreign Relations vol viii,Washington, D.C., Circular Airgram (868.014/26Dec1944)]school maps:This map shows the “real” Macedonia (in Slavic) which includes ancient Paionia, the Greek province of Macedonia (the historical Macedonia), and a part of southwestern Bulgaria (which was also inhabited by Paionian tribes in ancient times).Other maps, such as this one above in an 8th grade history book in 2005, maintain that, as of 1913 and thereafter, “Macedonia” included parts occupied by Albania (yellow), Bulgaria (purple), and Greece (red).bank notes:The White Tower of Thessalonike in Greek Macedonia, fronting onto the Aegean Sea, is the central decoration of this note printed in Skopje in 1991.mock and provoke its neighbor: An apt analogy is at hand if we imagine a certain large island off the southeast coast of the United States re-naming itself Florida, emblazoning its currency with images of Disney World and distributing maps showing the “Greater Florida”.characterize such behavior: “’It is nuts’, sighs one diplomat” (The Economist April 2, 2009).Sincerely,NAME TITLE INSTITUTIONAnagnostis P. Agelarakis, Professor of Anthropology, Adelphi University (USA)Ioannis M. Akamatis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaloniki (Greece)June W. Allison, Professor Emerita, Department of Greek and Latin, The Ohio State University (USA)Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Professor of Philosophy, University of California-San Diego (USA)Mariana Anagnostopoulos, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, California State University, Fresno (USA)Ronnie Ancona, Professor of Classics, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, CUNY (USA)John P. Anton, Distinguished Professor of Greek Philosophy and Culture University of South Florida (USA)Dr. Norman George Ashton, Senior Honorary Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia (Australia)Lucia Athanassaki, Associate Professor of Classical Philology, University of Crete (Greece)Effie F. Athanassopoulos, Associate Professor Anthropology and Classics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA)Harry C. Avery, Professor of Classics, University of Pittsburgh (USA)Dr. Dirk Backendorf. Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz (Germany)Elizabeth C. Banks, Associate Professor of Classics (ret.), University of Kansas (USA)Leonidas Bargeliotes, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Athens, President of the Olympic Center for Philosophy and Culture (Greece)Alice Bencivenni, Ricercatore di Storia Greca, Università di Bologna (Italy)David L. Berkey, Assistant Professor of History, California State University, Fresno (USA)Luigi Beschi, professore emerito di Archeologia Classica, Università di Firenze (Italy)Josine H. Blok, professor of Ancient History and Classical Civilization, Utrecht University (The Netherlands)Alan Boegehold, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Brown University (USA)Efrosyni Boutsikas, Lecturer of Classical Archaeology, University of Kent (UK)Ewen Bowie, Emeritus Fellow, Corpus Christi College, Oxford (UK)Keith Bradley, Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Professor of Classics, Concurrent Professor of History, University of Notre Dame (USA)Kostas Buraselis, Professor of Ancient History, University of Athens (Greece)Stanley M. Burstein, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles (USA)Francis Cairns, Professor of Classical Languages, The Florida State University (USA)John McK. Camp II, Agora Excavations and Professor of Archaeology, ASCSA, Athens (Greece)David A. Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Classics. University of Victoria, B.C. (Canada)Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, University of Cambridge (UK)Paavo Castren, Professor of Classical Philology Emeritus, University of Helsinki (Finland)William Cavanagh, Professor of Aegean Prehistory, University of Nottingham (UK)Angelos Chaniotis, Professor, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford (UK)Paul Christesen, Professor of Ancient Greek History, Dartmouth College (USA)James J. Clauss, Professor of Classics, University of Washington (USA)Ada Cohen, Associate Professor of Art History, Dartmouth College (USA)Randall M. Colaizzi, Lecturer in Classical Studies, University of Massachusetts-Boston (USA)Kathleen M. Coleman, Professor of Latin, Harvard University (USA)Rev. Dr. Demetrios J Constantelos, Charles Cooper Townsend Professor of Ancient and Byzantine history, Emeritus; Distinguished Research Scholar in Residence at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (USA)Michael B. Cosmopoulos, Ph.D., Professor and Endowed Chair in Greek Archaeology, University of Missouri-St. Louis (USA)Carole L. Crumley, PhD., Professor of European Archaeology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)Kevin F. Daly, Assistant Professor of Classics, Bucknell University (USA)Joseph W. Day, Professor of Classics, Wabash College (USA)François de Callataÿ, Professor of Monetary and financial history of the Greek world, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris/Sorbonne) and Professor of Financial history of the Greco-Roman world, Université libre de Bruxelles (France and Brussels)Wolfgang Decker, Professor emeritus of sport history, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln (Germany)Luc Deitz, Außerplanmäßger Professor of Mediaeval and Renaissance Latin, University of Trier (Germany), and Curator of manuscripts and rare books, National Library of Luxembourg (Luxembourg)Charalambos Dendrinos, Lecturer in Byzantine Literature and Greek Palaeography, Acting Director, The Hellenic Institute, Royal Holloway, University of London (UK)Michael Dewar, Professor of Classics, University of Toronto (Canada)John D. Dillery, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Virginia (USAJohn Dillon, Emeritus Professor of Greek, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)Sheila Dillon, Associate Professor, Depts. of Art, Art History & Visual Studies and Classical Studies, Duke University (USA)Michael D. Dixon, Associate Professor of History, University of Southern Indiana (USA)Douglas Domingo-Foraste, Professor of Classics, California State University, Long Beach (USA)Myrto Dragona-Monachou, Professor emerita of Philosophy, University of Athens (Greece)Stella Drougou, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Pierre Ducrey, professeur honoraire, Université de Lausanne (Switzerland)John Duffy, Professor, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (USA)Roger Dunkle, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Brooklyn College, City University of New York (USA)Michael M. Eisman, Associate Professor Ancient History and Classical Archaeology, Department of History, Temple University (USA)Mostafa El-Abbadi, Professor Emeritus, University of Alexandria (Egypt)R. Malcolm Errington, Professor für Alte Geschichte (Emeritus) Philipps-Universität, Marburg (Germany)Christos C. Evangeliou, Professor of Ancient Hellenic Philosophy, Towson University, Maryland, Honorary President of International Association for Greek Philosophy (USA)Panagiotis Faklaris, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Denis Feeney, Giger Professor of Latin, Princeton University (USA)Michael Ferejohn, Associate Professor of Ancient Philosophy, Duke University (USA)Kleopatra Ferla, Ph.D. in Ancient History, Head of Research and Management of Cultural Information, Foundation of the Hellenic World, Athens (Greece)Elizabeth A. Fisher, Professor of Classics and Art History, Randolph-Macon College (USA)Nick Fisher, Professor of Ancient History, Cardiff University (UK)R. Leon Fitts, Asbury J Clarke Professor of Classical Studies, Emeritus, FSA, Scot., Dickinson Colllege (USA)John M. Fossey FRSC, FSA, Emeritus Professor of Art History (and Archaeology), McGill Univertsity, Montreal, and Curator of Archaeology, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Canada)Dr. Athanasios Fotiou, Adjunct Professor, College of the Humanities, Greek and Roman Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa (Canada)Robin Lane Fox, University Reader in Ancient History, New College, Oxford (UK)Dr. Lee Fratantuono, William Francis Whitlock Professor of Latin, Ohio Wesleyan University (USA)Stavros Frangoulidis, Associate Professor of Latin. Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki (Greece)William K. Freiert, Professor of Classics and Hanson-Peterson Chair of Liberal Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College (USA)Rainer Friedrich, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. (Canada)Heide Froning, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Marburg (Germany)Peter Funke, Professor of Ancient History, University of Münster (Germany)Traianos Gagos, Professor of Greek and Papyrology, University of Michigan (USA)Karl Galinsky, Cailloux Centennial Professor of Classics, University of Texas, Austin (USA)Robert Garland, Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics, Colgate University, Hamilton NY (USA)Hans-Joachim Gehrke, Prof. Dr., President of the German Archaeological Institute Berlin (Germany)Dr. Ioannis Georganas, Researcher, Department of History and Archaeology, Foundation of the Hellenic World (Greece)Douglas E. Gerber, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Western Ontario (Canada)Dr. Andre Gerolymatos, Chair and Professor of Hellenic Studies, Simon Fraser University (Canada)Stephen L. Glass, John A. McCarthy Professor of Classics & Classical Archaeology, Pitzer College: The Claremont Colleges (USA)Hans R. Goette, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Giessen (Germany); German Archaeological Institute, Berlin (Germany)Sander M. Goldberg, Professor of Classics, UCLA (USA)Mark Golden, Professor, Department of Classics, University of Winnipeg (Canada)Ellen Greene, Joseph Paxton Presidential Professor of Classics, University of Oklahoma (USA)Robert Gregg, Teresa Moore Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus, Director, The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford University (USA)Frederick T. Griffiths, Professor of Classics, Amherst College (USA)Dr. Peter Grossmann, Member emeritus, German Archaeological Institute, Cairo (Egypt)Erich S. Gruen, Gladys Rehard Wood Professor of History and Classics, Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)Martha Habash, Associate Professor of Classics, Creighton University (USA)Christian Habicht, Professor of Ancient History, Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (USA)Donald C. Haggis, Nicholas A. Cassas Term Professor of Greek Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)Judith P. Hallett, Professor of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (USA)Kim Hartswick, Academic Director, CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies, New York City (USA)Prof. Paul B. Harvey, Jr. Head, Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, The Pennsylvania State University (USA)Eleni Hasaki, Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Arizona (USA)Rosalia Hatzilambrou, Ph.D., Researcher, Academy of Athens (Greece)Miltiades B. Hatzopoulos, Director, Research Centre for Greek and Roman Antiquity, National Research Foundation, Athens (Greece)Stephan Heilen, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (USA)Wolf-Dieter Heilmeyer, Prof. Dr., Freie Universität Berlin und Antikensammlung der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (Germany)Pontus Hellstrom, Professor of Classical archaeology and ancient history, Uppsala University (Sweden)Steven W. Hirsch, Associate Professor of Classics and History, Tufts University (USA)Karl-J. Holkeskamp, Professor of Ancient History, University of Cologne (Germany)Frank L. Holt, Professor of Ancient History, University of Houston (USA)Dan Hooley, Professor of Classics, University of Missouri (USA)Meredith C. Hoppin, Gagliardi Professor of Classical Languages, Williams College, Williamstown, MA (USA)Caroline M. Houser, Professor of Art History Emerita, Smith College (USA) and Affiliated Professor, University of Washington (USA)Professor Carl Huffman, Department of Classics, DePauw University (USA)John Humphrey, Professor of Greek and Roman Studies, University of Calgary (Canada)Frosen Jaakko, Professor of Greek philology, University of Helsinki (Finland)Dr Thomas Johansen, Reader in Ancient Philosophy, University of Oxford (UK)Vincent Jolivet, Archaeologist CNRS, Paris [French School Rome] (Italy)Georgia Kafka, Visiting Professor of Modern Greek Language, Literature and History, University of New Brunswick (Canada)Mika Kajava, Professor of Greek Language and Literature; Head of the Department of Classical Studies, University of Helsinki (Finland)Anthony Kaldellis, Professor of Greek and Latin, The Ohio State University (USA)Eleni Kalokairinou, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Secretary of the Olympic Center of Philosophy and Culture (Cyprus)Lilian Karali, Professor of Prehistoric and Environmental Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)Andromache Karanika, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of California, Irvine (USA)Robert A. Kaster, Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin, Princeton University (USA)Dr. Athena Kavoulaki, Lecturer, Department of Philology, University of Crete, Rethymnon (Greece)Vassiliki Kekela, Adjunct Professor of Greek Studies, Classics Department, Hunter College, City University of New York (USA)John F. Kenfield, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, Rutgers University (USA)Dietmar Kienast, Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Düsseldorf (Germany)Karl Kilinski II, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Southern Methodist University (USA)Dr. Florian Knauss, associate director, Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek München (Germany)Denis Knoepfler, Professor of Greek Epigraphy and History, Collège de France (Paris, France)Ortwin Knorr, Associate Professor of Classics, Willamette University (USA)Robert B. Koehl, Professor of Archaeology, Department of Classical and Oriental Studies Hunter College, City University of New York (USA)Thomas Koentges, Visiting lecturer, Ancient History, University of Leipzig (Germany)Georgia Kokkorou-Alevras, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Classical Studies, Brandeis University (USA)Eric J. Kondratieff, Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient History, Department of Greek & Roman Classics, Temple University (USA)Dr Eleni Kornarou, Visiting Lecturer of Ancient Greek Literature, Dept. of Classic and Philosophy, University of Cyprus (Cyprus)Haritini Kotsidu, Apl. Prof. Dr. für Klassische Archäologie, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/M. (Germany)Lambrini Koutoussaki, Dr., Lecturer of Classical Archaeology, University of Zürich (Switzerland)David Kovacs, Hugh H. Obear Professor of Classics, University of Virginia (USA)Prof. Dr. Ulla Kreilinger, Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Universität Erlangen (Germany)Dr. Christos Kremmydas, Lecturer in Ancient Greek History, Royal Holloway, University of London (UK)Peter Krentz, W. R. Grey Professor of Classics and History, Davidson College (USA)Friedrich Krinzinger, Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, University of Vienna (Austria)Michael Kumpf, Professor of Classics, Valparaiso University (USA)Donald G. Kyle, Professor of History, University of Texas at Arlington (USA)Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Helmut Kyrieleis, former president of the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin (Germany)Margaret L. Laird, Assistant Professor, Roman art and archaeology, University of Washington (USA)Gerald V. Lalonde, Benedict Professor of Classics, Grinnell College (USA)Steven Lattimore, Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of California, Los Angeles (USA)Francis M. Lazarus, President, University of Dallas (USA)Mary R. Lefkowitz, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Emerita Wellesley College (USA)Irene S. Lemos FSA, Professor in Classical Archaeology,, S.Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, Oxford University (UK)Ioannes G. Leontiades, Assistant Professor of Byzantine History, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Iphigeneia Leventi, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaly (Greece)Daniel B. Levine, Professor of Classical Studies, University of Arkansas (USA)Christina Leypold, Dr. phil., Archaeological Institute, University of Zürich (Switzerland)Vayos Liapis, Associate Professor of Greek, Centre d’Etudes Classiques & Departement de Philosophie, Université de Montreal (Canada)Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Professor of Greek Emeritus, University of Oxford (UK)Yannis Lolos, Assistant Professor, History, Archaeology, and Anthropology, University of Thessaly (Greece)Stanley Lombardo, Professor of Classics, University of Kansas (USA)Anthony Long, Professor of Classics and Irving G. Stone Professor of Literature, University of California, Berkeley (USA)Julia Lougovaya, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, Columbia University (USA)Dr. John Ma, Lecturer in Ancient History, Oxford University and Tutorial Fellow in Ancient History, Corpus Christi College, Oxford (UK)A.D. Macro, Hobart Professor of Classical Languages emeritus, Trinity College (USA)John Magee, Professor, Department of Classics, Director, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto (Canada)Dr. Christofilis Maggidis, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Dickinson College (USA)Chryssa Maltezou, Professor emeritus, University of Athens, Director of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Postbyzantine Studies in Venice (Italy)Jeannette Marchand, Assistant Professor of Classics, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (USA)Evangeline Markou, Adjunct Lecturer in Greek History, Open University of Cyprus (Cyprus)Anna Marmodoro, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford (UK)Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek Professor in Classics, Stanford University (USA)Maria Mavroudi, Professor of Byzantine History, University of California, Berkeley (USA)Jody Maxmin, Associate Professor, Dept. of Art & Art History, Stanford University (USA)Alexander Mazarakis-Ainian, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaly (Greece)James R. McCredie, Sherman Fairchild Professor emeritus; Director, Excavations in Samothrace Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (USA)Brian McGing M.A., Ph.D., F.T.C.D., M.R.I.A., Regius Professor of Greek, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)James C. McKeown, Professor of Classics, University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)Richard McKirahan, Edwin Clarence Norton of Classics and Professor of Philosophy, Pitzer College: The Claremont Colleges (USA)Robert A. Mechikoff, Professor and Life Member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, San Diego State University (USA)Andreas Mehl, Professor of Ancient History, Universität Halle-Wittenberg (Germany)John Richard Melville-Jones, Winthrop Professor, Classics and Ancient History, University of Western Australia (Australia)Marion Meyer, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Vienna (Austria)Dr. Aristotle Michopoulos, Professor & Chair, Greek Studies Dept., Hellenic College (Brookline, MA, USA)Harald Mielsch, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Bonn (Germany)Stephen G. Miller, Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)Lynette G. Mitchell, Senior Lecturer in Classics & Ancient History, Exeter University (UK)Phillip Mitsis, A.S. Onassis Professor of Classics and Philosophy, New York University (USA)Peter Franz Mittag, Professor für Alte Geschichte, Universität zu Köln (Germany)David Gordon Mitten, James Loeb Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, Harvard University (USA)Mette Moltesen, MA, Curator of Ancient Art, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (Denmark)Margaret S. Mook, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Iowa State University (USA)Anatole Mori, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, University of Missouri- Columbia (USA)William S. Morison, Associate Professor of Ancient History, Grand Valley State University (USA)Jennifer Sheridan Moss, Associate Professor, Wayne State University (USA)Aliki Moustaka, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Mark Munn, Professor of Ancient Greek History and Greek Archaeology, the Pennsylvania State University (USA)Ioannis Mylonopoulos, Assistant Professor of Greek Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University, New York (USA)Alexander Nehamas, Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Literature, Princeton University (USA)Richard Neudecker, PD of Classical Archaeology, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Rom (Italy)James M.L. Newhard, Associate Professor of Classics, College of Charleston (USA)Carole E. Newlands, Professor of Classics, University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA)Andrew G. Nichols, Visiting Lecturer of Classics, University of Florida (USA)Jessica L. Nitschke, Assistant Professor of Classics, Georgetown University (USA)John Maxwell O'Brien, Professor of History, Queens College, City University of New York (USA)James J. O'Hara, Paddison Professor of Latin, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)Martin Ostwald, Professor of Classics (ret.), Swarthmore College and Professor of Classical Studies (ret.), University of Pennsylvania (USA)Olga Palagia, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)Beata M. Kitsikis Panagopoulos, Professor of Art History, Retired, San Jose State University, Caifornia (USA)Christos Panayides, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Nicosia, (Cyprus)Vassiliki Panoussi, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, The College of William and Mary (USA)Maria C. Pantelia, Professor of Classics, University of California, Irvine (USA)Pantos A.Pantos, Adjunct Faculty, Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly (Greece)Eleni Papaefthymiou, Curator of the Numismatic Collection of the Foundation of the Hellenic World (Greece)Maria Papaioannou, Assistant Professor in Classical Archaeology, University of New Brunswick (Canada)Anthony J. Papalas, Professor of Ancient History, East Carolina University (USA)Nassos Papalexandrou, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin (USA)Polyvia Parara, Visiting Assistant Professor of Greek Language and Civilization, Department of Classics, Georgetown University (USA)Richard W. Parker, Associate Professor of Classics, Brock University (Canada)Robert Parker, Wykeham Professor of Ancient History, New College, Oxford (UK)Robert J. Penella, Professor and Chairman, Classics, Fordham University (USA)Anastasia-Erasmia Peponi, Associate Professor of Classics, Stanford University (USA)Jacques Perreault, Professor of Greek archaeology, Universite de Montreal, Quebec (Canada)Patrick Pfeil, magister artium Universität Leipzig, Alte Geschichte (Germany)Edward A. Phillips, Professor of Classics at Grinnell College (USA)Yanis Pikoulas, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek History, University of Thessaly (Greece)Lefteris Platon, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)John Pollini, Professor of Classical Art & Archaeology, University of Southern California (USA)David Potter, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Greek and Latin. The University of Michigan (USA)Daniel Potts, Edwin Cuthbert Hall Professor of Middle Eastern Archaeology, University of Sydney (Australia)Robert L. Pounder, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Vassar College (USA)Nikolaos Poulopoulos, Assistant Professor in History and Chair in Modern Greek Studies, McGill University (Canada)Selene Psoma, Senior Lecturer of Ancient History, University of Athens (Greece)William H. Race, George L. Paddison Professor of Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)John T. Ramsey, Professor of Classics, University of Illinois at Chicago (USA)Christian R. Raschle, Assistant Professor of Roman History, Centre d’Etudes Classiques & Departement d'Histoire, Université de Montreal (Canada)Karl Reber, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Lausanne (Switzerland)Gary Reger, Professor of History Trinity College, Connecticut (USA)Rush Rehm, Professor of Classics and Drama, Stanford University (USA)Heather L. Reid, Professor of Philosophy, Morningside College (USA)Christoph Reusser, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Zürich (Switzerland)Werner Riess, Associate Professor of Classics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)Dr Tracey E Rihll, Senior lecturer, Department of Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology, Swansea University ( Wales, UK)Robert H. Rivkin, Ancient Studies Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County (USA)Walter M. Roberts III, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Vermont (USA)Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Professor of Classics, The University of Vermont (USA)Robert H. Rodgers. Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, University of Vermont (USA)Guy MacLean Rogers, Kemper Professor of Classics and History, Wellesley College (USA)Roberto Romano, professore di ruolo (II level) di Civiltà bizantina e Storia bizantina, Università "Federico II" di Napoli (Italy)Nathan Rosenstein, Professor of Ancient History, The Ohio State University (USA)John C. Rouman, Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of New Hampshire, (USA)Dr. James Roy, Reader in Greek History (retired), University of Nottingham (UK)Steven H. Rutledge, Associate Professor of Classics, Department of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park (USA)Daniel J. Sahas, Professor Emeritus, University of Waterloo (Canada)Christina A. Salowey, Associate Professor of Classics, Hollins University (USA)Pierre Sanchez, Professor of Ancient History, University of Geneva (Switzerland)Theodore Scaltsas, Professor of Ancient Greek Philosophy, University of Edinburgh (UK)Thomas F. Scanlon, Professor of Classics, University of California, Riverside (USA)Thomas Schäfer, Professor, Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Universität Tübingen (Germany)Bernhard Schmaltz, Prof. Dr. Archäologisches Institut der CAU, Kiel (Germany)Prof. Dr. Andras Schmidt-Colinet, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Vienna (Austria)Robert C. Schmiel, Prof. Emeritus of Greek & Roman Studies, University of Calgary (Canada)Rolf M. Schneider, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany)Joseph B. Scholten, PhD, Associate Director, Office of International Programs/Affiliate Assoc. Prof. of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park (USA)Peter Scholz, Professor of Ancient History and Culture, University of Stuttgart (Germany)Christof Schuler, director, Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute, Munich (Germany)Paul D. Scotton, Assoociate Professor Classical Archaeology and Classics, California State University Long Beach (USA)Danuta Shanzer, Professor of Classics and Medieval Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (USA)James P. Sickinger, Associate Professor of Classics, Florida State University (USA)Athanasios Sideris, Ph.D., Head of the History and Archaeology Department, Foundation of the Hellenic World, Athens (Greece)G. M. Sifakis, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki & New York University (Greece & USA)Christos Simelidis, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Lincoln College, University of Oxford (UK)Henk W. Singor, Associate Professor of Ancient History Leiden University (Netherlands)Prof. Dr. Ulrich Sinn, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Wurzburg (Germany)Marilyn B. Skinner Professor of Classics, University of Arizona (USA)Niall W. Slater, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Latin and Greek, Emory University (USA)Peter M. Smith, Associate Professor of Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)Dr. Philip J. Smith, Research Associate in Classical Studies, McGill University (Canada)Susan Kirkpatrick Smith Assistant Professor of Anthropology Kennesaw State University (USA)Antony Snodgrass, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, University of Cambridge (UK)Gina M. Soter, Lecturer IV, Classical Studies, The University of Michigan (USA)Slawomir Sprawski, Assistant Professor of Ancient History, Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland)Stylianos V. Spyridakis, Professor of Ancient History. University of California, Davis (USA)Theodosia Stefanidou-Tiveriou, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Rachel Sternberg, Associate Professor of Classics, Case Western Reserve University (USA)Dr. Tom Stevenson, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, University of Queensland (Australia)Andrew Stewart, Nicholas C. Petris Professor of Greek Studies, University of California, Berkeley (USA)Oliver Stoll, Univ.-Prof. Dr., Alte Geschichte/ Ancient History, Universität Passau (Germany)Richard Stoneman, Honorary Fellow, University of Exeter (UK)Ronald Stroud, Klio Distinguished Professor of Classical Languages and Literature Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)Sarah Culpepper Stroup, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Washington (USA)Dr Panico J. Stylianou, Lecturer in Ancient History, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford (UK)Thomas A. Suits, Emeritus Professor of Classical Languages, University of Connecticut (USA)Nancy Sultan, Professor and Director, Greek & Roman Studies, Illinois Wesleyan University (USA)Peter Michael Swan, Professor of History Emeritus, University of Saskatchewan (Canada)David W. Tandy, Professor of Classics, University of Tennessee (USA)James Tatum, Aaron Lawrence Professor of Classics, Dartmouth College (USA)Martha C. Taylor, Associate Professor of Classics, Loyola College in Maryland (USA)Petros Themelis, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, Athens (Greece)Eberhard Thomas, Priv.-Doz. Dr., Archäologisches Institut der Universität zu Köln (Germany)Michalis Tiverios, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Michael K. Toumazou, Professor of Classics, Davidson College (USA)Stephen V. Tracy, Professor of Greek and Latin Emeritus, Ohio State University (USA)Prof. Dr. Erich Trapp, Austrian Academy of Sciences/Vienna resp. University of Bonn (Germany)Christopher Trinacty, Keiter Fellow in Classics, Amherst College (USA)Stephen M. Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, University of New Hampshire (USA)Vasiliki Tsamakda, Professor of Christian Archaeology and Byzantine History of Art, University of Mainz (Germany)Christopher Tuplin, Professor of Ancient History, University of Liverpool (UK)Yannis Tzifopoulos, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek and Epigraphy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Gretchen Umholtz, Lecturer, Classics and Art History, University of Massachusetts, Boston (USA)Panos Valavanis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)Eric R. Varner, Associate Professor, Departments of Classics and Art History, Emory University, Atlanta (USA)Athanassios Vergados, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, Franklin & Marshall College (USA)Frederik J. Vervaet, PhD, Lecturer in Ancient History. School of Historical Studies The University of Melbourne (Australia)Christina Vester, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Waterloo (Canada)Dr. Zsolt Visy, Leiter Universität Pécs Lehrstuhl für Alte Geschichte und Archäologie, Archäologisches Seminar (Hungary)Emmanuel Voutiras, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)Speros Vryonis, Jr., Alexander S. Onassis Professor (Emeritus) of Hellenic Civilization and Culture, New York University (USA)Michael B. Walbank, Professor Emeritus of Greek, Latin & Ancient History, The University of Calgary (Canada)Dr. Irma Wehgartner, Curator of the Martin von Wagner Museum der Universität Wurzburg (Germany)Bonna D. Wescoat, Associate Professor, Art History and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Emory University (USA)E. Hector Williams, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of British Columbia (Canada)Peter James Wilson FAHA, William Ritchie Professor of Classics, The University of Sydney (Australia)Roger J. A. Wilson, Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire, and Director, Centre for the Study of Ancient Sicily, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)Engelbert Winter, Professor for Ancient History, University of Münster (Germany)Timothy F. Winters, Ph.D. Alumni Assn. Distinguished Professor of Classics Austin Peay State University (USA)Ioannis Xydopoulos, Assistant Professor in Ancient History, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)David C. Young, Professor of Classics Emeritus, University of Florida (USA)Maria Ypsilanti, Assistant Professor of Ancient Greek Literature, University of Cyprus (Cyprus)Katerina Zacharia, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Classics & Archaeology, Loyola Marymount University (USA)Michael Zahrnt, Professor für Alte Geschichte, Universität zu Köln (Germany)Paul Zanker, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Munich (Germany)Froma I. Zeitlin, Ewing Professor of Greek Language & Literature, Professor of Comparative Literature, Princeton University (USA)cc: J. Biden, Vice President, USAH. Clinton, Secretary of State USAP. Gordon, Asst. Secretary-designate, European and Eurasian AffairsH.L Berman, Chair, House Committee on Foreign AffairsI. Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member, House Committee on Foreign AffairsJ. Kerry, Chair, Senate Committee on Foreign RelationsR.G. Lugar, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Foreign RelationsR. Menendez, United States Senator from New Jersey.Addenda3 Scholars added on June 25th 2009:Jerker Blomqvist, Professor emeritus of Greek Language and literature, Lund University (Sweden)Christos Karakolis, Assistant Professor of New Testament, University of Athens (Greece)Chrys C. Caragounis, Professor emeritus of New Testament Exegesis and the development of the Greek language since ancient times, Lund University (Sweden)5 Scholars added on June 29th 2009:Harold D. Evjen, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Colorado at Boulder (USA)Hara Tzavella-Evjen, Professor Emerita of Classical Archaeology, University of Colorado at Boulder (USA)Michael Paschalis, Professor of Classics, Department of Philology, University of Crete, Rethymnon (Greece)Vrasidas Karalis, Professor, New Testament Studies, The University of Sydney (Australia)Emilio Crespo, Professor of Greek Philology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)2 Scholars added on July 8th 2009:Dr. Zoi Kotitsa, Archaeologist, Scientific research fellow, University of Marburg (Germany)Dr. Ekaterini Tsalampouni, Assistant Lecturer in New Testament, Graeco-Roman antiquity and Koine Greek, Ludwig-Maximillian University of Munich (Germany)2 Scholars added on July 18th 2009:Karol Myśliwiec, Professor Dr., Director of the Research Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw (Poland)Stephen Neale, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics, John H. Kornblith Family Chair in the Philosophy of Science and Values, City University of New York (USA)1 Scholar added on July 20th 2009:Marsh McCall, Professor Emeritus, Department of Classics, Stanford University (USA)1 Scholar added on August 10th 2009:Georgia Tsouvala, Assistant Professor of History, Illinois State University (USA)1 Scholar added on September 3rd 2009:Mika Rissanen, PhL, Ancient History, University of Jyvaskyla (Finland)2 Scholars added on October 10th 2009:José Antonio Fernández Delgado. Professor of Greek Philology, Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)Zinon Papakonstantinou, Assistant Professor of Hellenic Studies, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle (USA)1 Scholar added on October 17th 2009:Eugene Afonasin, Professor of Greek Philosophy and of Roman Law, Novosibirsk State University (Russia)1 Scholar added on October 28th 2009:Hartmut Wolff, Professor für Alte Geschichte (emeritus), Universität Passau (Germany)1 Scholar added on October 30th 2009:Eleni Manakidou, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristoteles University of Thessaloniki (Greece)1 Scholar added on November 3rd 2009:Pavlos Sfyroeras, Associate Professor of Classics, Middlebury College (USA)1 Scholar added on November 11th 2009:Konstantinos Kapparis, Associate Professor of Classics, Department of Classics, University of Florida (USA)1 Scholar added on November 14th 2009:Prof. Dr. Ingomar Weiler, Professor Emeritus, Ancient Greek and Roman History, Karl-Franzens-Universität of Graz (Austria)1 Scholar added on November 15th 2009:Werner Petermandl, Universitätslektor, Karl-Franzens-Universität of Graz (Austria)1 Scholar added on December 4th 2009:István Kertész, Professor of ancient Greco-Roman history, Department of Ancient and Medieval History, Pedagogic College in Eger (Hungary)1 Scholar added on March 11th 2010:Nassi Malagardis, chargée de Mission au Département des Antiquités Grecques, Etrusques et Romaines du Musée du Louvre, Paris (France)2 Scholars added on March 25th 2010:Gonda Van Steen, Professor, Department of Classics, University of Florida (USA)Robert Wagman, Associate Professor of Classics, Department of Classics, University of Florida (USA)2 Scholars added on March 27th 2010:Angelos Barmpotis, Ph.D., Director of the Digital Epigraphy and Archaeology Project, University of Florida (USA)Eleni Bozia, Ph.D. Visiting Lecturer, Department of Classics, University of Florida (USA)1 Scholar added on April 16th 2010:Timothy Johnson, Associate Professor, Department of Classics, University of Florida (USA)1 Scholar added on April 17th 2010:Christos C. Tsagalis, Associate Professor of Classics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)1 Scholar added on August 31st 2010:Potitsa Grigorakou, Lecturer in Hellenism in the Orient, Public University of Athens (Greece)2 Scholars added on September 3rd 2010:Maurice Sartre, Professor of Ancient History, emeritus. Université François-Rabelais, Tours (France)Apostolos Bousdroukis, Researcher, Institute for Greek and Roman Antiquity, National Hellenic Research Foundation (Greece)1 Scholar added on September 10th 2010:Alastar Jackson, Hon. Research Fellow in Ancient History, Manchester University (U.K.)1 Scholar added on October 5th 2010:Frances Van Keuren, Professor Emerita of Ancient Art History, University of Georgia (USA)1 Scholar added on December 4th 2010:Thomas Heine Nielsen, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)1 Scholar added on April 18th 2011:Antonis Bartsiokas, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of History and Ethnology, University of Thrace (Greece)1 Scholar added on October 16th 2011:Thanasis Maskaleris, Emeritus Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, San Francisco State University (USA)1 Scholar added on February 22nd 2013:Stephen Bertman, Professor Emeritus of Classics, The University of Windsor (Canada)1 Scholar added on October 12th 2013:Helen Karabatzaki, Associate Professor emeritus of Ancient Greek Philosophy, University of Ioannina (Greece)1 Scholar added on February 19th 2018:Sylvian Fachard, Professor of Classical Studies, American School of Classical Studies (Switzerland)1 Scholar added on February 23rd 2018:Charalampos Stamelos, Instructor in the History of Law, European University Cyprus (Greece)