Crows are Black Everywhere
About this ebook
From 1938 to 1940, Yardley acted as personal adviser to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese nationalist politician, revolutionary and military leader, who served as the leader of the Republic of China between 1928-1975, first in China until 1949, and then in Taiwan until his death.
Yardley’s two years as Chiang Kai-shek’s adviser form the background for the story told in the present volume, Crows Are Black Everywhere, which was first published in 1945. It tells “an intricate story of espionage and counterespionage in Chungking, in which are involved an American girl reporter, Peggy, who wants to be impartial—and finds she cannot; Bill, instructor of Chinese fighter pilots, and Tina, his Eurasian mistress, whose half-brother is Wang, of doubtful patriotism; Fritz, a German-American who has designs on Peggy; and various other expatriates, spies and loyal Chinese.”
A gripping read!
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About the author
HERBERT OSBORN YARDLEY (1889-1958) was an American cryptologist. Born in 1889 in Worthington, Indiana, Yardley learned to use the telegraph from his father, Robert Kirkbride Yardley, a station master and telegrapher for a railroad. After graduating from high school in 1907, he briefly attended the University of Chicago before returning to Worthington, where he worked as a telegrapher for a railroad. In 1912, after passing the civil service exam, he was hired as a government telegrapher. He began his career as a code clerk in the U.S. State Department, accepted a Signal Corps Reserve commission, and served as a cryptologic officer with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during WWI. After the war, Yardley continued as head of the “Cipher Bureau” When the stock market crashed and MI-8 closed in 1929, he founded and led the cryptographic organization the Black Chamber; under Yardley, the cryptanalysts of The American Black Chamber broke Japanese diplomatic codes and were able to furnish American negotiators with significant information during the Washington Naval Conference of 1921-1922. Yardley was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal and wrote The American Black Chamber (1931) about his experiences. He later helped the Nationalists in China (1938-1940) to break Japanese codes. Following his work in China, he worked briefly for the Canadian government, helping it set up a cryptological section (Examination Unit) of the National Research Council of Canada. Yardley died in Washington, D.C. in 1958. CARL HENRY GRABO (1881-1955) was a Professor of English at the University of Chicago. Born in Cook, Illinois in 1881, he was a writer and leader of writing, and at one time Yardley was one of his prize students. Among Grabo’s numerous books are several about the poet Shelley, a book of poetry, a story for children, a novel, and several volumes on the art of writing. He died in Bernalillo, New Mexico in 1955.
