28 Acknowledgements

I am fortunate to have had the support of many people when researching this biography. Helpful librarians and archivists in the following archives and museums made my work much easier as I went about obtaining the documents (and photographs) that form the basis of the book. In the USA: Columbia University Archives; Duke University Libraries; Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church Archives (Wilmington); Hoover Institution Archives; Library of Congress; National Archives, US Senate Historical Office; Wellesley College Archives; and Wesleyan College Archives. In the UK: Hatfield House Archives (I am grateful to the Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury for special permission to use their private archives); Historical Photographs of China at University of Bristol; National Archives; and Royal Archives. In Taiwan: Academia Historica; National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall; National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall; National Human Rights Museum; and Nationalist Party History Archive. In Hong Kong: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Archives. I thank all who assisted me and am only sorry not to be able to name them all here.

One person I would like to mention is Sue Hammonds of the Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church Archives, who collected documents for me even when she was extremely ill. Most sadly she died when she was still putting the file together. (Her colleague Barbara Gallagher sent me the package Sue had assembled.) I shall always remember her with deep gratitude.

Descendants of the Soong and Chiang families, members of their households and family friends kindly shared their recollections and insights. I wish particularly to thank Mme Laurette Soong Feng, Mr Michael Feng, Mr Chiang Wan-an, Mr Victor Sun, Dr Kung-ming Jan, Mme Juliana Young Koo, Mme Gene Young and those key witnesses who prefer to remain anonymous. I owe a special thank you to Gene Young, who introduced me to the Soong family in New York.

The Lung Yingtai Cultural Foundation invited me to Taiwan and made arrangements for my research there; I am deeply indebted to it. The Foundation's conscientious and efficient staff were a joy to work with. Lung Ying-tai herself, an influential writer who contributed to the democratisation of Taiwan, enabled me to gain a better understanding of that historical moment, and democratic Taiwan in general.

I benefited greatly from interviews with the following eye witnesses and scholars, to all of whom I am thankful: Dr Hugh Cantlie, Mr Chin Him-san, Mr Lou Wen-yuan, Dr P.G. Manson-Bahr, Mr Howard Shiang, Mr Su You, Mme Tu Kui-mei, Professor Chang Cheng, Professor Chang Peng-yuan, Professor Chao Chien-min, Professor Chen Li-wen, Professor Chen Peng-jen, Mr Hsieh Ying-chung, Professor Huang Ko-wu, Professor Kuo Tai-chun, Professor Li Chun-shan, Dr Lin Hsiao-ting, Dr Lin Kuo-chang, Professor Lin Tung-fa, Professor Liu Wei-kai, Professor Lu Fang-shang, Professor Pang Chien-kuo, Professor Shaw Yu-ming, Professor Tang Chi-hua, Mr Jay Taylor, Mr Wang Shinn-huey, Professor Wang Wen-lung and Professor Wu Mi-cha.

In the past decades when I was writing my previous biographies, especially?Mao: the Unknown Story?(with Jon Halliday), I conducted hundreds of interviews, and many of those remain highly relevant to this book. Indeed some historical figures, now deceased, were close to the Soong sisters. Going over the records of our interviews again, I felt blessed that they had allowed me to preserve their unique and invaluable experiences. They include: Zhang Xue-liang (the Young Marshal), Chen Li-fu, General Chiang Wei-go, General I Fu-en, General Hau Pei-tsun, Emily Hahn, Israel Epstein, Rewi?Alley, George Hatem, Percy Chen, Jin Shan-wang, and Li Yun. My two good, late, friends, Maggie Keswick (who knew Ching-ling) and Emma Tennant, were the first to urge me to write about the Soong sisters.

The following people kindly effected introductions, answered queries, sent material, made suggestions and generally facilitated my research: Jeffrey Bergner, Marie Brenner, Marco Caboara, Eddy Chancellor, John Chow, Anhua Gao, Jane Hitchcock, Jong Fang-ling, Kan Shio-yun, Yung Li, Tim Owens, Shen Lyu-shun, Jane Shen-Miller, William Taubman, Carola Vecchio, Stanley Weiss, Grace Wu, Wu Shu-feng, Xue Yi-wei, Shirley Young, Jeanette Zee and Pu Zhang. My apologies for any omissions, which will be corrected in future editions.

My agents, Gillon Aitken and Clare Alexander, took great care of the book and gave me excellent advice. My publishers and editors at Cape and Knopf – Bea Hemming, Sonny Mehta, Dan Frank and their teams, including my copy-editor David Milner – did a superb job editing and publishing the book. I am indebted to them all.

As with my previous books, Jon Halliday's constantly sought counsel has been indispensable. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of having him in my life.