Roosevelt personally approved the lifting of the ban on the story. Atkinson’s article was devastating. It suggested that Stilwell’s recall was “the political triumph of a moribund anti-democratic regime,” and described Chiang Kai-shek as running a government that was “unenlightened, cold-hearted,” and “autocratic.” Above all, the article accused Chiang of a “basic unwillingness” to fight the Japanese.1
