Stilwell and the American Experience in China: 1911-1945

by Barbara W. Tuchman

Life was not enjoyable during these months. When jaundice was succeeded by “gut ache,” finally diagnosed as worms in his system, he found himself taking eight different medicines in 36 hours and recording afterwards, to his astonishment, “feeling better!” He was saddened by news of the death of his mother in June and worried by trouble with his eyesight which had been poor for years, depending almost entirely on the use of one eye. The discomfort of air raids and the heat of Chungking were unpleasant and he thought longingly of Carmel and his family. He was reassured by a message from Marshall and Stimson promising that if efforts to secure more active cooperation from the Generalissimo proved unsuccessful, they would transfer him to another theater where he could be more useful.