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xi Preface Syngman rhee (1875–1965) was the first president of the republic of Korea (rOK) and a key figure in the country’s metamorphosis into a modern nation. a controversial figure, he was both honored and disgraced in life, and the debate over his caliber and achievements continues to this very day. Dr. rhee’s supporters regard him as a world-class statesman of his time, while his critics claim that he was an anachronistic dictator whose actions seriously impeded Korea’s political development. Current public perception seems to lean toward the latter interpretation. I belong to the april 19 generation, which supported the events of april 1960 that brought down the rhee government. During my youth, I likewise subscribed to a black-and-white view of the world and saw Syngman rhee as a historical anachronism; it was only after I graduated from college in Korea and began further academic studies in the United States that I felt the urge to reassess my perception of those turbulent times. as I studied the modern history of relations among Korea, China, and Japan, I gradually developed a more complex assessment of Syngman rhee. after reading his seminal work Tongnip chŏngsin (the spirit of independence) at the Harvard-Yenching library, I received the impression that he was an extraordinary thinker and writer, and when I delved into related U.S. diplomatic documents, I was genuinely surprised to discover that Syngman rhee’s diplomatic efforts and activities during his days in exile in the United States to win recognition for the Korean Provisional Government had been far broader and more sophisticated than were generally known. In the process of examining rhee and his achievements through historical sources and uncovering new facts, I began to assess his authoritarian rule by comparing him with his successors—both other civilians and generals -turned-presidents. those men ruled the country like emperors and left the presidency in disgrace, branded as dictators. In addition, through witnessing the end of the Cold War and the collapse of communist states after 1989, I gained a renewed appreciation of Syngman rhee and his efforts to build a strong and independent modern state. With my interest in Syngman rhee thus aroused, I had a fortuitous opportunity in the winter of 1993–1994 in the form of a request from Dr. Yi In-su (Insoo rhee), the late president’s adopted son, to classify and catalogue source materials preserved at Ihwa House (Ihwajang), xii Preface Syngman rhee’s former private residence. I was intrigued because in addition to my interest in the life of Syngman rhee, I had long wanted to make a serious study of modern Korean history. I gratefully accepted Dr. Yi’s invitation and since then have devoted myself to collating and studying the Syngman rhee archival materials. From the outset, I was extremely impressed with the extensiveness and quality of the documents preserved at Ihwa House. I was also elated to find a veritable treasure trove of historical photographs as well as approximately one hundred thousand pages of documents written in oldstyle Korean, classical Chinese, and English. Early snapshots showed rhee in his formative years in Korea, the old prints capturing his relationships with prominent american missionaries who nurtured, guided, and later supported him during the terrible years he was forced to spend in Hansŏng (Seoul) Prison. I thumbed through the next photos and watched rhee grow older before my eyes as they revealed the future president attending George Washington University, Harvard, and Princeton before returning to his homeland to work with the Seoul YmCa. Next, I bore witness to rhee’s Hawai‘i years, when he not only played an instrumental role in establishing a school and a church for Koreans in Hawai‘i but also laid the foundations for his future struggle to rally support to the Korean cause. Subsequent pictures depicted rhee’s role as the head of the Korean Provisional Government, showing him meeting with fellow freedom fighters , important politicians, community leaders, and others. Finally, I found photos of rhee during World War II and in the post-liberation period as he used his considerable skills to position himself as the leader-in-waiting of a newly created country. In the end, it was these photos and documents that motivated me to write the present volume. this book covers the first seventy-three years of Syngman rhee’s life, from his birth in 1875 to his election as the first president of...

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