Edgar Snow’s sympathy for the ‘Reds’ led to advocacy. He became a missionary for the Chinese Communist Party by starting the Chinese Industrial Co-operative (INDUSCO) and then asking affluent people to dedicate money to the cause in the name of ending the war with Japan. In this he was quite successful because he equated communism with industrial democracy. (Snow, pp. 198-207) After doing that for several years both he and Nym were tired. She had been living in the Philippines for two years and had already left for America. Edgar followed.
Edgar arrived in the U.S. in February, 1941 and quickly slipped back into an American way of life. He traveled and wrote some, divorced Nym and married Lois Wheeler, wrote his autobiography, and then moved to Switzerland. He didn’t go back to China until 1960, and again in 1970. That last visit he went away somewhat disillusioned with who he thought was a friend, Mao Tse Tung, and the Chinese Communist Party. He did, however, pave the way for President Richard Nixon to enter into China. Unfortunately, he was not alive to see Nixon and Mao shake hands. He died February, 15, 1972.
Snow, Edgar. (1958) Journey to the Beginning: A Personal View of Contemporary History. New York: Vintage Books.
