National Pearl harbor Remembrance Day is Saturday, December 7th which makes this an appropriate time to tell the story of Col. Sidney Mashbir. Mashbir was a real life James Bond (American-style of course) and who had a secret alliance with the Japanese Royal Family through the 1920's and 30's, he delayed and attempted to prevent the war between Japan and the United States but when war started he became the personal assistant to General Douglas MacArthur.
50 years ago, a young teacher from Loomis got to know his eccentric, secretive neighbor. Tony Fisher took trips to his family vacation home in Southern California each Summer. It was there he encountered a new neighbor and soon, Fisher and the Col. were having regular visits. The two became friends and over the years, the Col. told Fisher many stories about his time serving the country.
It was only a few years ago that Fisher became curious to see if anyone had ever written about his friend Col. Mashbir. He found an extensive biography and reached out to the author. The two of them are now collaborating. Below is my conversation with Fisher about his relationship to Col. Mashbir and you can read more about this interesting American figure in Stan Katz's book, The Emperor and The Spy, The Secret Alliance to Prevent World War II
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