On Tuesday, August 27, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., author Linda Kush will present a lecture on her book, The Rice Paddy Navy: U.S. Sailors Undercover in China, at Wright Museum.
Part of Wright Museum’s 2019 Lecture Series, sponsored by Ron Goodgame and Donna Canney, the lecture will provide insight into the Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO), a little-known, top-secret U.S. Navy unit in China during World War II.
“SACO’s spied on the Japanese, rescued downed U.S. pilots, sabotaged Japanese transportation and supply depots, and trained 70,000 Chinese peasants in guerilla warfare,” Kush explained.
Kush will also discuss SACO’s “colorful adventure stories,” which included working with Chinese Soldiers, pirates, fishermen, and farmers and journeying through the backcountry by charcoal-powered trucks, sampans, and on foot.
“Most importantly, I would like visitors to walk away knowing that SACO was an unprecedented partnership between the Chinese and Americans,” she added.
Kush is an author, freelance writer, and reporter whose work has appeared in World War II Magazine and the Boston Globe.
The Rice Paddy Navy: U.S. Sailors Undercover in China takes place at Wright Museum, 77 Center Street in Wolfeboro on Tuesday, August 27 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $3 for members and $8 for non-members. Seating is limited, and reservations can be made by calling 603-569-1212.
