Throughout his life, Clarence Adams exhibited self-reliance, ambition, ingenuity, courage, and a commitment to learning -- character traits often equated with the successful pursuit of the American Dream. Unfortunately, for an African American coming of age in the 1930s and 1940s, such attributes counted for little, especially in the South. Adams was a seventeen-year-old high school dropout in 1947 when he fled Memphis and the local police to join the U.S. Army. Three years later, after fighting in the Korean War in an all-black artillery unit that he believed to have been sacrificed to save white troops, he was captured by the Chinese. After spending almost three years as a POW, during which he continued to suffer racism at the hands of his fellow Americans, he refused repatriation in 1953, choosing instead the People's Republic of China, where he hoped to find educational and career opportunities not readily available in his own country. While living in China, Adams earned a university degree, married a Chinese professor of Russian, and worked in Beijing as a translator for the Foreign Languages Press. During the Vietnam War he made a controversial anti-war broadcast over Radio Hanoi, urging black troops not to fight for someone else's political and economic freedoms until they enjoyed these same rights at home. In 1966, having come under suspicion during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, he returned with his wife and two children to the United States, where he was subpoenaed to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities to face charges of'disrupting the morale of American fighting forces in Vietnam and inciting revolution in the United States.'After these charges were dropped, he and his family struggled to survive economically. Eventually, through sheer perseverance, they were able to fulfill at least part of the American Dream. By the time he died, the family owned and operated eight successful Chinese restaurants in his native Memphis.

lgli/R:\Project-Muse\md5_rep\F298A6444B02BE910427A19B53928ED8.pdf

zlib/no-category/Clarence Adams edited by Della Adams & Lewis H. Carlson/An American Dream: The Life of an African American Soldier and POW Who Spent Twelve Years in Communist China_28572111.pdf

Adams, Clarence;Carlson, Lewis H.;Adams, Della

Clarence Adams; Lewis H Carlson; Della Adams

Project MUSE (https://muse.jhu.edu/)

United States, United States of America

Amherst, Mass, Massachusetts, 2007

Amherst; Boston, 2007

June 2007

producers:
Muse-DL/1.0.0

Includes bibliographical references.

Table of Contents 8
List of Illustrations 10
Introduction 16
Chapter 1. Skippy: The Formative Years 22
Chapter 2. U.S. Army Combat Soldier: Korea 44
Chapter 3. Captured! 60
Chapter 4. Camp 5 67
Chapter 5. Turncoat? 86
Chapter 6. University Days: Beijing and Wuhan 94
Chapter 7. Marriage and Family 105
Chapter 8. The Foreign Languages Press, Africans, and the Vietnam Broadcasts 114
Chapter 9. Going Home! 126
Chapter 10. Recriminations 137
Chapter 11. Bootstrapping to the American Dream 150
Postscript by Della Adams 164
Clarence Cecil Adams Time Line 168
Notes 172
Back Cover 177
Publisher:University of Massachusetts Press,Published:2007,ISBN:9781613760581,Related ISBN:9781558495944,Language:English,OCLC:794701554
Throughout his life, Clarence Adams exhibited self-reliance, ambition, ingenuity, courage, and a commitment to learning—character traits often equated with the successful pursuit of the American Dream. Unfortunately, for an African American coming of age in the 1930s and 1940s, such attributes counted for little, especially in the South. Adams was a seventeen-year-old high school dropout in 1947 when he fled Memphis and the local police to join the U.S. Army. Three years later, after fighting in the Korean War in an all-black artillery unit that he believed to have been sacrificed to save white troops, he was captured by the Chinese. After spending almost three years as a POW, during which he continued to suffer racism at the hands of his fellow Americans, he refused repatriation in 1953, choosing instead the People's Republic of China, where he hoped to find educational and career opportunities not readily available in his own country. While living in China, Adams earned a university degree, married a Chinese professor of Russian, and worked in Beijing as a translator for the Foreign Languages Press. During the Vietnam War he made a controversial anti-war broadcast over Radio Hanoi, urging black troops not to fight for someone else's political and economic freedoms until they enjoyed these same rights at home. In 1966, having come under suspicion during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, he returned with his wife and two children to the United States, where he was subpoenaed to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities to face charges of "disrupting the morale of American fighting forces in Vietnam and inciting revolution in the United States." After these charges were dropped, he and his family struggled to survive economically. Eventually, through sheer perseverance, they were able to fulfill at least part of the American Dream. By the time he died, the family owned and operated eight successful Chinese restaurants in his native Memphis.

Clarence Cecil 'skippy' Adams Exhibited Self-reliance, Ambition, Ingenuity, Courage And A Commitment To Learning. Unfortuantely, For An African American Coming Of Age In The 1930's And 1940's, Such Attributes Counted For Little, Especially If He Lived In The South. Clarence Adams Had Another Strike Against Him. In 1953, After Spending Thirty-three Months As A Pow During The Korean War, He Chose Not To Return To His Homeland; Instead He Went To China, Where He Spent The Next 12 Years Of His Life. After Returning To The United States, The House Un-american Activities Committee Accused Him Of 'disrupting The Morale Of The American Fighting Forces In Vietmnam And Inciting Revolution In The U.s.' Adams Vigorously Denied These Charges, Explaining: 'i Went To China Because I Was Looking For Freedom, A Way Out Of Poverty, And To Be Treated Like A Human Being....--from The Preface. Skippy: The Formative Years -- U.s. Army Combat Soldier: Korea -- Captured! -- Camp 5 --turncoat? -- University Days: Beijing And Wuhan -- Marriage And Family -- The Foreign Languages Press, Africans, And The Vietnam Broadcasts -- Going Home! -- Recriminations -- Bootstrapping To The American Dream. Clarence Adams ; Edited By Della Adams & Lewis H. Carlson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [151]-155).

2022-03-08