These are typescript transcripts of Stilwell's original diaries. In addition to chronicling his career and activities up to and following World War II, Stilwell's diaries offer insights into his developing character, as he matured from a twenty-one-year-old second lieutenant, fresh out of West Point, to a mature four-star general officer. They provide evidence of his early passion for exploring and observing different cultures and people and his innate curiosity, which led to an expanding mind and widespread interests. The entries also reveal his keen sense of humor, his ability to assess the character of others, his command of the English language, his artistic abilities, and his warmth for his family.

The diaries were Stilwell’s private writings and notes; he never intended others to see them. Some of the language used in the diaries was commonly accepted during the periods in which they were written; it is not appropriate or valid to apply today’s standards to it to draw conclusions about Stilwell’s character or views. Writing about some of the language and labels in the diaries, Barbara Tuchman, in her book Stilwell and the American Experience in China, makes the following statement, “Lesser vulgarities he used easily and seemingly without pejorative content.”

Often the diaries contain short notes and observations made by Stilwell. Some of those entries he incorporated into the daily entries, some he later crossed out, some were simply meant to remind him of something, and some are so cryptic they make no discernible contribution to the diaries’ historical significance. In those cases such entries have not been transcribed. When they are of interest or add to the daily entries, however, they have been incorporated into the transcripts.