The Lady and the Panda Read online

  164 “That was fame” Poore, “Books of the Times.”

  164 The Times had already Abend, “Rare 4-Pound ‘Giant’ Panda.”

  164 It was “the most” Brookfield Zoo informational paper on the giant panda, 1 Dec. 1939, Brookfield Zoo archives.

  164 “control publicity” Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 259.

  164 She bristled at Ibid., pp. 259–60.

  164 And she hated “Only One in Captivity”; and Bruce Perkins, (Hazel Perkins's son), interview by author, Cleveland, Aug. 2001.

  165 A few days later “Rare Baby Panda Claws Mistress and Takes a Nap,” Chicago Tribune, 23 Dec. 1936.

  165 At the Palmer House “Many Zoos Now Seek to Buy Famous Baby from Woman Captor,” Associated Press, 23 Dec.; and official Guide Book of the Chicago Zoological Park, Su-Lin and Mei Mei Edition, 1938.

  165 Bean made his desire “Many Zoos Now Seek to Buy.”

  165 Su-Lin would be headed for the Bronx New York Times, 2 Dec. 1936.

  165 “Don't Close Negotiations” Harkness to Perkins, 8 Dec. 1936.

  165 She made clear “Rare Baby Panda Claws Mistress.”

  165 At 9:47 A.M. “Baby Panda Here from Tibet,” New York Sun, Dec. 23, 1936.

  165 otter-fur coat “Baby Panda Here, Enjoys Its Bottle.”

  165 “baby girl” “Many Zoos Now Seek to Buy.”

  165 stepped up to the registration desk “Baby Panda Here from Tibet,” and “Su Lin, Panda Baby, Checks in at the Biltmore,” New York Herald Tribune, 24 Dec. 1936.

  165 “All that seemed lacking” Poore, “Books of the Times.”

  166 Along with excited friends Harkness as told to Adamson, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4; “Baby Panda's Fate in the Balance—May Return to Jungle,” New York American, 7 Mar. 1937; and “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.”

  166 The panda too grew irritated Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4.

  166 Harkness was determined “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.”

  167 In a large room “Baby Panda Here, Enjoys Its Bottle.”

  167 “I keep the radiators” Abend, “Rare 4-Pound ‘Giant’ Panda.”

  167 The chain-smoker “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.”

  167 She settled herself “Su Lin, Panda Baby, Checks In.”

  167 A tray with pots Life, 18 Dec. 1936.

  167 “knew by heart” Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 266.

  167 was Su-Lin housebroken Ibid., p. 266.

  167 “smartest panda” “Su Lin, Panda Baby, Checks In.”

  167 To questions of Smith's charges “Mrs. Harkness Returns.”

  167 When another reporter asked “Su Lin, Panda Baby, Checks In”; and “Mrs. Harkness Returns.”

  167 The panda was so adorable “Su Lin, Panda Baby, Checks In.”

  168 His eye patches Ibid.; and “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.”

  168 Time magazine called “Su-lin In,” Time, 4 Jan. 1937.

  168 “the most famous animal” Morris and Morris, Men and Pandas, p. 71.

  168 The baby panda Abend, “Rare 4-Pound ‘Giant’ Panda.”

  168 The Sun reported “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.”

  168 She would tell the press Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4.

  168 Charles Appleton “Su Lin, Panda Baby, Checks In.”

  168 A few big guns “Baby Panda Here, Enjoys Its Bottle.”

  168 Throughout the day Harkness as told to Adamson, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 1; “Led by Tibetan, Mrs. Harkness Finds Prize in Frigid Wilds,” New York American, 17 Feb. 1937.

  169 Though she may have downplayed “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.”

  169 She made clear to the press “Baby Panda Here, Enjoys Its Bottle.”

  169 Once the press “Baby Panda Here from Tibet.” Also listed in 23/24 Dec. New York clipping with no ID. New York Times, 16 Jan. 1937, says Appleton tells reporter Harkness's address is 15 East Fifty-fifth Street.

  169 she was lonely Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 268.

  170 Harkness wanted the same amount “Baby Giant,” Time, 7 Dec. 1936; also “Su-lin In.”

  170 She had said as much Abend, “Rare 4-Pound ‘Giant’ Panda.”

  170 Monkeys could be had From correspondence and price lists between Frank Buck and the Brookfield Zoo, May and Dec. 1936, Brookfield Zoo archives.

  170 The director “Everything Is Fine 'n Danda! S.F.'s Finally Got a Panda,” San Francisco Chronicle morgue, stamped 19 Dec. 1936, but no paper affiliation on clipping.

  170 Blair complained Abend, “Rare 4-Pound ‘Giant’ Panda.”

  170 Furthermore, Blair told John O'Reilly, “Infant Giant Panda Just an Item in Long ‘First of Their Kind’ List of Animals on Exhibition Here,” New York Herald Tribune, 27 Dec. 1936.

  170 The Bronx, apparently Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 270.

  170 all the windows rolled down Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4.

  171 She wondered Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 272.

  171 Her bank account Ibid., p. 273.

  171 Harkness may have been downhearted Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4.

  171 Among others, there were author Schell, Virtual Tibet, p. 241.

  171 coming daily to sketch Su Lin Poore, “Books of the Times.”

  171 Brooke Dolan Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 275.

  171 Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., arrived Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4. This piece does not mention Kermit being there (pp. 271–72), but Harkness's Lady and the Panda does. The quotes differ very slightly in the book and the article. I have chosen the article's version.

  172 “And this,” Harkness said Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 275.

  172 As one Harvard Vicki Croke, “Museum Quality,” The Boston Globe, 31 March 2001. Quote from Glover M. Allen, Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.

  172 On Saturday evening “Baby Panda Cries at Debut on Radio: Mrs. Harkness Holds It Up to Microphone at Dinner of the Explorers Club//Its Health Is Guarded//Rare Animal Rests in Air-Cooled Room While Waiting to Start the Broadcast,” New York Times, 17 Jan. 1937.

  172 “They couldn't very well” Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 274.

  172 Though they were forced “Baby Panda Cries at Debut.”

  172 sea of hundreds Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 273, says 500 men.

  172 with their cocktails and cigars “Baby Panda Cries at Debut.”

  173 During dinner Ibid.

  173 Before the broadcast ended Ibid.

  173 For the series Harkness as told to Adamson, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 3; “How Mrs. Harkness Kept the Baby Panda Alive,” New York American, 28 Feb. 1937.

  173 Though ragged Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4.

  174 Late in the afternoon Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 277.

  174 Her friends saw her off All references of the time are to Grand Central Terminal, not Station. This one is from New York American, Mar. 1937.

  174 roses and violets Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 277.

  174 She would stay one week Ibid., p. 282.

  174 He was kept Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4. “Baby Panda's Fate.”

  174 Robert Bean, the curator Robert Bean biography from the Brookfield Zoo archives.

  174 took the night shift Mary Bean to Ruth Harkness, 10 Mar. 1937, Brookfield Zoo archives.

  174 Lloyd's of London Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 281; and Poore, “Books of the Times.”

  174 the most valuable in the world Pathé News synopsis, 8 May 1937, Brookfield Zoo archives.

  174 in a large room Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4; “Baby Panda's Fate.”

  174 He would be fed “Baby Su-Lin's Daily Diet,” 10 Mar. 1937, records of Brookfield Zoo.

  175 Carrots, celery, lettuce Mary Bean to Harkness. 10 Mar. 1937.


  175 “but for whom or what” Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 282.

  175 Harkness returned to New York Her stationery from 15 Feb. 1937, lists her address as 15 East Fifty-fifth Street, New York City, Plaza 3-3465.

  175 “There are times” Harkness, “How I Caught the Rare Giant Panda,” part 4.

  176 kept off exhibit Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 285.

  176 It would pay Harkness $8,750 “Su-Lin Greets Sister with a Poke on Nose; Then 2 Pandas Kiss and Make Up at Zoo,” Chicago Daily Tribune, 19 Feb. 1938; and Brookfield Zoo archives. Sowerby, letter to the editor, North China Daily News, 28 July 1937, says Harkness told him $8,760. “Panda, Pet of Zoo Is Dead in Chicago,” New York Times, 1 Apr. 1938, says $8,750. “Su-Lin Likes It at Brookfield; So She'll Stay,” Chicago Daily Tribune, 20 Apr. 1937, reports $10,000.

  176 So, in mid-April “Su-Lin Likes It.” By now her exploits were important enough to lure along the wildly witty Alexander Woollcott, famous for lines such as the one in which he described himself as “always a godfather, never a god.”

  176 That day, April 20 Ibid.

  176 Tens of thousands “Panda Becomes Gay Hostess When Guests Arrive,” Associated Press, in Joliet [Ill.] Herald News, 18 July 1937, Brookfield Zoo archives.

  176 World Series games Baseball Almanac, http://www.baseball-almanac.com.

  177 The Bronx Zoo H. R. Mitchell, manager of the New York Zoological Park, to Edward Bean, director of the Brookfield Zoo, 20 Feb. 1937.

  177 Back in Shanghai China Journal, Apr. 1937, p. 190, says Russell left Shanghai for America in late March.

  177 Floyd Tangier Smith Russell to Reynolds, 1 Apr. 1965, says he met with Smith before leaving the country.

  177 Looking skeletal Floyd Tangier Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 22 Apr. 1937, Smith Papers.

  177 Russell found Russell to Reynolds, 1 Apr. 1965.

  177 Smith had been From Elizabeth Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 23 and 28 Dec. 1936, we know it started at Christmastime, and from his own letter to his sister, 12 Mar. 1937, we know it lasted until then. Smith Papers.

  177 Just before Christmas Elizabeth Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 23 and 28 Dec., 1936.

  177 “financially embarrassed” Ibid.

  177 “all gone phut” Floyd Tangier Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 22 Apr. 1937.

  177 Smith confided Ibid.

  177 Instead of continued life Fragment of letter, Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, n.d. but by information contained in letter, it must have been written in fall 1937 from, most likely, London. Smith Papers.

  177 From winter into spring Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 22 Apr. 1937.

  178 As if it hadn't Elizabeth Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 23 Dec. 1936; and Smith, document/letter, 12 Mar. 1937.

  178 After this Smith, document/letter, 12 Mar. 1937.

  178 The irony was Ibid.

  178 It is almost certain Russell to Reynolds, 1 Apr. 1965, says he met with Smith before leaving the country.

  178 But Russell had another “Another Live Giant Panda,” China Journal, Apr. 1937, p. 190; and Arthur de Carle Sowerby, “The Natural History of West China,” China Journal, Apr. 1937, p. 202.

  179 It was enough to daunt Harkness to Perkins, 13 Aug. 1937.

  179 As for Smith Smith to Ruth Woodhull Tangier Smith, 22 Apr. 1937.

  179 One of the most important Ibid.

  179 Harkness and Smith Harkness in Chicago on Mon. 19 Apr., according to Chicago Tribune; Smith writing of plans to sister Thurs. 22 Apr.

  180 Captain Brocklehurst “Captain Brocklehurst Completes West China Expedition,” China Journal, Apr. 1937, p. 190.

  180 Even with an expedition China Press, 12 Aug. 1937, says Harkness completed both manuscripts before coming to China. This is the only reference I have to the actual writing of the books.

  180 “I shall return” Harkness, Lady and the Panda, p. 288.

  180 “Again there were” Ibid., p. 287.

  CHAPTER 9: BOMBS RAIN FROM THE HEAVENS

  181 Ruth Harkness entered Harkness to Perkins, 11 Aug. 1936 (mismarked 11 July 1936); and China Press, 12 Aug. 1937.

  181 Harkness knew of the danger China Press, Shipping section, 12 Aug. 1937.

  181 Now, crowded up on deck Dong, Shanghai, p. 252.

  181 It had backup too North China Daily News, 12 Aug. 1937.

  182 As her ship drew China Press, Shipping section, 12 Aug. 1937.

  182 Japan and China Spence, Search for Modern China, p. 251.

  182 the Japanese making North China Daily News, 12 Aug. 1937.

  182 Outside the International China Press, 13 Aug. 1937.

  182 The clash that resulted Spence, Search for Modern China, pp. 420–21.

  182 Just that past December Roberts, Concise History, p. 240.

  182 By deflecting Tuchman, Stilwell, p. 168.

  183 “numbers, hate” Ibid., p. 161.

  183 She scrawled Harkness to Perkins, 11 Aug. 1936. Aboard the boat, she had been all good humor and jokes in her correspondence. At one point, she had responded to a cabled tease of Perkie's—“You are wrong. I wasn't having a cocktail when your telegram arrived; I was having a whisky with plain water.”

  183 The next day, Arthur de Carle Sowerby “Modern Diana Returns,” North China Herald, 18 Aug. 1937, says tea was on Thurs. afternoon.

  183 Despite the city's anxiety China Press, 11 Aug. 1937, with picture, “Returning.”

  183 “Modern Diana Returns” North China Herald, 18 Aug. 1937.

  183 “Pres. Hoover Brings” China Press, Shipping section, 12 Aug. 1937.

  183 It couldn't help but amuse Harkness to Perkins, 11 Aug. 1936.

  183 Through her correspondence In her first letter home on 11 Aug., she expresses concern that Young is not around, but says she's not worried. China Press, 12 Aug. 1937, says “her first move will be to get in contact with” Quentin Young. Even by Sept., China Journal was reporting that Harkness “was to have met Mr. Quentin Young somewhere in South China,” China Journal, “Travel and Exploration Notes,” Sept. 1937, p. 145. And Harkness to Edward Bean, 24 Sept. 1937, Brookfield Zoo archives.

  184 Among all the cards Harkness to Perkins, 11 Aug. 1936.

  184 “I can't find” Ibid., 13 Aug. 1937.

  184 She was in the dark Ibid., 11 Aug. 1936.

  184 Many years later Quentin Young, interview by Michael Kiefer, in “I Need Time to Recuperate,” San Diego Weekly Reader 19, no. 47 (29 Nov. 1990), p. 16.

  184 As Harkness stepped ashore “Ruth Harkness Completes West China Expedition,” China Journal, “Travel and Exploration Notes,” Jan. 1938, p. 37.

  184 his already pregnant wife Diana Chen had to have been pregnant because she gave birth in November (Harkness to Perkins, 10 Dec. 1937); and Young's presence in Hong Kong from Kiefer, Chasing the Panda, p. 150.

  185 In June, hunters “Second Live Panda Leaves China,” China Journal, Aug. 1937.

  185 The young adult female “Food Problems of Giant Panda,” Shanghai Sunday Times, 3 Oct. 1937.

  185 she boarded the Andre Lebon “Giant Panda en Route to U.S.,” North China Daily News, 25 July 1937.

  185 There were rumors Harkness to Perkins, 13 and 23 Aug. 1937.

  185 He would admit “Food Problems.”

  185 He sailed eventually “Mr. F. T. Smith Leaves Shanghai with Panda on Journey to London Zoo,” Shanghai Sunday Times, 25 July 1937.

  185 The poor panda China Journal, “Travel and Exploration Notes,” Jan. 1938, p. 38, says the panda was dead before Singapore; and Shanghai Sunday Times, 3 Oct. 1937, says she died before Saigon.

  186 Harkness would hear Harkness to Pierce and Perkins, 23 Aug. 1937, from aboard the Aramis.

  186 Pandaless, Smith continued “Food Problems” says he is in London then.

  186 Sowerby had amassed Harkness to Perkins, 13 Aug. 1937.

  186 “Such slander” Harkness to Perkins and Pierce, 23 Aug. 1937. Sifting through the stories, she saw that some
missionaries had taken “pot shots” at her too. Many of them were on Smith's side, as he maintained strong ties with their community at the West China Union University in Chengdu. Somehow, though, the missionary rumbling struck Harkness as comic, and she shrugged it off. “Notorious character you have for a friend,” she wrote home to Perkins.

  186 An inveterate writer The Herald was a round-up version of the Daily News, and Sowerby's letter, dated 26 July, appeared in the Daily News on 28 July, and in the Herald 11 Aug.

  186 With a tone of calm authority North China Daily News, 28 July 1937; and North China Herald, 11 Aug. 1937.

  187 Smith, in England Smith, document/letter, 12 Oct. 1937, Smith Papers, Library of Congress.

  187 Even though the writer-naturalist “Giant Pandas in the News,” China Journal, “Scientific Notes and Reviews,” July 1937.

  187 In September China Journal, Sept. 1937.

  187 He would point out Ibid., Oct. 1937, p. 210. The text says “included” instead of “inclined,” a clear error.

  188 “The whole story told” “Ruth Harkness Here to Fulfill Mission She Holds ‘Sacred,’ ” China Press, 12 Aug. 1937.

  188 She disliked having Ibid.

  188 Her fortunes Harkness to Perkins, 25 July 1937, mentions cable from “Jerry” asking her to wait for him in Chicago.

  188 It would appear In a later letter (10 Oct. 1937), Harkness reports meeting a missionary lady outside Chengdu who says that Russell received word of the captured panda, and had the hunters kill it and bring him the pelt.

  189 In torrents Dong, Shanghai, p. 252.

  189 “Wide thoroughfares” North China Herald, 18 Aug. 1937, dispatch dated 13 Aug. 1937.

  189 The frantic refugees Harkness to Perkins, 13 Aug. 1937.

  189 Many could stake out China Press, 13 Aug. 1937.

  189 The big North Station Ibid., 14 Aug. 1937.

  189 Settlement authorities Sergeant, Shanghai, p. 297.

  189 By Saturday morning North China Daily News, 15 Aug. 1937.

  189 Relying on information Harkness to Perkins and Pierce, 23 Aug. 1937.

  189 under Chiang Kai-shek's orders Spence, Search for Modern China, p. 422.

  189 Chinese biplanes North China Herald, dispatch dated 16 Aug. 1937.