Alice Chong pressed into public relations duty at Kunming during the winter of 1943-44.
When a visiting troupe of USO entertainers, Hollywood actors, visited the 14th U.S. Army Air Force base, Alice was detailed to lead them around, answer their questions, translate for them, and in general make them feel at home. Of the four Hollywood actors at center, Edmund O’Brien (1915-1985) at left and Mickey Rooney (1920-2014) at rear are the most probable identifications, but the “grandma” and “little girl” actresses remain unidentified. Both O’Brien and Rooney joined the U.S. Army shortly afterwards; Rooney went off to the ETO, O’Brien to the Army Air Corps at Kunming. The year before Alice had done the same kind of translating and tour-guiding for Wendell Wilkie during his visit to China. U.S. Army Signal Corps photo by unknown photographer, Alice Chong Collection.
(Images and information primarily courtesy of Brian Dillon.)