Biography of Russell Brines

Russell Brines (1911-1982) was a journalist who covered worldwide political philosophy and conflict, including World War II in the Philippines and Japan, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the rise and influence of the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, and the antecedents and spread of communism. He began his journalism career in 1933 at the Hilo Tribune Herald and later at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in Hawaii before joining the Associated Press in 1939. While reporting the Japanese invasion of Manila in 1941, Brines was arrested by Japanese soldiers and interned in a camp at Santo Tomas near Manila. He was freed by American forces under General Douglas MacArthur in 1943. Brines worked for the Associated Press until 1955; he was chief of AP's Japan-Korea Bureau from 1949-1951. In 1951, he joined AP's Washington Bureau. During his years with AP, he covered important events such as the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, the attempted suicide of Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the first year's fighting in Korea, and General Douglas MacArthur's dismissal by President Harry Truman. He left AP to organize and head The Copley News Service, for which he was a columnist and roving correspondent. After organizing The Copley News Service, Brines made extensive news-gathering tours of Latin America, the Far East, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. He was one of 24 newsmen authorized by the U.S. State Department to enter China. In 1961, he became a freelance correspondent and journalist, covering Vietnam periodically from 1965 to 1975. Brines moved with his wife Barbara to Gainesville, Florida in 1976 and he became a journalism professor from 1979 to 1981 at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Brines was also a professional lecturer. He was an expert on Japanese and Asian affairs and author of the books, Until They Eat Stones (1944), MacArthur's Japan (1948), and The Indo-Pakistani Conflict (1968).