April 2, 2026

Taiwanese Tea in America, American Spies in Formosa – S6-E4

In 1904, colonial Taiwan tried to impress America with oolong tea at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Just five years later, two American spies disguised as South African zoologists were secretly roaming Japanese Formosa – but they weren’t investigating tea. They were on a U.S. Army mission to gather military intelligence. In this episode, John and Eryk explore tea, empire, espionage, and the strange relationship between Taiwan and the United States in the early 1900s.

Show Notes

Cover shows "Formosa Oolong Tea" (1904), and the cover of Beyond the Ranges Hardcover – May 2, 1960 by Colonel Consuelo Andrew Seaone (Author).

Below: Joseph Cheesman Thompson (1874–1943)

Interestingly, Thompson might have unwittingly help found Scientology. Wiki: In 1923 Thompson accompanied then-12-year-old L. Ron Hubbard, the future founder of Scientology, aboard the USS Ulysses S. Grant. According to a recording of Hubbard sharing anecdotes from his life, he considered Thompson to be a "very great man" who sparked Hubbard's interest in "the human mind". Hubbard said that Thompson told him, "If it's not true for you, it's not true." Hubbard claimed an ongoing relationship with Thompson saying as "the years went along and I knew Thompson again here and there, and I read books that he sent me and so forth."