Bob Bergin

Bob Bergin is a former U.S. Foreign Service officer and specialist in Southeast Asia, where he spent much of his career. After the Foreign Service, Bob and his wife, Monique, started Banana Tree, a business importing art and antiques from Southeast Asia and India, where they travel regularly to explore antique markets. Bob also works with historic aviation groups in Asia, and writes articles on aviation and military history for magazines and journals. His specialties are the American Volunteer Group (AVG) Flying Tigers, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner to the CIA. In recent years, Bob has spent time in China to pursue interests in U.S. World War II aviation, and in the Peoples' Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). He is the first American writer to be given interviews by senior PLAAF combat pilots, including a leading MiG-15 Korean War ace, and a PLAAF attack pilot closely involved with China's nuclear program, who became the pilot to drop China's first H-Bomb. Bob's novels reflect his interests in Asia: "Stone Gods, Wooden Elephants," an adventure in the world of Asian antiques; "When Tigers Fly," a contemporary search for a valuable Flying Tiger airplane; "Spies in the Garden," a novel of espionage and war - the OSS and the Flying Tigers in World War II Burma and China. Bob's short story collections, "A Delicate Beauty - from Phetburi" and "White Goddess," look back at his time in Asia, Africa, and other exotic places.