original_query: What is the background of Owen Lattimore?
query: What is the background of Owen Lattimore?
answer: Owen Lattimore (1900-1989) was an American Orientalist and writer, a prominent scholar of China and Central Asia, particularly Mongolia.  Despite lacking a college degree, he became editor of *Pacific Affairs* and taught at Johns Hopkins University. During WWII, he advised Chiang Kai-shek and the US government.  Later, he faced accusations of being a Soviet spy during the McCarthy era, though these were ultimately dismissed. He later established the Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Leeds.