Established in 1943, the Sino-American Cooperation Organization (SACO, aka the Sino-American Special Technical Cooperative Organization) was a joint Nationalist/American operation headed up in tandem by the chief of Chiang Kai-Shek's secret police and the commander of U.S. Naval Group - China, the U.S. Navy's intelligence outfit in China. The SACO served as an intelligence gathering/sharing organization as well as a training center for Chinese guerrilla forces operating in Japanese occupied territory and other tasks. While the Organization ended in 1946 with the departure of Naval Group China, the Chinese components of SACO were active participants in the Chinese Civil War, and the Americans were accused of complicity in their actions by the Communists. The group includes two large patches (one leather, one embroidered cloth), 6 inches in diameter, with "U.S. NAVAL GROUP CHINA" around a fouled anchor, Nationalist Star, and a pennant marked "???!!!***", a small enamel pin bearing the SACO logo, a leather "blood chit" style patch (9 5/8 inches wide, 7 inches tall, marked "U.S.N./(anchor)/Shanghai, China" on the front and "Robert/Charles/Leonhauser/1945/YMS 468/U.S./NAVY" on the back) a dual-language name tag for "R.E.Stouffer, Jr.", a pair of USN Lieutenant Junior Grade shoulder boards, and two photos, one of a pair of navy men (one, in uniform with no visible rank insignia, is identified on the back as Lt. JG Ralph Stouffer, Jr.) and one of a radio bullpen (marked on the back as being the SACO communication office in Shanghai in 1945). Records indicate that Ralph Stouffer Junior was born in Chicago and was a lawyer in civilian life, and Robert Leonhauser as a Metalsmith 3rd Class aboard the minesweeper YMS-468, which was active in the Pacific and around Okinawa during the war and remained at work around Korea and Singapore afterwards. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Very good overall, with mild wear and stains. The SACO pin is missing the clutch back.