Peter Ward Fay (December 3, 1924 – January 18, 2004) was an American historian and authority on India and China.
Professor Fay received his bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1947, where his studies were interrupted to serve in Italy during World War II.
Afterwards, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and then returned to Harvard for his PhD, which he received in 1954.
At Caltech, Fay taught a variety of courses in European history and also developed an interest in Asia, especially India and China.
Also, during his days at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, he came in contact with Lakshmi Sahgal(Captain Laxmi Sehgal) and her husband, Prem Sahgal(Colonel Prem Kumar Sehgal), both former high-ranking officers in Subhash Chandra Bose-led INA, who gave him deeper insights into Indian National Army's history and helped him form his interest in Indian history.