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Lindsay Nov 3, Nevertheless, the book obviously took years of intense scholarship. We may owe current European unity to the efforts of John McCloy who, as High Commissioner of Germany, and its virtual czar, was an exceptionally sincere and honest broker among the war-torn nations of Europe. I'd know a bit about a few of them but the authors weave a coherent and informative account of all six men. Self-appointed defenders of freedom. In Establishment studies, it may take one to know one. Acheson is a key player throughout, although he was side-lined in the fifties after running afoul of McCarthy. Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson and were influential in the development of Cold War era foreign policy for America. It is the history of the creation of the US foreign policy establishment, its heyday, and its dissolution in the Reagan years. Get A Copy. New arrivals. Los Angeles Times. The public had to be persuaded. They came together at one of those moments in history when time and place, upbringing and character, fuse into a kind of critical mass, and give ordinary men the power to forever change the way things are. See More Categories. The Most Anticipated Books of There is a new biography of McCloy out recently - it's on my list. Athens is lured into a war of its allies in far-away Sicily. Books by Walter Isaacson. Why I finished it: At 33 hours and 27 minutes this was not for the faint of heart or the casual interest. The early chapters are not particularly interesting, except from the fact that they provide a vivid and surprising insight into the world of the east-coast aristocracy 1st half 20C , which is probably necessary for a full appreciation of what follows. Harriman coached both Ellsworth Bunker, later U. Second Opinion. While I generally agree with most of the analysis provided by the authors, I do differ strongly on one point concerning McCloy. Acheson's efforts resulted in an avalanche of U. We can hope that biographies will be undertaken on the others, and that Isaacson and Thomas will be able to find more time to write at length. Each were remarkable men. Twilight StrugglesReunion at the brink. Share This Paper. Later, all became interested in public service under the FDR Administration. But by that time, their place in history as great men was already well earned. The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made Writer

Thank you for signing up, fellow book lover! We believe in the role of the individual and we still struggle to find the best to manage our great affairs. Chip Bohlen, John J. Bohlen, Kennan and McCloy were younger and did not know the others well until their public lives brought them into close contact. Covers the full gamut of history in the 20th century. This is a very enjoyable history of the origins of the cold war and national security policy making into the 70s. Treating it as a series of interwoven biographies was an effective approach to the subject and to the men themselves. Add to wishlist. They coalesced as a group when Truman became President in and greatly needed advice on foreign policy, as he knew very little in that area. And without doubt the Marshall Plan remains their purest and greatest achievement, power used to its best end. But by the seventies, the center no longer held; Vietnam had shattered the post-World War II consensus. If one takes a Tolstovian view of history, one could conclude that it was the great events of the times which thrust these six men to the front pages of history, and that actually they were the result, not the cause, of the events. Status Isaacson, Walter Author primary author all editions confirmed Thomas, Evan Author main author all editions confirmed. Discover this excellent publication writtern by by now, just right here, yeah only below. It is unlikely that Francie, whoever she is, will ever read this review, but, Francie, if you do, rest assured that at least one person gained much from reading your gift. He was appalled. The six were not ideologues, preferring to adopt a pragmatic outlook, holding moderate views and they believed in consensus. The Man to See. Acheson had a weakness for flattery and vanity, and often indulged in these vices, much to his friends' chagrin at times. They served in government partly out of personal satisfaction, partly as noblesse oblige. It offers a detailed picture of the development of American foreign policy over several decades. They were all intelligent, educated at elite private schools, and most came from wealthy families. For one thing we certainly know that Stalin was about self-preservation first. Charles Bohlen. This book really could stand some updating. From their youth, they were trained to expect doing large things. Hitler, the allies, and the Jews. Feb 02, Nicole rated it it was ok Shelves: national-security-policy , america-f-yeah , history , audio , a-n-book-club , That was the Truman Doctrine. Isaacson and Thomas fill the book with marvelous anecdotes and they describe the unique characteristics of the six lucidly and with humor. A blend of personal biography and public drama, it introduces the original best and brightest, leaders whose outsized personalities and actions brought order to postwar chaos: Averell Harriman, the freewheeling diplomat and Roosevelt's special envoy to Churchill and Stalin; Dean Acheson, the secretary of state who was more responsible for the Truman Doctrine than Truman and for the Marshall Plan than General Marshall; George Kennan, self-cast outsider and intellectual darling of the Washington elite; Robert Lovett, assistant secretary of war, undersecretary of state, and secretary of defense throughout the formative years of the Cold War; John McCloy, one of the nation's most influential private citizens; and Charles Bohlen, adroit diplomat and ambassador to the Soviet Union. The Spokesman-Review. Lists with This Book. Three-sided, without a seat for the NLF? It is the six biographies of men I vaguely remember as being aging luminaries when I was a child. Statesmen urge opposing policies and strategies. Instead of competing to build nuclear arsenals NATO and the Soviet Union could have used that cooperation to build lasting institutions far more effective than the United Nations. Reviewed By Michael V. By clicking accept or continuing to use the site, you agree to the terms outlined in our Privacy Policy , Terms of Service , and Dataset License. Evan Thomas. Jan 01, Book Dragon rated it liked it Shelves: biographies. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. To ask other readers questions about The Wise Men , please sign up. LBJs Establishment told the President he was wholly right. While interesting and thorough, I felt like I couldn't see the forest because there were just too many flippin' trees. Read an excerpt of this book! It is by no means a whitewash. Prophetic indeed. The s: The Acme of American Power. Instead, positions seemed to find him. The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made Reviews

Lovett, Dean Acheson, John J. Ironically, Nitze, icon of the modern American military was adamantly opposed to U. This site uses cookies to improve your user experience. The book chronicles their achievements and some failures in considerable detail from FDR's term on. Roswell Gilpatric The Wise Men book. All were instrumental in reshaping both U. But by the seventies, the center no longer held; Vietnam had shattered the post-World War II consensus. The other three, McCloy, Kennan and Bohlen, were younger and did not know the older men or each other well until their public lives threw them together. Harriman coached both Ellsworth Bunker, later U. I read this book a long time ago, and it was interesting to see how my perspective on these men and their effect on foreign policy in particular has changed. Bay of Pigs. The book manages to simultaneously tell a partial history of the Cold War while also documenting the lives of its six protagoni In International Relations programs, George Kennan is often venerated as a demigod. And as adults, I couldn't keep them straight. It was blamed for the cold war, Vietnam, and assorted other blunders; but its replacement, the self-centered, undisciplined, partisan, non-professional politicians-diplomats of the Reagan-Nixon era- has historians and revisionists yearning for the old order which had been, at least, consistent, selfless, and devoted to the national interest. But Putin? His prescient "Long Telegram" is still a sacred text of sorts. Jan 01, Book Dragon rated it liked it Shelves: biographies. Was he responsible for setting in motion the eventual tragedy of the Vietnam War just based on his almost sole focus on Europe and his belief that the Russians controlled all Communist countries? As much as I enjoyed Isaacson's bashing of Joe McCarthy and John Foster Dulles, the criticism seemed to stem less from these antagonists' enormously problematic worldviews than from their opposition to The Wise Men. Research Feed. Please follow the detailed Help center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

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Foreign Affairs. Google Books — Loading Their Cold War policy went from wartime collaboration with the Soviets to a polic This is an amazing story about the origins and early years of the Cold War as told through the lives of six individuals who shaped US foreign policy during the s - s. The self-confidence of the Wise Men was liberating—it gave them the freedom to be creative and bold. Home Groups Talk More Zeitgeist. About The Book. Their other basic tenet was the doctrine of containment. One interesting thing that the authors mention is Kennan's discovery of U. The Spokesman-Review. There is a new biography of McCloy out recently - it's on my list. The author makes a strong case, perhaps too strong, that they were all wrong about Vietnam for various reasons. Bay of Pigs. While I generally agree with most of the analysis provided by the authors, I do differ strongly on one point concerning McCloy. Photo Credit:. When added to the other costs and the loss of privacy, the impediments become quite serious. View Product. All six were united by their concern with the Soviet Union and the need to contain Soviet power, especially in Europe. Welcome back. Prophetic indeed. The group helped to create a bipartisan foreign policy based on resistance to the expansion of Soviet power. I feel like I've been reading this book my whole life. However, if one gets through the first hundred pages, with its crew races and polo games, then the reader gets a superb view of how much this group of men helped to shape the foreign policy of the United States in the middle half of the 20th century. At first, I was a bit dismayed that there was so little reference to the domestic situation of the times until I realized to what extent US A portrait of The Establishment: the men--estrogen levels all but undetectable in this circle--responsible for defining the international role America was to play following the second world war. This book is long and can't make its central characters quite as colorful as the more well known politic From to excepting the Eisenhower years , the true architects of American foreign policy were six men who are virtually forgotten to history: Averell Harriman, Dean Acheson, George Kennan, Chip Bohlen, Bob Lovett, and John McCloy. History Scene. Familiar stories are retold, but through the lens of the story of these men, whose names are so familiar, yet whose full stories are not usually fully explored. A new era began with the fall of the Soviet Union in and, once again, a brief period when Americans were intoxicated with the smell of success. The importance of the book has to do with its timing and, within the limits imposed by literary technique and scope, its accuracy. Article Types. Subscribe Sign In. They won the Cold War. Citation Type. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. The book had all the appearance of never having been read, so I suspect George, Julie, and their family were never enlightened as Francie hoped. He preferred to make money on Wall Street and work behind the scenes when he could. Amazon Kindle 0 editions. Yet, the filling of short-term needs did not serve the country so well in the long run. Our national myths do not allow an elite class to have strong influence over U. I have read some of his other biographies and found them very engagingly written. But Putin? There are great thinkers in foreign policy Truly, a remarkable tour de force by Isaacson and Thomas about the six men that shaped the post-World War II world and the Pax Americana. A hero general takes a war into his own hands, disastrously.

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