Customer Reviews

Acheson and Empire: The British Accent in American Foreign Policy

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Statesman Dean Acheson once said, "Always remember that the future comes one day at a time." In reading James Chase's hagiography of the former Secretary of State, I was painfully reminded of this axiom in that the conclusion of his account of Acheson comes very slowly, one page at a time. Chock full of overt flowery adulations, this ode to all things Acheson left me with the lingering urge to read Melville or some other bromide better left relegated to the dusty echelons of my lower bookshelf.

And so, it came pleasing to the palate and with great relish reading John T. McNay's Acheson and Empire, the British Accent in American Foreign Policy in which he presents the dark underbelly of Acheson that Chase leaves covered. Whereas Chase's account reads as a love song to this formative character in the origins of the Cold War, McNay acts as a Woodward and Bernstein tour-de-force, exposing Acheson's prevailing biasness towards the interests of the British Empire in which he often flies in the face of America's own better welfare.

Often referred to as "this pompous diplomat in striped pants, with the phony British accent," by Senator Joseph McCarthy, Acheson's dialect may have been phony but his intentions were anything but. McNay contends Acheson's Ulster Protestant family roots contributed to an unconcealed inclination favoring British colonialism. Harboring a romantic view of British imperialism, Acheson's actions served to undermine the American identity and presence in countries emerging from under British rule such as Iran, India, Egypt, and Ireland.

Mingling a dash of creative writing and a surprising show of subtle wit, McNay's narrative is an engaging read and an important one which offers a never before considered reassessment of Acheson's foreign politics and reconsideration of his dubious legacy as a "Cold Warrior." But not only relevant to those studying the Cold War, McNay's account also offers up a plausible rationale to the continuing hostility of mid-Eastern countries towards the United States.

Documenting his thesis with extensive references to materials gleaned from obvious intense scrutiny and study, McNay strips away the veneer often held of Acheson, presenting an alternate view of the pin-striped exemplar. Acheson and Empire, the British Accent in American Foreign Policy is chronicle well deserving of a place on one's top bookshelf.