Customer Reviews

Almost History: Close Calls, Plan B's, and Twists of Fate in America's Past

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Roger Bruns has written a very interesting book full of tidbits to entice any history buff. Whether your interest lie in the Civil War, Presidential orders, or the World Wars there will be something for everyone. For me the most interesting aspect of the book were the possible "what ifs?" of history. What would Nixon have said if the Apollo astronauts never returned from the moon? Was Kennedy trying to pull us out of Vietnam early? The other interesting items dealt with such things as Nixon's application to the FBI, Einstein's letter to the President suggesting we build an atomic bomb, and the FBI's report on John Lennon and whether or not he should be deported. The nice thing about the book is that Bruns not only provides the documents, but also offers important commentary about what was happening at the time the documents came into being. This gives the reader a much better reference point in which to appreciate the document that is being read. All in all it is a very interesting book that leaves the reader wanting more. Unfortunately, it did seem a bit short to me. If you are the type of person that is facinated by reading a telegram that warned of Pearl Harbor a year before it happened, then you will love this book.

ALMOST HISTORY is not just a what if book along the lines of exploring an alternative path from a pivotal moment. It is not Marvel comics providing a tale such as What If the Radioactive Spider Bit Aunt May?. Instead, Roger Bruns has collected real documents that provide insight into the thinking of the key players in the event something else than what ultimately occurred happened. For instance, President Nixon had a speech written in case he had to provide solace to a mourning American people upon the failure to return of Apollo XI. General Eisenhower likewise prepared a speech explaining the failure of the D-Day invasion.

Tidbits from the archives make for a fascinating look at what was going through the minds of the leaders dealing with possible consequences and other contingencies. Thus, the book is incredibly engaging for more than just the history buff. In point, the student of history might find ALMOST HISTORY a bit short in length in terms of each included entry. Mr. Bruns adds commentary to his eighty plus entries that help bring the genuine documents, thought-processes of the players, and other evidence to life. This book is a great, sort of a paradigm look at America's heritage and hopefully the start of something fascinatingly new.

Harriet Klausner

This book, whose author works for the national archives, is an amusing collection of "Close Calls, Plan B's and Twists of Fate in America's past." Some of the items are merely drafts for press releases if D-day, Apollo 11, etc, failed disastrously. More fascinating were plans for actions not taken - Robert McNamara's meeting with Kennedy on the pre-invasion bombing of Cuba and the prosecution memorandum on indicting Nixon after his resignation. Others are little known items like Alexander Graham Bell's attempt to locate the bullet in Garfield with an induction coil that failed because the dying President was on a (then) newfangled metal spring mattress and Bell didn't know it. The great majority are amusing, some are poignant (Colonel Travis' appeal for reinforcements at the Alamo - although in the words of Chief Hendrick "if they are to fight, they are to few, if they are to die, they are too many") and H.L. Mencken's dryly humorous falsified history of the bathtub (that got out of hand when too many readers treated it as fact) is a real hoot!

"Study the past. Past is prologue. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." This motto is chiseled in the walls of the National Archives in Washington, DC. Perhaps, Roger Bruns, the Deputy Executive Director for the National Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives, heeded to these words when he sat down to write his latest book, Almost History. One of the reasons people examine the past is to better understand the present and beyond. Bruns' Almost History, however, delves into an element of the past that is rarely touched upon by traditional historians: historical what ifs, twists of fate and close calls. Bruns' concept is intriguing, and some of the sections of his book are absorbing, yet the book fell flat during a majority of its sections to the point where I found myself skimming and skipping over parts of the first-hand accounts and Bruns' prose.

One of the reasons I disliked Almost History was due to the fact that Bruns, an author of fourteen books, never goes to pain staking lengths to offer his own analysis on the historical events he writes about. For example, when Bruns writes about General Dwight Eisenhower's note he wrote if the U.S.-led invasion had failed in Normandy, France, Bruns offers little analysis to the possibility that the invasion might have failed in June 1944. Bruns scantily writes, "The note that Eisenhower carried in his pocket that day was not based on unreasonable fear of failure but on a distinct possibility that Operation Overlord could have brought tragic loss" (Bruns 3). Another example of the lack of in-depth analysis I was hoping to receive when I purchased this book comes from Bruns' recount of then-Senator Lyndon Johnson's opposition to greater American involvement in Vietnam in 1954. I would have liked to known what Bruns believes would have dominated American foreign policy for over 10 years or what America would have been like economically, politically and socially had there been little or no U.S. intervention in Southeast Asia during the Johnson administration.

Despite the problems in Almost History, there was some interesting first-hand documents in its pages. For example, the FBI application for employment filled out by Richard Nixon in 1937. Moreover, the cable to the United Nations sent by Maj. Gen. Romeo Dallaire on the impending genocide in Rwanda in the mid-1990s. The cable, which is vivid and shocking, and President Bill Clinton's apology to a group of Tutsi survivors, which is genuine and heart felt, is the best highlight of Almost History.

In sum, Almost History could have dove into more analysis and avoided tedious historical foot notes, such as the cartoon that ended Boss Tweed's political career or the undelivered speech by President John Kennedy to the Trade Mart in Dallas, Texas in November 1963. Too much of this book felt like I was sitting in 9th grade history class, and that can be difficult when you're attempting to get through a 250+ page non-fiction book.

Roger Bruns, Deputy Executive Director for the National Publications and Records Commission at the National Archive, paid special attention when William Safire wrote several years ago about the speech he had prepared for President Nixon to deliver in case the Apollo 11 astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, had to be left on the Moon. It occurred to Mr. Bruns that the historical archives were chock full of such documents, which open out into vistas of "What If?" The collection he has put together here is fascinating and raises all kinds of questions about how much different history might have been had circumstances been altered slightly, and, as some of the documents reveal, how close we sometimes came to major alterations.

Every reader will have their own favorites from this generous selection, here are mine :

Safire's Apollo 11 Speech

Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.

These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.

These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.

In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one;

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.

George Washington's Response to the Newburgh Conspiracy

In Newburgh, New York, on March 15, 1783 George Washington faced down an incipient rebellion among his officers who, disgruntled about lack of back pay and the slow pace of peace negotiations, were considering removing him from power and taking over the country. Washington summoned them and prepared to read a letter responding to the concerns that had been raised in an anonymous letter. in a piece of brilliant stagecraft, the vain General removed a pair of eyeglasses, which most had never seen him wear, and said : "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country." The coup was over. This much of the story is pretty well known, but Bruns reproduces here the letter that Washington proceeded to read and which is almost as affecting as the gesture.

The Munson Report

To me the most heartbreaking document is the excerpted Munson Report, an intelligence document prepared at FDR's request which makes it clear that Japanese Americans posed no threat to national security in the pending war with Japan. This dark moment in history is made all the more troubling in light of this document.

Operation Unthinkable

This is the most thought provoking document, an excerpt from a secret war plan commissioned by Winston Churchill to study the feasibility of invading the USSR at the conclusion of WWII. Of history's many lost opportunities, perhaps none were more costly in terms of human life, economic stagnation, and moral quiescence than the failure to pursue this course.

The book is replete with such moments and memoranda, many of them equally compelling to consider. The introductory essays are informative but brief, setting the stage for the document to follow without burying the reader in unnecessary detail. It is great fun and subversively informative.

GRADE : A

One of the great games of history is the what-ifs: What if Lee had won at Gettysburg? What if Burgoyne had won at Saratoga? What if the New York City traffic accident that seriously injured Winston Churchill had killed him?

This book is a documentation of myriad such what-ifs. As such, it's a good but mixed bag. The best items are genuinely poignant or thought-provoking. These include the speech that William Safire wrote for Richard Nixon in case the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon, notes that Eisenhower wrote to himself in case the Normandy Invasion was a failure, and Ulysses S. Grant declining Lincoln's invitation to join him at Ford's Theater. Less interesting ones tend to be sidelights, items that aren't all that interesting in themselves: Nixon's application to the FBI, an FBI memorandum on deporting John Lennon, and the speech Kennedy would have given in Dallas if he hadn't been shot. A few are already famous items: Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt recommending the undertaking of research into the atomic bomb and Eleanor Roosevelt's letter resigning from the DAR after it refused to allow Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall.

Overall, though, it's an entertaining and thought-provoking collection, with the best section ("failed predictions") saved for last, in which the New York Times chides Robert Goddard for thinking that rockets can work in a vacuum, Scientific American (in 1909) believes the automobile is fully developed, and Popular Mechanics looks forward to the day when computers might weigh only a ton or so.

Lots of fun stuff: interesting reading and probably another good bathroom book since the sections are short.

I bought this book for my father, but I kept it for myself (I did buy another copy for him!) I didn't expect it to be so easy to read, fun to relate and memorable (great for looking smart during those moments when you don't know what to say). Everybody is fascinated to hear about how the FBI tried to get John Lennon deported or how President Garfield could have been saved from the bullet if only he hadn't been lying on a mattress with steel springs. Highly recommed as a gift for yourself or another.

The book was enjoyable, but a lot of the text dealt with historical events that were not exactly "twists of fate in America's past". Yes, Nixon's cancelled speech on the Apollo XI mission and Eisenhower's unneeded apology for the failure of the D-Day invasion are covered -- but so is Nixon's FBI application and a published hoax on the history of the bathtub in America. Was it worth the $19 (Amazon.com's discounted price)? Yes, at least in my opinion since I love "what if" scenarios.

One of the great games of history is the what-ifs: What if Lee had won at Gettysburg? What if Burgoyne had won at Saratoga? What if the New York City traffic accident that seriously injured Winston Churchill had killed him?

This book is a documentation of myriad such what-ifs. As such, it's a good but mixed bag. The best items are genuinely poignant or thought-provoking. These include the speech that William Safire wrote for Richard Nixon in case the Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon, notes that Eisenhower wrote to himself in case the Normandy Invasion was a failure, and Ulysses S. Grant declining Lincoln's invitation to join him at Ford's Theater.

Less interesting ones tend to be sidelights, items that aren't all that interesting in themselves: Nixon's application to the FBI, an FBI memorandum on deporting John Lennon, and the speech Kennedy would have given in Dallas if he hadn't been shot.

A few are already famous items: Einstein's letter to President Roosevelt recommending the undertaking of research into the atomic bomb and Eleanor Roosevelt's letter resigning from the DAR after it refused to allow Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall.

Overall, though, it's an entertaining and thought-provoking collection, with the best section ("failed predictions") saved for last, in which the New York Times chides Robert Goddard for thinking that rockets can work in a vacuum, Scientific American (in 1909) believes the automobile is fully developed, and Popular Mechanics looks forward to the day when computers might weigh only a ton or so.

Lots of fun stuff: interesting reading and probably another good bathroom book since the sections are short.

I bought this for a friend and decided to keep it myself. I loved learning about history from another perspective. It's a great gift and learning tool. Surprisingly funny, too!