Nixon's Ten Commandments of Statecraft [Hardcover]

James C. Humes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1997

Richard Nixon's rules of statecraft, illuminated by his former speechwriter, offer insights on the art of negotiation from a leader widely viewed as one of our most skilled foreign policy strategies. In this book, Humes explains the Ten Commandments, illustrating each with examples from Nixon's own career and from the lives of other celebrated political leaders, such as Prince Metternich, Benjamin Franklin, and Winston Churchill.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Each chapter of Nixon's Ten Commandments is dedicated to explaining a different maxim of diplomacy, typically via narratives, one involving Nixon and at least one other involving another political figure. The general setting for the maxims is negotiation, and the general pitch--no surprise here--is that situations are always Us vs. Them. So we get mottoes such as "Always Be Prepared to Negotiate, but Never Negotiate Without Being Prepared," and "Never Let Your Adversary Underestimate What You Would Do in Response to a Challenge. Never Tell Him What You Would Not Do." Although some examples involving Nixon smack of attempts at reputational salvage, there are also many good ones, such as the negotiations leading to Nixon's opening with China, and those leading to the end of the American Revolutionary War.

From Library Journal

Found after Nixon's death on a notecard tacked in his desk drawer and given by Tricia Nixon Cox to presidential speechwriter Humes, these commandments of statecraft have been fleshed out with examples from Nixon's career.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1St Edition edition (October 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684837951
• ISBN-13: 978-0684837956
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,415,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Masterful, well-written, May 10, 2000

By 

Leon M. Bodevin "Do right and fear no man" (Lemoore, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nixon's Ten Commandments of Statecraft (Hardcover)

Among the growing number of books in this genre of leadership books, this is a good one. It offers some practical advice on negotiation and diplomacy from the Nixon standpoint. One of the many bright spots of this book is that the author really has a lot of great things to say about Nixon and other world leaders (the author obviously is a master historian). One drawback of his intimate dealings with Nixon, though, is that Humes sometimes comes off as defending Nixon. Otherwise, though, this book could be really useful for anyone wanting to know a little bit about diplomacy (I knew nothing before I read this book). Humes presents lots of useful tactics for aspiring leaders. I recommend this book and also Warren Bennis's Leaders: Strategies For Taking Charge.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Put this one on your bookshelf, June 11, 2000

By 

Thomas Stamper (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nixon's Ten Commandments of Statecraft (Hardcover)

This book works on two levels. The first as a great description of Nixon's 10 commandments and why they work. The second is the application or misapplication of these principles by world leaders throughout history and the consequences.

All ten offer much wisdom, but my favorite is: NEVER GIVE UP UNILATERALLY WHAT COULD BE USED AS A BARGAINING CHIP. MAKE YOUR ADVERSARIES GIVE UP SOMETHING FOR EVERYTHING THEY GET. Here Humes explains that giving up something that is meaningless to you, as a token of good will, may come back to weaken your overall bargaining position. He explains how LBJ conceded so many small points to Brezhnev early on, that when the bargaining began, LBJ could only offer up those things that he held dear in order to gain those things that Breznev would have given away cheaply.

Bargaining from a position of strength seems to run through all 10 commandments and no doubt some people will find these tactics heavy-handed, but Humes describes examples such as Jimmy Carter and Neville Chamberlain, who discounted strength in the name of idealism, and ultimately became case-studies in the failure of leadership.

I found the book fascinating on a political scale, but the principles certainly apply to the workplace. Knowing what you have and what they want will better help you get what you want.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nixon as statesman, Humes as storyteller, September 1, 1998

By 

Francis Rose (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nixon's Ten Commandments of Statecraft (Hardcover)

This book gives excellent insight into Nixon's theories of statesmanship, not just as President, but as Vice-President, candidate, and then exiled and reviled former President. Humes shows his admiration of his friend and former boss, but doesn't let it color his presentation of facts surrounding events, and Nixon's approaches to those events. Not just a nuts-and-bolts, he-did-this-then-he-did-that narrative, Humes intersperses stories that entertain and inform, to support his "Ten Commandments." If you care about ANY foreign policy issues or are curious about "What would Nixon do?" it will be easy for you to apply what Humes writes to today's issues. Worth every penny!!