The myth prevails that Harry S. Truman was a firm believer in the cause of a Jewish state; nothing, however, could be further from the truth, argues this controversial new study. In fact, during Truman's first years in the White House, the President pursued an ambivalent policy towards Israel. Sometimes he heeded the advice of State Department officials who wished to avoid antagonizing the oil-rich and strategically located Arab states. And sometimes he heeded the advice of White House and Democratic National Committee staffers who wished to cultivate American-Jewish votes through pro-Zionist policies. Only three years after he came to office did he move to a consistently pro-Zionist position.
This study will inevitably be attacked by many groups. It challenges orthodox notions about the adherence of U.S. foreign policymakers to idealism, and yet it does so without embracing the doctrines of the "revisionist" school. But the book's critics must be careful, for the author has marshalled an impressive amount of material from the Truman library previously unavailable to scholars.
This study will inevitably be attacked by many groups. It challenges orthodox notions about the adherence of U.S. foreign policymakers to idealism, and yet it does so without embracing the doctrines of the "revisionist" school. But the book's critics must be careful, for the author has marshalled an impressive amount of material from the Truman library previously unavailable to scholars.
