Dean Acheson: A Life in the Cold War (Hardcover)

by Robert L. Beisner (Author) "In the immediate aftermath of World War II, leaders of the victors had little sense of where they now stood..." (more)
Key Phrases: ironic failures, mad satrap, total diplomacy, United States, Soviet Union, White House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Although Acheson (1893–1971) was a life-long Democrat who served four presidents, Harry Truman's flamboyant and sharp-tongued secretary of state is admired on the right as an architect of American Cold War foreign policy, most famously for the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. Historian Beisner's exhaustive treatment of Acheson's long, influential career reveals the tangled roots of contemporary policy and political discourse—especially the purported links between the unilateral projection of American might and our national security—during and after WWII. A crucial and complex figure, Acheson was not the earliest "cold warrior," though later among the staunchest, and not easily reduced to left or right in the conflict's dissonant strategic and moral calculus. A deep wariness with regard to the atomic bomb, for instance, did not necessarily temper his involvement in developing U.S. nuclear arms policy, including deployment of the more powerful H-bomb. His early urging of engagement in Vietnam later gave way to counseling Johnson to end it. Chronicling rather than criticizing the assumptions undergirding the postwar period's rapidly evolving bipolar order, this thorough biography offers insight into perhaps one of the least understood fields of government action at the outset of a momentous era that's still, in many respects, very much underway. (Sept.)
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From Booklist
Beisner's diplomatic history of Dean Acheson, President Harry Truman's secretary of state, is comprehensive yet not solely of scholarly interest. It sifts Acheson's record at the State Department and yields a positive assessment with a few caveats. Beisner questions Acheson's decisions during the Korean War, particularly in encouraging Truman to approve the military advance to the China-Korea border that ended in disaster. Explaining that Acheson was an Atlanticist who knew little about Asia, Beisner writes more approvingly about his role in establishing institutions such as NATO. His diplomatic strategies in reviving a prostrate Western Europe against an obstreperous Soviet Union form the bulk of the narrative. Aristocratic in appearance and accent, Acheson did not suffer fools gladly, whether Communists or congressmen. In addition to detailing his pungency, Beisner also discusses Acheson's attitude toward power and his loyalty to Truman. Significant cold-war historiography that merits the consideration of larger libraries. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st ed edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195045785
• ISBN-13: 978-0195045789
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Statecraft, November 23, 2006

By	Christian Schlect (Yakima, Washington/USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A very solid and balanced recounting of the career in power of one of the most important diplomatic figures of the past one hundred years. In his book, Professor Beisner wisely concentrates almost entirely on the twelve years Dean Acheson was in power in Washington, D.C.

The great issues grappled with in the immediate years after World War II still live with us today: Russia, Germany, Vietnam, Japan, North Korea, Israel, Iran, France, and China/Taiwan. If you are curious to know why some things are the way they are in today's world, read this book. The number of key foreign policy challenges that flew at this talented Secretary of State is astonishing.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Truman's Secretary of State, October 14, 2006

By	C. Hutton "book maven" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mr. Beiser is the author of several books on diplomacy ("American Foreign Relations Since 1600" -- 2003). This definitive and long (800 pages) biography of Dean Acheson, a Democratic player (through the Roosevelt and Truman administrations) and foreign affairs genius. As Truman's Secretary of State, he was present at the start of the post-war era and created the framework for the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, the occupation of the Axis countries and NATO. As a result, Mr. Acheson titled his memoirs, "Present at the Creation." The writing is engaging and interesting as is Mr. Acheson himself (he managed to alienate President Roosevelt). Though this book obviously can not be read at one setting, it is a good history tale.