Ellsworth Bunker: Global Troubleshooter, Vietnam Hawk (Adst-Dacor Diplomats and Diplomacy Series) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Like so many prominent members of the American foreign policy establishment in the Cold War years, Ellsworth Bunker came from a well-to-do- white, Protestant, Ivy..." (more)
Key Phrases: canal negotiations, canal issue, sugar refining industry, United States, South Vietnam, West New Guinea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Combines solid research and a nuanced understanding of diplomatic history. . . . Shaffer's treatment of Bunker is balanced and fair and sheds historical light on the dark corners of mid-level American diplomacy in the latter half of the twentieth century."
— Journal of Cold War Studies

Product Description

In this first biography of Ellsworth Bunker (1894-1984), Howard Schaffer traces the life of one of America's foremost diplomats of the postwar era from his formative years as a successful businessman and lobbyist through a long career in international affairs.

Named ambassador to Argentina by Harry Truman in 1951, Bunker went on to serve six more presidents as ambassador to Italy, India, Nepal, and Vietnam and on special negotiating missions. A widely recognized "hawk," Bunker helped shape U.S. policy in Vietnam during his six-year Saigon posting. Using letters Bunker wrote to his wife as well as recently declassified messages he exchanged with Henry Kissinger, Schaffer examines how Bunker promoted the war effort and how he regarded his mission. After leaving Saigon on his seventy-ninth birthday, Bunker became a key figure in the treaty negotiations, spanning three presidencies, that radically changed the operation and defense of the Panama Canal.

Highlighting Bunker's views on the craft of diplomacy, Schaffer paints a complex picture of a man who devoted three decades to international affairs and sheds new light on post-World War II American diplomacy.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (November 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807828254
• ISBN-13: 978-0807828250
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,493,034 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)