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White House Warriors: How the National Security Council Transformed the American Way of War Hardcover – May 14, 2019

by John Gans (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 73 ratings
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“The NSC, part star chamber, part gladiator arena, and part Game of Thrones drama is expertly revealed to us in the pages of Gans’ primer on Washington power.” ― Kurt Campbell, Chairman of the Asia Group, LLC

Since its founding more than seventy years ago, the National Security Council has exerted more influence on the president’s foreign policy decisions―and on the nation’s conflicts abroad―than any other institution or individual. And yet, until the explosive Trump presidency, few Americans could even name a member.

“A must-read for anyone interested in how Washington really works” (Ivo H. Daalder), White House Warriors finally reveals how the NSC evolved from a handful of administrative clerks to, as one recent commander-in-chief called them, the president’s “personal band of warriors.”

When Congress originally created the National Security Council in 1947, it was intended to better coordinate foreign policy after World War II. Nearly an afterthought, a small administrative staff was established to help keep its papers moving. President Kennedy was, as John Gans documents, the first to make what became known as the NSC staff his own, selectively hiring bright young aides to do his bidding during the disastrous Bay of Pigs operation, the fraught Cuban Missile Crisis, and the deepening Vietnam War.

Despite Kennedy’s death and the tragic outcome of some of his decision, the NSC staff endured. President Richard Nixon handed the staff’s reigns solely to Henry Kissinger, who, given his controlling instincts, micromanaged its work on Vietnam. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s NSC was cast into turmoil by overreaching staff members who, led by Oliver North, nearly brought down a presidency in the Iran-Contra scandal. Later, when President George W. Bush’s administration was bitterly divided by the Iraq War, his NSC staff stepped forward to write a plan for the Surge in Iraq.

Juxtaposing extensive archival research with new interviews, Gans demonstrates that knowing the NSC staff’s history and its war stories is the only way to truly understand American foreign policy. As this essential account builds to the swift removals of advisors General Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon in 2017, we see the staff’s influence in President Donald Trump’s still chaotic administration and come to understand the role it might play in its aftermath.

A revelatory history written with riveting DC insider detail, White House Warriors traces the path that has led us to an era of American aggression abroad, debilitating fights within the government, and whispers about a deep state conspiring against the public.

8 pages of black and white photographs
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Liveright
  4. Publication date
    May 14, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1631494562
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1631494567
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
73 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

James Simmons
5.0 out of 5 stars The Brain Trust
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
In general I greatly appreciated White House Warriors by John Gans for three reasons. First he clarifies the purpose of the National Security Council (NSC). In brief the NSC was created by Harry Truman in 1947 to assist the President in formulating responses to major foreign policy challenges. Gans unfolds the purpose not by a dry review of the NSC charter but rather against the backdrop of its involvement in major policy issues from Truman to Trump.
The second aspect of the book that I as history buff enjoyed was how differently the NSC staff was used by presidencies over the last 70 years. In general it was “suspicions confirmed”. Does anyone want to guess which President over managed to the degree that he had the home phones of his own security staff wire-tapped? Or the President, who was so unconcerned with management that unbeknownst to him his “advisory staff” was brokering arms deals between belligerents?
Lastly I enjoyed the opportunity to take a look behind the curtain of our recent history and to see the thinking (or lack thereof) that got us there.
I very much recommend this book to anyone who enjoys understanding current history. I’m a longtime fan of that Missouri Haberdasher – who got the ball rolling. He saw the need to having a dedicated Presidential staff focused on the strategy and solutions of foreign policy. It is reassuring that we have such. I only wish we had a comparable brain trust focused on national economic strategy and issues. Many other advanced countries – some would say our competitors – do.
11 people found this helpful
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Alex D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable Insight
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book is thoroughly researched (just look at the extensive list of prominent figures he interviewed for the book) and offers an inside view of how the Executive Branch shapes US foreign policy--for better or worse. Gans provides a fascinating and detailed history of the National Security Council with captivating insight into how presidential personalities impact how the NSC operates. From how relationships work between the National Security Council and outside agencies (Defense, State, Intelligence Community, etc.) to how relationships work within the NSC itself, there is no other book that provides so deep an understanding of the NSC's history and evolution in a single volume. This is a must-read for anyone interested in how modern US foreign policy is shaped and executed.
2 people found this helpful
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Alexandra Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars The Untold History of the NSC
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
A must-read for anyone interested in history or foreign policy. Gans pulls back the curtain on arguably the most powerful yet opaque body in foreign policy decision-making, the National Security Council. Each chapter recounts a different administration — as told through the work of an NSC staffer. Through these beautifully-written portraits of largely unknown staffers, Gans reveals the chilling, outsized influence of this small, unelected institution on American war and peace. From this perspective, even the policy success stories seem more luck than skill — leaving readers concerned about the NSC's continued unchecked power.
3 people found this helpful
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Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars The story behind the story
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2019
Verified Purchase
John Gans's "White House Warriors" provides a captivating look at the role and evolution of the National Security Council. Through a series of case studies of presidential decisions during war / conflict, the reader learns about the people who toiled away in obscurity developing policy ideas for the president. These ideas are not always welcome among other members of the national security establishment (e.g., Defense Department, State Department), or even effective at achieving U.S. objectives. Thought-provoking book on a somewhat opaque body that plays a pivotal role in U.S. foreign policy.
5 people found this helpful
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JMV
5.0 out of 5 stars How the national security sausage is made
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
A well-written account of the key personalities behind several US presidents, the workings of the national security machinery in which they operate, and how they can tip the scales on consequential decisions of war and peace. Featuring some outstanding, first-hand insights from interviews with giants of foreign policy, the stories are as compelling as they are crucial
to understanding how foreign policy is formulated and executed. A must-read for students of history, American politics, and international relations.
One person found this helpful
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Ajay Pasricha
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
John Gans does a great job on writing about the NSC. He concentrates much more on the NSC staffers than the National Security Advisors they work for but he easily shows that the former could even be more important than the latter.
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Don Nimura
3.0 out of 5 stars Great info, too many suspended sentences
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2019
Great info, but hard to read. Overuse of commas and unrestrictive clauses. Subjects often too far away from their predicates.
3 people found this helpful
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Stan
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
This book is written for the curious people who want to know about the important decision making people that work for the president. I found myself driven to read more and more until I finished White House Warriors. The details of how the NSC works are presented in a vivid interesting format.
One person found this helpful
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