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The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made Paperback – June 4, 2013

by Walter Isaacson (Author), Evan Thomas (Author)

4.5 803 ratings

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With a new introduction by the authors, this is the classic account of the American statesmen who rebuilt the world after the catastrophe of World War II.

A captivating blend of personal biography and public drama, The Wise Men introduces six close friends who shaped the role their country would play in the dangerous years following World War II.

They were the original best and brightest, whose towering intellects, outsize personalities, and dramatic actions would bring order to the postwar chaos and leave a legacy that dominates American policy to this day.

The Wise Men shares the stories of Averell Harriman, the freewheeling diplomat and Roosevelt’s special envoy to Churchill and Stalin; Dean Acheson, the secretary of state who was more responsible for the Truman Doctrine than Truman and for the Marshall Plan than General Marshall; George Kennan, self-cast outsider and intellectual darling of the Washington elite; Robert Lovett, assistant secretary of war, undersecretary of state, and secretary of defense throughout the formative years of the Cold War; John McCloy, one of the nation’s most influential private citizens; and Charles Bohlen, adroit diplomat and ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Review

“A wealth of new information and insights on the people and events that shaped the first four decades of the Cold War.” ― The Boston Globe

“Must be read if we are to understand the postwar world.” -- Robert A. Caro, author of Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

“Isaacson and Thomas have fashioned a Cold War Plutarch.” ― San Francisco Chronicle

“A richly textured account of a class and of a historical period.” ― New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu.

Evan Thomas is the author of ten books, including the New York Times bestsellers JOHN PAUL JONES, SEA OF THUNDER, and FIRST: SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR. Thomas was a writer, correspondent, and editor for thirty-three years at Time and Newsweek, including ten years as Newsweek’s Washington bureau chief. He appears regularly on many TV and radio talk shows. Thomas has taught at Harvard and Princeton.

Print length

864 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

June 4, 2013
Dimensions

6.13 x 2 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

9781476728827
ISBN-13

978-1476728827
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1476728828
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (June 4, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 864 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781476728827
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476728827
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.08 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 2 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #67,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #114 in Military Strategy History (Books)
- #334 in Political Leader Biographies
- #484 in World War II History (Books)

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4.5 803 ratings

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Walter Isaacson
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Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk. He is the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Leonardo da Vinci; Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution; and Kissinger: A Biography. He is also the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He is a Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine.
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Evan Thomas
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Evan Thomas is one of the most respected historians and journalists writing today. He is the bestselling author of ten works of nonfiction: First: Sandra Day O’Connor, Being Nixon, Ike's Bluff, The War Lovers, Sea of Thunder, John Paul Jones, Robert Kennedy, The Very Best Men, The Man to See, and The Wise Men (with Walter Isaacson). Thomas was an editor and writer at Newsweek for 24 years, where he wrote more than a hundred cover stories.
Thomas has won numerous journalism awards, including a National Magazine Award in 1998. In 2005, his 50,000-word narrative of the 2004 election was honored when Newsweek won a National Magazine Award for the best single-topic issue.
Thomas is a fellow of the Society of American Historians and has taught writing at Princeton and Harvard. He is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Virginia Law School. He lives with his wife and two children in Washington, DC.
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4.5 out of 5

803 global ratings

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S. Haffner

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Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024

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This book came in very good condition & was received when scheduled at purchase. Completely satisfied.

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2024

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Just read it again m, for the third time, and it still resonates with me as an inspirational piece of work.

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2023

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Recipient liked the book and is passing it on to friends to read

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Bruce in Fort Myers

Great look at 1920-1980

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

As someone who is to the right politically than the authors I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

I felt as though the authors missed the boat with Reagan and his relationship to the soviets, thankfully it was a very small part of the overall book. The authors suffered from a 1980s liberal anathema of all things Reagan and history proved them wrong about the efficacy of his policies. The antipathy towards Reagan has the authors offering up an almost naive view of the Soviets and it was my only issue with the book. Common sense AND HISTORY proves my point and is shown by the benign attitude the authors have towards Yuri Andropov, a former KGB head and a serious problem regarding freedom for people in Eastern Europe, and for the world.

Having said my piece above I still give the book 5 stars due to how much I loved how the authors gave us the feel of the times and how our six heroes dealt with all of it's issues and crises.

Being a Dean Acheson fan I found his part of the book fascinating and it just reinforced all of my prior thoughts about this giant of the 20th century. I feel as if there should be a movie made of Acheson as a way to introduce him to today's students and others...but I know it will never happen. Anyone who doesn't know Dean Acheson should read some books by or about him.

Being a fan of the time period I of course was familiar with Averell Harriman, but I wasn't aware of exactly what a giant of the times he was. As the book progressed I found myself thinking that he was an opportunist, a man that wanted "it" to be all about him, but as the book progressed I came to respect him more and more. This is especially true when he did not get his coveted Secretary of State position and yet never tried to torpedo Acheson, who did get the job. This is so unlike today and that is a shame. Harriman kept on and kept on and I found him also fascinating. His desire for diplomatic means of solving problems was legendary.

I found Chip Bohlen to be totally enjoyable, cool and as "hip" as anyone from today...he came across as timeless. The picture of him and JFK driving down the street, Kennedy with his shades on and at the wheel showed the man perfectly.

Robert Lovett as someone I had never heard of and yet he was also a huge force during momentous times. Almost as rich as Harriman, but not nearly as stuffy, his part was a great part of the book as well.

As someone who followed foreign affairs a bit I was very familiar with George F, Kennan (Mr. X) but I was surprised by his being so sensitive with regard to being insecure. A great mind and perfect for the early cold war period.

John McCloy was someone who is so underrated when discussing historic people of the second half of the 20th century. He combined public and private service that could (and should) never be allowed today, but his contribution was huge and very positive and that is why so many presidents called on him for assistance.

Anyone who is interested in WWII, the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War should read this book. Anyone interested in high society in the 20s thru the 80s should read this book. It was a different time, but we would not be us without how well our country handled events and how these man contributed to the world.

25 people found this helpful

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David Muirhead

Inspiring story of the FP Team that rebuilt Europe

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2023

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Very personal stories of the 6 Foreign Affairs carers and how that interested to build a lasting peace in Europe, and overstretched their welcome to direct the USA to become militarily involved in Vietnam.

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2023

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Without fear of exaggeration, I call this tome a masterpiece of important historical writing. The era of the 1930s thru the 1980s was filled with momentous decisions with results likely to reverberate thru the ages and the wise men were at the fulcrum of history in the best tradition of American life. The chronicle is a must read for those who seek to plan for and impact the next century.

3 people found this helpful

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Ravi Madhavan

The Original Best and Brightest

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2009

Verified Purchase

This was a fascinating and well-written book about six men that are probably unknown to today's general public but shaped US Foreign Policy from post WWI through Vietnam. Their lives moved through the 20th century intertwined via elite prep schools, Yale/Harvard, investment banking firms, law firms, high level cabinet roles and foreign policy posts. Their advice to the Presidents resulted in tragic wars - some right and some wrong, the strategies that prevented nuclear annihilation but also may have resulted in elongating the Cold War.

Isaacson and Thomas also provide a multi-sided view into each one's personality but especially Dean Acheson, George Kennan and Averill Harriman. We see their strengths of brilliance, integrity and deep patriotism but also their weaknesses. Kennan was overly sensitive, conducive to self-pity and had a tendency for literary flair and verbosity. Harriman became more self interested after WWII and sometimes placed politics over diplomacy. Acheson's persona came across as elitist, condescending and pompous which turned away many liberals, moderates and conservatives even when they agreed with his views.

The right schools, the right families and the right wealth played a large role in giving these six men the opportunity to shape the century. One can argue if that tradition has continued today or not. What may be different is that their vision and actions seemed to be more defined by pragmatism rather than ideology. The results are not always what we wanted but far better than the foes they battled that placed ideology over pragmatism.

11 people found this helpful

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William A. Edwards

Required Reading

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2023

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I have three adult children. I have bought and given each of them a copy. All agree that it is a phenomenal book.

One person found this helpful

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