Word: acheson
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
PRESENT AT THE CREATION, by Dean Acheson. Harry Truman's Secretary of State, in these well-written memoirs, recalls the formative years of the cold war with much wit, knowledge and insight...
...Present at the Creation, Acheson...
Agnew's delight in locker-room bonhomie also leads him astray. Last week, for example. Agnew attended a black-tie stag dinner at the White House for Prince Philip. With remarks from the diplomatic Deans?Acheson and Rusk ?the evening proceeded with a certain urbanity. Then the Vice President rose to propose a toast to the guest of honor. Some people, Agnew began, found his manner of speech alarming, but there was no need to worry about that now: "All of you with tightened sinews and constricted sphincters can relax." A distinct chill settled on the room. One White...
...Left and revisionist historians have argued in recent years that, in fact, Acheson and Truman fired the opening shots of the cold war, that such a policy as the Truman Doctrine was the equivalent of bombarding Fort Sumter. Acheson is aware of the argument, and like the careful lawyer he is, presents a formidable brief for the defense. Soviet troops had occupied the northern provinces of Iran; to force them out strong American pressure was needed. The Truman Doctrine, which combined military and economic aid, was developed only to counter Soviet designs upon the faltering regimes of Greece and Turkey...
Summing up the immediate results of postwar policy, Acheson writes: "Our efforts for the most part left conditions better than when we found them." The man most responsible, in Acheson's view, was Harry Truman, "the captain with the mighty heart." Acheson is not blind to his chiefs faults. Truman, he admits, was guided more by feeling than by reason. His most provocative example is Truman's help in founding the state of Israel, a policy that Acheson felt would produce enduring chaos in the Middle East. Elsewhere, he extols the ex-President's judgment, orderliness...