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Kennedy and the Berlin Wall
W. R. Smyser
€ 80.71
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Description for Kennedy and the Berlin Wall
Hardback. Num Pages: 256 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: 1KBB; HBJK; HBLW; JPHL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 234 x 154 x 25. Weight in Grams: 620.
Kennedy and the Berlin Wall tells the full story of the Berlin Crisis that riveted international attention and brought the world to the brink of nuclear warfare as Soviet and American tanks opposed each other on the streets of Berlin. Drawing on the author's own experience as an American diplomat in Germany during the period, as well as on recently opened Soviet, East German, and American archives, Smyser tells the story of how the fate of a city affected national politics as well as geopolitics. This compelling mix of documentary resources and direct experience of diplomatic negotiations makes the book unique. The author has a keen sense of the critical moment and draws incisive portraits of the politicians and diplomats involved in this drama—most importantly, the two main actors, Kennedy and Khrushchev, but also DeGaulle for the French, Macmillan for the British, and Konrad Adenauer for the West Germans, as well as such critical career diplomats as Dean Rusk and Andrei Gromyko.
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2009
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield United States
Number of pages
256
Condition
New
Number of Pages
256
Place of Publication
Lanham, MD, United States
ISBN
9780742560901
SKU
V9780742560901
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-15
About W. R. Smyser
W. R. Smyser served at the U.S. Mission in Berlin from 1960 to 1964 and was Assistant to General Lucius Clay during the Berlin Wall Crisis. He then served at the White House as Senior Staff and later at the United Nations as Assistant Secretary-General. He has been a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Henry Alfred Kissinger Scholar at the Library of Congress. He has written numerous books and articles on Germany and Europe.
Reviews for Kennedy and the Berlin Wall
His observations, plus those of other individuals in directly involved in the events, and his extensive research in secondary and primary sources led to this major contribution to understanding Cold War history. . . . Highly recommended.
CHOICE
Smyser uses newly-available archival documents from Washington, Moscow and other world capitals to craft a detailed history of a pivotal Cold War episode.
Publishers Weekly
Portraying Kennedy as a work in progress who evolved into a thoughtful statesman with a healthy mistrust of military and diplomatic advisors, Smyser delivers an impressive narrative that will hold the attention of general readers and scholars.
Library Journal
A revealing, surprising, and riveting account of this prolonged crisis under the Kennedy administration. Smyser excels particularly in his portrayals of the key political figures. . . . An excellent addition to our understanding of a critical episode of the cold war.
Booklist
The most comprehensive description of the Berlin Crisis of 1961. Well written and thoughtful, [Smyser's book] describes how Kennedy and Krushchev maneuvered at the edge of an abyss.
Henry Kissinger Mr. Smyser observed the Berlin crisis from his vantage point in the US Mission to Berlin 1960–64, serving under General Lucius D. Clay. And it is Gen. Clay who emerges as the hero of the standoff, persuading Mr. Kennedy not to yield to Soviet demands. . . . Mr. Smyser considered Berlin to be a valuable learning experience for the young president. This is a good read on a crisis even more dangerous than the Cuban missiles.
The Washington Times
Smyser illuminates the crisis over the Berlin wall and the way an untried President Kennedy maneuvered to avert an armed collision with the Soviets. I covered that crisis on the ground in Berlin in 1961. From this prodigiously researched book I now better understand the wider context of the crisis.
Daniel Schorr, senior news analyst for National Public Radio This detail-rich account of that success in Berlin makes an important contribution to any analysis of Kennedy's short-lived presidency. History lovers will love this book.
The Tampa Tribune
As a diplomat, Richard Smyser advised Gen. Lucius Clay. As a young German-speaking American he heard and faced the fears of the Berliners. Now, as a scholar, he tells the gripping story of the events that led to the Wall and the debate within the Kennedy administration over how to respond. He also describes how Kennedy found his 'voice' when he went to West Berlin and saw the Wall.
Garrick Utley, chairman of The American Council on Germany and president of The Levin Graduate Institute Deeply impressive, this book recalls Kennedy's historic statement 'ich bin ein Berliner' and General Clay's cooperation with Kennedy to save Berlin. It should be read by all who want to know how Germany and Berlin are now free and united.
Horst Teltschik, Chancellor Helmut Kohl's negotiator on German unification A friend of Berlin expertly pulls together new insights about the building of the Wall, the Checkpoint Charlie confrontation, and the tensions between Kennedy and Clay. He also shows the key Berlin connection to the Cuba crisis and describes the preparation for Kennedy's 'ich bin ein Berliner' speech.
Egon Bahr, Mayor Willy Brandt's closest adviser A superbly written study of John F. Kennedy's policies on Berlin . . . with fascinating new insights into the motives and statesmanship of [those] policies. This book provides new evidence how the survival of this enclave of the democratic world inside the Communist empire contributed to the West's victory in the Cold War.
Karl Kaiser, Harvard University Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the events shaping its creation have strong historical lessons to impart to posterity—making Kennedy and the Berlin Wall a worthy addition to both public and college library history shelves.
Wisconsin Bookwatch
CHOICE
Smyser uses newly-available archival documents from Washington, Moscow and other world capitals to craft a detailed history of a pivotal Cold War episode.
Publishers Weekly
Portraying Kennedy as a work in progress who evolved into a thoughtful statesman with a healthy mistrust of military and diplomatic advisors, Smyser delivers an impressive narrative that will hold the attention of general readers and scholars.
Library Journal
A revealing, surprising, and riveting account of this prolonged crisis under the Kennedy administration. Smyser excels particularly in his portrayals of the key political figures. . . . An excellent addition to our understanding of a critical episode of the cold war.
Booklist
The most comprehensive description of the Berlin Crisis of 1961. Well written and thoughtful, [Smyser's book] describes how Kennedy and Krushchev maneuvered at the edge of an abyss.
Henry Kissinger Mr. Smyser observed the Berlin crisis from his vantage point in the US Mission to Berlin 1960–64, serving under General Lucius D. Clay. And it is Gen. Clay who emerges as the hero of the standoff, persuading Mr. Kennedy not to yield to Soviet demands. . . . Mr. Smyser considered Berlin to be a valuable learning experience for the young president. This is a good read on a crisis even more dangerous than the Cuban missiles.
The Washington Times
Smyser illuminates the crisis over the Berlin wall and the way an untried President Kennedy maneuvered to avert an armed collision with the Soviets. I covered that crisis on the ground in Berlin in 1961. From this prodigiously researched book I now better understand the wider context of the crisis.
Daniel Schorr, senior news analyst for National Public Radio This detail-rich account of that success in Berlin makes an important contribution to any analysis of Kennedy's short-lived presidency. History lovers will love this book.
The Tampa Tribune
As a diplomat, Richard Smyser advised Gen. Lucius Clay. As a young German-speaking American he heard and faced the fears of the Berliners. Now, as a scholar, he tells the gripping story of the events that led to the Wall and the debate within the Kennedy administration over how to respond. He also describes how Kennedy found his 'voice' when he went to West Berlin and saw the Wall.
Garrick Utley, chairman of The American Council on Germany and president of The Levin Graduate Institute Deeply impressive, this book recalls Kennedy's historic statement 'ich bin ein Berliner' and General Clay's cooperation with Kennedy to save Berlin. It should be read by all who want to know how Germany and Berlin are now free and united.
Horst Teltschik, Chancellor Helmut Kohl's negotiator on German unification A friend of Berlin expertly pulls together new insights about the building of the Wall, the Checkpoint Charlie confrontation, and the tensions between Kennedy and Clay. He also shows the key Berlin connection to the Cuba crisis and describes the preparation for Kennedy's 'ich bin ein Berliner' speech.
Egon Bahr, Mayor Willy Brandt's closest adviser A superbly written study of John F. Kennedy's policies on Berlin . . . with fascinating new insights into the motives and statesmanship of [those] policies. This book provides new evidence how the survival of this enclave of the democratic world inside the Communist empire contributed to the West's victory in the Cold War.
Karl Kaiser, Harvard University Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the events shaping its creation have strong historical lessons to impart to posterity—making Kennedy and the Berlin Wall a worthy addition to both public and college library history shelves.
Wisconsin Bookwatch