John Foster Dulles - (Biographies in American Foreign Policy) by Richard H Immerman (Paperback)

About the Book

John Foster Dulles was one of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of twentieth-century U.S. foreign relations. Active in the field for decades, Dulles reflected and was a reflection of the tension that pervaded U.S. international conduct from its evol...

Book Synopsis

John Foster Dulles was one of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of twentieth-century U.S. foreign relations. Active in the field for decades, Dulles reflected and was a reflection of the tension that pervaded U.S. international conduct from its evolution as a global power in the early twentieth century through its emergence as the 'leader of the Free World' during the Cold War. His life and career embody the best and most troubling aspects of American foreign policy as it progressed toward international supremacy while swaying between altruism and self-interest.

In this biography, Richard Immerman traces Dulles's path from his early days growing up in the parsonage of the First Presbyterian Church of Watertown, N.Y., through his years of amassing influence and power as an international business lawyer and adviser, to his service as President Eisenhower's secretary of state.

This volume illuminates not only the history of modern U.S. foreign policy, but its search for a twentieth-century identity. Sophisticated yet accessible, John Foster Dulles: Piety, Pragmatism, and Power in U.S. Foreign Policy is an important resource for graduate and undergraduate courses in U.S. history and U.S. foreign relations.

Review Quotes

John Foster Dulles is a superb biography of a complex and most important person, a fascinating analysis of the pivotal Eisenhower-Dulles relationship, and a masterful account of U.S. power and diplomacy in the 1950s.

This volume presents a well-documented survey of Dulles as President Eisenhower's secretary of state.

With lucid prose and command of the primary documents and secondary sources, Richard Immerman gives us a masterful acount of John Foster Dulles, his diplomacy, and his relations with Eisenhower. Not the least of his contributions is showing that Dulles was neither a tool of the president nor his leader, but rather his sometimes antagonistic partner.

About the Author

Richard H. Immerman is professor and chair of history at Temple University and director of its Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy.