This book provides a good overview of American foreign policy. These wise men who became part of the establishment dedicate themselves to public service and help navigate United States foreign policies through World War II, Soviet containment during the Cold War years, Arab Israeli conflict and the Vietnam war. After reading this book one may be more appreciative of the effort put forth by public service personnel to make any policy a “fait accompli”. A country’s political dogma needs to be flex...

In International Relations programs, George Kennan is often venerated as a demigod. His prescient "Long Telegram" is (still) a sacred text of sorts. In the latest issue of Foreign Affairs he was name-checked twice. Similarly, Dean Acheson is famous as one of the great Secretaries of State. By contrast, I'd not heard of any of the other "Wise Men" before reading the book.The book manages to simultaneously tell a partial history of the Cold War while also documenting the lives of its six protagoni...

This book works on two levels. On one, it is an excellent biography of six men dedicated to public service who were involved in American diplomacy during a critical time in the nation's history (WWII & the early Cold War). On another it explains how the powerful ideas (containment, anti-communism) guiding American foreign policy during the Cold War were formed and the force that these ideas took on beyond the control of their creators. This is the best book I've read about the Cold War. Other bo...

A fascinating depiction of a world both ancient and modern, and that lies in sharp contrast to our current situation.First of all, one notes that this was written by the elite, about the elite. The authors are both Harvard alumni, and most of the subjects went to Yale. They served in government partly out of personal satisfaction, partly as noblesse oblige. While the authors occasionally insert mild criticisms, this is almost a hagiography for six statesmen of the cold war. Nevertheless, the boo...

Part American WWII history, part Cold War history, part biography, part discussion of the "Establishment" in mid 20th century America combine to form a well-written account of several key players in U.S. foreign policy from the 1930s-70s. Isaacson and Thomas decide to focus on six men who they believe embody the views and actions of foreign affairs during and after WWII, and on into the Vietnam War era. This book is now thirty years old, and was written right when two of the six men had just die...

"The Wise Men: Six Friends and The World They Made," is an extraordinary, thought-provoking, and captivating look at the six men, most of whom were graduates of the famous Groton school and later graduates of Yale, Harvard, and Princeton who helped shape American foreign policy for way over fifty years. Often working in the private sector as bankers, Wall Street Insiders, and Railroad Tycoons they immediately responded to the call whenever their government and president sought their advice and c...

Isaacson traces the careers and personalities of six men of the "political establishment." Averell Harriman, Dean Acheson, George Kennan, Robert Lovett, John McCloy, and Charles Bohlen served 4 administrations and advised 2 more. Their outlook, assumptions and experience shaped the American century, rebuilt Europe and mired the country in 2 land wars in Asia.Why I started this book: The title caught my eye as I was browsing my library's Overdrive collection. After waiting on hold for months, it

Right now it's a lot about "Look at this six rich white men and how they got that way" (spoiler: they were mostly born rich white men.)I will be more interested once they get into their "let's stop the USSR" jobs, but right now I'm a little bored with it.

This is the story of what became known as the "American Establishment." "Establishment" was a term that originated in England to describe a circle of powerful men. Richard Rovere has proposed that the two parties in this country are really either populist or establishment, not conservative or liberal. The American Establishment were "Atlanticists." Their similar schooling gave them an appreciation for Western European values and the perceived benefit of a traditional Europe. They were instrument...

True statesmen who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations. We need people like this in government today.

I purchased this book when it was published in 1986, but never read it because I was unsure about reading a book about the Groton/Yale crowd who became the U.S. foreign policy establishment's "Wise Men." I was not interested in reading about the prep school/Ivy League world that these men emerged from, and, as expected. the book began with a thorough description of that world. However, if one gets through the first hundred pages, with its crew races and polo games, then the reader gets a superb

I can't believe it's finally over. I feel like I've been reading this book my whole life. It is so. Darn. LONG. And I like long books! Yeesh. While interesting and thorough, I felt like I couldn't see the forest because there were just too many flippin' trees. There was just way, way too much detail. This is the second Walter Isaacson book I've read, and his writing philosophy seems to be, "If a point is worth making, it's worth belaboring." Not only was the mind-numbingly comprehensive recitati...

A study of the men who advised Harry Truman about how to rebuild Europe and contain communism in the years after World War II.“Washington was filled with excitement that sunny Monday: Dwight Eisenhower, the returning hero, was greeted by the largest crowds in the city’s history as he paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue. Wedged into Truman’s afternoon schedule — between lunches and dinners and other ceremonies honoring Eisenhower — was the meeting on Japanese strategy.”

I purchased this book at the Friends of the Library used book store at the Public Library in Laguna Beach, California. It is a formidable-looking book. I bought it mainly on the strength of one of its authors, Walter Isaacson. I have read some of his other biographies and found them very engagingly written. There is an inscription on the front flyleaf of my copy that reads, "To George & Julie Merry Xmas 1986 Hope this brings knowledge to your whole family Love Francie". The book had all the appe...

The Wise Men, while an enlightening history of US foreign policy is a frustrating read.It is the history of the creation of the US foreign policy establishment, its heyday, and its dissolution in the Reagan years. It is told through the biographies of six friends who formed the core of the establishment.Each were remarkable men. Perhaps the most famous of them were Secretary of State Dean Acheson and the roving millionaire diplomat and once Governor of New York, Averell Harriman, son of the the

This is a fascinating "collective biography" of six major, interrelated figures in the American establishment from the 1930s into the 1960s. Some might think of this as another "Best and Brightest," set earlier in time. But Halberstam's use of that term was ironic; here, the authors are not speaking ironically when they refer to the six as "the original brightest and best" (Page 19). The beginning lays out what follows. Isaacson and Thomas observe that (Page 19): "Six friends. Their lives intert...

Isaacson is a good writer. Or at least he is now. Thirty five years ago maybe not so much. The idea of this book is intriguing and Isaacson on the title sold it to me, but to put it simply it is just not well written. In attempting to tell the story of the beginning of the Cold War through the lens of these six men it becomes both too big and too small all at once. It is too big because you cannot write a biography of six men all at once. It is too small because in focusing on just the actions o...

This is an amazing story about the origins and early years of the Cold War as told through the lives of six individuals who shaped US foreign policy during the 1930s - 1960s. The book begins with a brief biography of all six and identifies their relationships with each other from college days on. These six men; two bankers, two lawyers, and two diplomats not only shaped US foreign policy but implemented it as well. Their Cold War policy went from wartime collaboration with the Soviets to a polic...

It took me 6 months to complete this book, with it. Voluminous and a bit academic, no surprise there, Walter Isaacson is one of the authors. I struggled with the details which were sometimes useful and enlightening but most times distracting. As for the legendary wise men, it was a pleasure to know them and I I appreciate their synergy and dedication devoid of partnership. Dean Acheson stands out, in my own opinion. Great book, fantastic reference book, a must have in any library.

A fascinating exploration of the enormous role in America's 20th Century geopolitics played by a few career statesmen. I'd know a bit about a few of them but the authors weave a coherent and informative account of all six men.