by Kai Bird
First published 1998
Kai Bird traces the intertwined careers of two brothers who shaped American diplomacy across three decades of conflict. Drawing from extensive interviews with the brothers themselves, their families, and professional associates, Bird reconstructs how their legal and political work influenced foreign policy decisions during World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. The author reveals the personal dynamics and professional calculations that drove policy formation at the highest levels of government. Through detailed portraits of these siblings, readers witness the human forces behind America's international relationships during some of the most consequential periods in modern history. Bird shows how family bonds and individual ambitions intersected with national interests, creating a intimate view of power and its exercise in American foreign relations.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, intimate-view-of-power
Setting: United States
Period: World War II, Cold War, Vietnam War
496 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster, Inc.