The Past Has Another Pattern Memoirs

In his long and multifaceted career as a diplomat, international lawyer, and statesman, George W. Ball has been at the center of many crises. His book is filled with candid portraits of major figures on the world stage, as well as keen and controversial insights into past and present international problems.

During his long career as a diplomat, international lawyer, statesman and investment banker, George Ball interrogated Albert Speer at the end of World War II, worked with Jean Monnet to build Europe, supervised the rescue of hostages in the Congo, advised President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis and, as Undersecretary of State in the Johnson and Kennedy administrations, was an early and consistent opponent of America’s involvement in Vietnam. “Clarity, serenity and precision are the marks of this major contribution to an understanding of American foreign policy during the past 40 years. The book deserves to be compared with Dean Acheson’s Present at the Creation (but less self-satisfied) and George Kennan’s Memoirs (but less introverted). Although the author is best known to the general public for his opposition to American military involvement in Vietnam, the historian will find his discussion of European issues the most interesting part of the book.” — Gaddis Smith, Foreign Affairs “[A] first-rate memoir of American politics and foreign policy over half a century. It is literate, lively and amusing, and in places it clarifies basic questions about the foreign policy of the United States... The Past Has Another Pattern is a colorful and thought provoking tour of the recent and not-so-recent past, conducted by a skillful guide.” — Daniel Yergin, The New York Times “[O]ne of the great, examined public lives of our time.” — Kirkus “A distinguished lawyer and public servant with experience of Presidents stretching from Roosevelt to Reagan, [George Ball] has written an impressive book of memoirs.” — Douglas Johnson, London Review of Books “A few years ago I read some 70 volumes of biography and autobiography as a Pulitzer Prize juror. George Ball’s memoirs are everything that most of the art is not. While he does not neglect his achievement, he is candid on the things that went wrong. His public life has provided him with a very great deal of very great importance to tell. He writes admirably well. And much of his story is amusing. This year there will, I promise, be no other biography that will be as good.” — John Kenneth Galbraith “George Ball is that rarity — a distinguished public servant who can write; and his memoir is not only indispensable for the historian but absorbing for the general reader.” — Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

The presidency of John F. Kennedy continues to fascinate, even as it also continues to inspire heated debates between admirers and detractors of Camelot's fallen king. Now readers can gain a new appreciation of JFK in this thoroughly revised and updated edition of James Giglio's bestselling study, widely acclaimed as the best and most balanced book on JFK's White House years. Giglio incorporates the voluminous archival materials made available in the last fifteen years, including the declassified documents on crucial foreign policy affairs and White House medical records that contradict the image of Kennedy's youth and vigor. He stresses the extent to which domestic and foreign policies were interconnected at a time when the Cold War dominated national life and reveals his new appreciation for JFK's prudence in his handling of such enormous challenges as the Cuban missile crisis and the emerging war in Vietnam. Giglio shows Kennedy to be "the most medicated, one of the most courageous, and perhaps the most self-absorbed of our presidents." He reviews the physical ailments and heavy prescriptions that were kept out of the public eye and catalogs sexual indiscretions ranging from Marilyn Monroe and socialite Florence Pritchett to low-level White House employees and even virtual strangers. Surveying this field of conquest, Giglio suggests that JFK's sexual obsession could easily have affected his presidency even more during a second term. His work also amplifies coverage of key issues like civil rights, the Cuban missile crisis, and Vietnam and reevaluates many of the questions surrounding the assassination—maintaining that, even with the existence of a conspiracy still doubtful, the case is far from closed. Like the first edition, this new edition provides a sharp and thoughtful analysis of both domestic and foreign affairs and underscores that, despite his undeniably brief tenure in office, the state of the nation actually did improve on Kennedy's watch. Featuring an expanded bibliographical essay and twenty-two photos from the JFK library, The Presidency of John F. Kennedy remains the definitive appraisal of Camelot's kingdom.

Drawing on official records and private papers, this book offers insights into Anglo-American reactions to France's development of an independent nuclear capability; France's bid for the political leadership of Europe; Britain's first application to join the EEC; the controversial US multilateral force (MLF) proposal for NATO; Britain's numerous propositions to France for the development of an independent European nuclear force; the tense Anglo-American diplomatic quarrel that was the Skybolt crisis; and the creative diplomacy that produced the Nassau Agreement of December 1962.

Presidents are surrounded by political strategists and White House counsel who presumably know enough to avoid making the same mistakes as their predecessors. Why, then, do the same kinds of presidential failures occur over and over again? Why Presidents Fail answers this question by examining presidential fiascos, quagmires, and risky business-the kind of failure that led President Kennedy to groan after the Bay of Pigs invasion, 'How could I have been so stupid?' In this book, Richard M. Pious looks at nine cases that have become defining events in presidencies from Dwight D. Eisenhower and the U-2 Flights to George W. Bush and Iraqi WMDs. He uses these cases to draw generalizations about presidential power, authority, rationality, and legitimacy. And he raises questions about the limits of presidential decision-making, many of which fly in the face of the conventional wisdom about the modern presidency.

Exploring the causes of the unnatural red-state/blue-state dichotomy in America, Hough, a professor of comparative politics, ponders the likely effects of the next economic crisis and what it will take to create new party coalitions.

A thoroughly revised, updated, and newly illustrated version of the Gaddis Smith called "the best book on the totality of the Carter presidency." The new edition includes more on the former president's foreign and environmental policies and expands coverage of the "personal" Carter as well as his wife Rosalyn's activist role during his administration.

Britain was arguably the single greatest catalyst and beneficiary of UN peacekeeping operations during the post-war period. This book analyses the reasons for this, including the post-colonial conflicts which Britain handed the UN and its determination to ensure that peacekeeping evolved in a manner compatible with UK national interests. Despite initial ambivalence about letting the UN run military operations, Britain repeatedly used the organization, to shed colonial responsibilities, save face, share policing burdens, and stabilise conflicts in sensitive regions. This comprehensive survey first examines UK experience with antecedents of UN operations, notably 19th century colonial policing and missions set up under the League of Nations. It then analyses British efforts to influence, contain and exploit individual UN operations, including the Emergency Force established following the Suez Crisis (1956-67), the force in the Congo (1960-64), and the enduring operation in Cyprus (1967-). Also covered are several instances when British Governments preferred to intervene unilaterally, including in Jordan and Kuwait. One of the main contributions of the book is the detailed analysis of internal UK Government and UN files, which the author uses to reconstruct the policy making process. The book also sheds light on the peacekeeping policies of certain other key states, particularly the US and USSR. Finally, the account addresses some issues of contemporary relevance, including the tension between neutrality and impartiality, peacekeeping in a semi-permissive environment, and the use of force.