The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2009

J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 63 link between that attitude — rein- forced by the general arrogance that made him such an attractive target for Joe McCarthy and many other critics —and some of Acheson’s serious policy miscalculations regarding China, Korea and other parts of the world. Still, Acheson got the biggest chal- lenge he faced exactly right: designing and implementing the U.S. strategy for containing the Soviet Union. As Mc- Mahon documents, he played an in- strumental role in creating the institu- tions, alliances and economic arrange- ments that brought to life an American- dominated world order — and made “the West” a truly cohesive entity. After stepping down as Secretary of State in 1953, Acheson continued to participate in major foreign policy de- cisions and debates right up until his death in 1971. Presidents of both par- ties sought his counsel. But unlike Tru- man, they often ignored his advice—a fact of life Acheson never fully ac- cepted. After storming out of a meet- ing with Lyndon Johnson, Acheson instructed National Security Adviser Walt Rostow to “tell the president — and you can tell him in precisely these words — that he can take Vietnam and stick it up his ass.” But he agreed to re- turn, once LBJ granted him full access to classified information and official briefings so he could conduct his own investigation of the war (which he soon came to see as unwinnable). In a foreword, Melvyn Leffler notes that this is the first volume in a pro- jected “Shapers of International His- tory” series. Judging by this brilliant biography, geared to the general reader yet full of value for experts, I would say that is an exciting prospect, indeed. ■ Steven Alan Honley is editor of the Journal . B O O K S