On The Frontline In The Cold War

This account of the Cold War outlines how the 43-year Cold War emerged unexpectedly in 1947. McGhee follows the standoff in Europe and the Far East and the competition in the developing world, including the shooting wars fought in Korea and Vietnam. McGhee personally directed Greek-Turkish Aid. Review: Ambassador George McGhee is one of the unsung heroes of American foreign policy in the Cold War.

He was the third highest ranking State Department official and ambassador to Germany and Turkey. In Europe and the Far and Middle East, he helped construct and implement the containment of the Soviet Union. He negotiated with Hailie Silassie, the Shah, and Nehru and brought Greece and Turkey into NATO.

McGhee was the right-hand man of secretaries of states and, significantly, the highest ranking member of the Kennedy-Johnson administration at Secretary Dean Rusk's funeral....His book on the Cold War written from the frontline fills a void in the literature. Few living Americans can match his experience. -Kenneth W.

Thompson Director, Miller Center for Public Affairs J. Wilson Newman Professor of Government, University of Virginia