Affection and Trust - by Harry S Truman & Dean Acheson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this riveting collection, available for the first time in paperback, we follow Harry S. Truman and Dean Acheson, two giants of the post-World War II period who were primarily responsible for the Marshall Plan and NATO, among other world-shaping initiatives, as they move from an official relationship to one of candor, humor, and personal expression. In these letters, spanning the years from when both were newly out of office until Acheson's death at the age of seventy-eight, we find them sharing the often surprising and always illuminating opinions, ideas, and feelings that the strictures of their offices had previously kept them from revealing.

Unbuttoned, careless of language, unburdened by political ambition or vanity, Truman and Acheson reveal their characters and their loyalty to each other on every page. Truman, a Missouri farmer with the unpolished but sharp intellect of a largely self-educated man, and Acheson, well educated, urbane, and affluent, seem an unlikely pair. But both men shared a deep and abiding patriotism and a taste for politics that transcended their very different backgrounds. Affection and Trust is a remarkable book that brings to light the very human side of two of the most important statesmen of the twentieth century.

Review Quotes

"[Readers] will receive an insightful, if sometimes partial, view of cold war politics through the eyes of two thoroughly admirable American leaders."--Publishers Weekly -- (10/4/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"A revelatory collection of letters, these missives exchanged between a former president and his secretary of state simply defy simple characterization. . . . Valuable to historians, the divulgences in these letters will equally intrigue history readers."--Booklist -- (10/15/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Harry Truman was the last American president who had worked behind plow horses and had never been to college. His Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, was a patrician from Yale, from the upper reaches of the legal profession, and from the vanished world of America's WASP ascendancy. Their collaboration, even more, their friendship, made history--and these luminous letters."--George F. Will -- (11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Just as the letters between Adams and Jefferson provide an intimate and historically rich view of the birth and early years of the Republic, so, too, does the post-presidential correspondence between Truman and Acheson offer illuminating insights into the watershed years following World War II. At a time when America had emerged with strength and maturity into another vastly changed world, the candid views of these two old and mutually trusted friends on affairs of state and the personalities involved in them are invaluable sources of information. Scholars and historians will be mining this trove for years to come."--Dr. Henry Kissinger -- (11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"What a wonderful book this is; a treasure abundant with little gems of statecraft, patriotism, and keen observation by two honorable men."--Ken Burns -- (11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"What pure joy it is to read this astonishing exchange of letters between these two giant figures. This unreserved and surprisingly tender correspondence is simultaneously a moving tribute to friendship, a historical treasure, and a fabulous read from start to finish. It is also a happy throwback to a bygone era when people took the time to write long handwritten letters to one another."--Doris Kearns Goodwin -- (11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Harry S. Truman was the thirty-third president of the United States. Dean Acheson was secretary of state during the Truman administration. David McCullough is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the author of John Adams and Truman, both Pulitzer Prize winners.