An exciting business primer based on the country-building strategies that sprang from the ingenuity; resourcefulness; determination; desperation passion of America's founding fathers.
#330446 in Books Berkley Publishing Group 2012-01-03 2012-01-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x 1.29 x 5.99l; 1.30 #File Name: 0425245942640 pagesBerkley Publishing Group
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Detailed look at the '61 Berlin Crisis but with biasBy Robert CarverI enjoyed reading Frederick Kempe's detailed narrative about how the Berlin Crisis unfolded and the perspectives of the Kennedy Administration; Khrushchev and the Soviets; East Germany's Walter Ulbricht; West Germany's Konrad Adenauer. Kempe provides the background for the situation JFK inherited when he came into office in January of 1961 and then how the year unfolded as Kennedy dealt with the many crises festering around the world that kept coming back to Berlin. Kempe walks us through how the players involved were propelled by misunderstanding; miscommunication; ideology; external forces and their own agendas. The deep impression the reader comes away with is just how the specter of global thermonuclear war impacted Kennedy's thinking. JFK is impressive in his rapid maturity as he learns how the realpolitik worked with the Soviets. This is important as this ability to learn from prior experience allowed Kennedy to delicately and deliberately work through the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 averting nuclear war. Here is where I take issue with the author but still respect his book. Kempe blames Kennedy for being inept and causing the Berlin Crisis to escalate with an unsatisfactory conclusion emboldening Khrushchev in Cuba. Kemke is honest about his perspective as a son of German immigrants; especially his sensitivity towards Berlin where his mother grew up before immigrating to the US. His history has been as a reporter; writer and think tank member focusing on Cold War issues in Europe especially those focused on Germany. His has an introduction by retired Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft who was a National Security Advisor to Presidents Ford and George H. W. Bush and who is a close friend of the Bush family. So you have a clear center-right perspective on the Berlin Crisis which is fine because the author made it clear and did not try to disguise or deny it. I disagree with Kempe's criticisms of Kennedy's actions on Berlin and the relationship with the Soviet Union. It is far too easy to judge what JFK "should" have done from our perspective 50+ years after the fact knowing how events played out. We have to judge the actions of Kennedy and Khrushchev based on the knowledge each historical actor had available to them as these events occurred to provide context; the intent of the actors at that specific time and the consequences of their actions. Kennedy made mistakes but given the circumstances he was able to navigate our country safely through the most dangerous time in our history when the threat of all-out nuclear war seemed probable. Kempe spins what he believes should have happened but this is the danger for the historian to interject their worldview into past events as criticism. I give Kempe's book 4-stars because he does an excellent job of taking us through the events of 1961 from the perspectives of the major players which makes this book a recommended read just with the caveat of the conclusion drawn by Kempe on how his biased worldview shaped his critique.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Let them come to BerlinBy Michael C. ChisickI was too young to appreciate events that unfolded in Berlin in 1961 but I knew they were momentous. This great book provides context to the many crises that arose here between East and West and the great tensions it generated. It does not paint a flattering portrait of the young; inexperienced; and macho-obscessed JFK. Fascinating story.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Kempe's discussion of the crisis is well written; well ...By Henry B.Kempe's discussion of the crisis is well written; well researched and comprehensive. However; if you are a partisan of J.F.K. or L.B.J. you may find Kempe's discription of their part in these events rather difficult to take. My main criticism is that Kempe is; to my mind; rather too fond of military solutions and less positive about diplomacy. This is an unfortunate trend today among members of Congress; members of the executive branchand even among members of the historical profession.
