''Without question this is an important new addition to World War II                  and Cold War historiography.... Highly recommended.'' -- Douglas Brinkley,                  author of Dean Acheson: The Cold War Years and The Unfinished Presidency: Jimmy                  Carter's Journey beyond the White House''A remarkably                  objective, yet sympathetic, study of Louis Johnson's life and career. Now only                  half-remembered,... Johnson was a major national figure. Colorful, aggressive,                  independent-minded, egotistical, his strong views and conflicts with Dean Acheson                  proved to be his undoing. All in all, a fascinating tale.'' -- James R.                  Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense''McFarland and Roll                  have performed a real service in rescuing from obscurity this Democratic mover and                  shaker. Their account of the rise and fall of Louis Johnson provides us with the                  fullest depiction yet of an important Washington figure employed for better or worse                  as a blunt instrument of policy change by both Franklin Roosevelt and Harry                  Truman.'' -- Alonzo L. Hamby, author of Man of the People: A Life of Harry S.                  Truman and For the Survival of Democracy: Franklin Roosevelt and the World Crisis of                  the 1930s''[Johnson's] career is a cautionary tale of how                  even the most ruthlessly effective men can become pawns in the Washington power                  game. McFarland and Roll bring Johnson to life in this thorough and well-told                  history.'' -- Evan Thomas, Newsweek, author of Robert Kennedy: His Life and The                  Very Best Men: The Early Years of the CIALouis Johnson was FDR's                  Assistant Secretary of War and the architect of the industrial mobilization plans                  that put the nation on a war footing prior to its entry into World War II. Later, as                  Truman's Secretary of Defense, Johnson was given the difficult job of unifying the                  armed forces and carrying out Truman's orders to dramatically reduce defense                  expenditures. In both administrations, he was asked to confront and carry out                  extremely unpopular initiatives -- massive undertakings that each president believed                  were vital to the nation's security and economic welfare. Johnson's conflicts with                  Henry Morganthau, Secretary of War Harry H. Woodring, Winston Churchill, Harry                  Hopkins, Dean Acheson, Averell Harriman, and Paul Nitze find contemporary parallels                  in the recent disagreements between the national defense establishment and the State                  Department.

Louis Johnson and the Arming of America: The Roosevelt and Truman Years PDF

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