Dean Acheson was one of the most influential Secretaries of State in U.S. history, presiding over American foreign policy during a pivotal era — the decade after World War II when the American Century slipped into high gear. During his vastly influential career, Acheson spearheaded the greatest foreign policy achievements in modern times, ranging from the Marshall Plan to the establishment of NATO.

Now, in this monumental biography, Robert L. Beisner paints an indelible portrait of one of the key figures of the last half-century. In a book filled with insight based on research in government archives, memoirs, letters, and diaries, Beisner illuminates Acheson's policy-making, describing how he led the state department and managed his relationship with Truman, all to illuminate the vital policies he initiated in his years at State. The book examines Acheson's major triumphs, including the highly underrated achievement of converting West Germany and Japan from mortal enemies to prized allies, and does not shy away from examining his missteps. But underlying all his actions, Beisner shows, was a tough-minded determination to outmatch the strength of the Soviet bloc — indeed, to defeat the Soviet Union at every turn.

The emotional center of the book focuses on Acheson's friendship with Truman. No pair seemed so poorly matched — one, a bourbon-drinking mid-Westerner with a homespun disposition, the other, a mustachioed Connecticut dandy who preferred perfect martinis — yet no such team ever worked better together. Acheson's unstinting dedication to an often unpopular president was reciprocated with deep gratitude and loyalty. Together, they redrew the map of the post-war world.

Over sixfoot tall, with steel blue, "merry, searching eyes" and a "wolfish" grin, Dean Acheson was an unforgettable character — intellectually brilliant, always debonair, and tough as tempered steel. This lustrous portrait of an immensely accomplished and colorful life is the epitome of the biographer's art.

"Acheson emerges from the Beisner book as the greatest secretary of state of the postwar period in the sweep of his design, his ability to implement it, the extraordinary associates with whom he surrounded himself and the nobility of his personal conduct." Henry Kissinger, New York Times

"Beisner has given Acheson the biography he deserves, and we are all the richer for this outstanding contribution to our literature on the early Cold War years." Library Journal

"From the complex relationship with George Kennan to the simple and deep friendship with Harry Truman, Acheson's character stands out in all its brilliance, humanity, and courage. In our own tortured times, this book is a national treasure." Robert Kagan, author of Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order

"Significant cold-war historiography." Booklist

Dean Acheson was one of the most influential secretaries of state in U.S. history, presiding over American foreign policy during a pivotal era which saw the Marshall Plan and the establishment of NATO.

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Robert L. Beisner taught history at the University of Chicago, Colgate University, and American University, before retiring to write this book. A former president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, his previous books include From the Old Diplomacy to the New, 1865-1900 and the award-winning, critically acclaimed Twelve Against Empire: The Anti-Imperialists, 1898-1900. He lives in Washington, D.C.