Synopses & Reviews
Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy consists of a dozen interrelated chapters by statesmen, scientists, and compatriots who worked and served with Adlai E. Stevenson II of Illinois. He was its 31st Governor, twice the Democratic presidential nominee in 1952 and 56, a founder of the United Nations in 1945, and from 1961 to 65 (inclusive of the Cuba Missile Crisis), the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN. Included is an essay by the Governor revealing why he had urged a ban on further hydrogen bomb testing during his presidential campaign of 1956. In 1963, with Stevensons help at the UN, a treaty banning all above ground nuclear testing was finally signed, then a non-proliferation treaty in 1968, and a comprehensive treaty in 1996 (not yet ratified). He knew that in a nuclear age peace was “a condition of human survival;” if ignored, as others also were concerned, that nuclear matters could sooner or later get out of hand. And that in a position of preeminent strength, we needed to lead by example and assistance and with patience collaboratively pursue negotiation, not unilateral action and preemption. In the Epilogue, former Assistant Secretary of State Harlan Cleveland and Senator Adlai Stevenson III urge a return to the diplomacy and politics of the Stevenson years and those that followed, until recent years.
Review
"Democracy for the Guv was not a means to an end. It was the end in itself and propagated in the world by our example and assistance. His politics may no longer be possible today in the multiyear physical and financial endurance contest of the presidential selection process. I hope the American people might restore to their politics the values the Guv exemplified. It was a different world then when he and his compatriots were waging peace, not war, seeking cooperation, not preemption."
--Adlai E. Stevenson III, former U.S. Senator, Illinois
"Today, American foreign policy still requires the wisdom of Adlai Stevenson's thinking and his patented rhetoric that 'Americas role in its own interests and in the wider interests of humanity lies in the patient, unspectacular, and if need be, lonely search for the interests that unite nations, for the international instruments of law and security,' including the development, as in the Congo and elsewhere, of the U.N.s ‘capacity to act."
--Harlan Cleveland, former Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to NATO
"The Cuba missile crisis was the most dangerous moment in the history of man because never before had war threatened between two powers that had between them the technical capacity to blow up the planet and all the people on it. After the U.S.-Soviet confrontation at the U.N., President Kennedy wired Stevenson: ‘The United States is fortunate to have your advocacy, adding later that Stevensons work at the U.N. was of ‘inestimable national importance."
--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., historian and former presidential assistant
"Adlai Stevensons early public support for a ban on thermonuclear testing in the 1956 presidential campaign ‘was attacked ferociously. But this is the way it is with those who think of the long-term consequences of our actions. He helped create a constituency for a test ban then and to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty today."
--Dr. Sidney Drell and Ambassador James Goodby, former arms control advisors "Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy is, indeed, full of interesting reminiscences of Governor Stevenson and reflections on his career and life. It elucidates so many policy issues that he thought about and framed responses to: the role of international institutions; nuclear weapons; diplomacy; and force.”
--Dr. Henry S. Bienen, President, Northwestern University and former Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
“In recent conversations about the edited collection of essays on Adlai Stevenson, I was struck by the important parallels with our own times. We think of problems now in global terms, something Ambassador Stevenson did nearly a half century ago. His foresight into issues such as nuclear disarmament, stopping the testing of nuclear weapons that polluted our atmosphere with radiation, and urging nations to work in concert for reasonable solutions to problems are things we now take for granted.”
--Dr. Thomas S. Schwartz, Illinois State Historian
“As a young politician, I drew inspiration from Adlai Stevenson, as did countless others. His legacy continues to inspire generations of Americans, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the editor and contributors to Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy for exposing admirers, new and old, to Stevensons myriad contributions to our times. History, government, international relations--all these disciplines could utilize the test.”
--Lee H. Hamilton, President, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Co-Chairman of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group
“Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy covers many aspects of Governor Stevensons contributions to American political life and American society. Many of the issues that were important during Stevensons career continue to be relevant today, none more so than the ethics of public service and the importance of nuclear arms control.”
--Prof. Jack F. Matlock, Jr., Hamilton College, U.S. Ambassador to USSR, 1987-91
“This book tells the inspiring story of Stevensons leadership at the United Nations during critical international events such as the Cuba Missile Crisis and the tragic civil war in the Congo. At a time when President Barack Obama promises new U.S. leadership in the UN, the book provides lessons which his new UN Ambassador can make use of in her work. It will also be an important teaching tool for todays students about this historic period in American foreign policy.”
--Professor Richard N. Gardner, Columbia University Law School, Deputy Asst. Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, 1961-65
“Interest in Adlai Stevenson and his thoughts remain high. Our McLean County Museum of History in Stevensons home town of Bloomington, Illinois was proud to have recently hosted a well-attended lecture on the book, Adlai Steven sons Lasting Legacy, by former Senator Stevenson and Judge Liebling.”
--Greg Koos, Executive Director, McLean County Museum of History
“Adlai Stevenson was one of the towering figures of the 20th Century. His contributions range from the state level in Illinois to the United Nations, with stops in between for two highly respected presidential campaigns. The editor has assembled a valuable interrelated collection of writings on Stevenson in the book, Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy, and its usefulness in higher education and informed public discussions is clear.”
--Dr. Naomi B. Lynn, Chancellor Emerita, University of Illinois, Springfield
“As curator of the Adlai Stevenson Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University, I can attest to the continued interest in Stevensons life and work. In the last ten years, the collection has been reviewed over 1500 times by more than 125 researchers. This makes it one of our more frequently used collections. I expect that there will be continued interest in Stevenson, especially in light of the recent election, and that interested persons and scholars will explore aspects of his record and life and that Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy will be part of their basic bibliography.”
--Daniel J. Linke, Princeton University Archivist and Curator of Public Policy Papers
“As an admirer of Adlai Stevenson since my school hood years, I found that Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy made me look back and remember things I had forgotten and brought to mind many things I did not know about him. I remember my father saying how much he admired “Ike” but he had to vote for Mr. Stevenson for president because he was such a good governor. I look back and agree with Senator Gene McCarthys statement, that if Stevenson had been elected president in 1960, he believed there would have been a diplomatic settlement in Vietnam. I would hope that both of our recent candidates for president have read the book, and I think it should be required reading for future political candidates.”
--Robert Pickerill, Springfield, Illinois
Review
"Democracy for the Guv was not a means to an end. It was the end in itself and propagated in the world by our example and assistance. His politics may no longer be possible today in the multiyear physical and financial endurance contest of the presidential selection process. I hope the American people might restore to their politics the values the Guv exemplified. It was a different world then when he and his compatriots were waging peace, not war, seeking cooperation, not preemption."
--Adlai E. Stevenson III, former U.S. Senator, Illinois
"Today, American foreign policy still requires the wisdom of Adlai Stevenson's thinking and his patented rhetoric that 'Americas role in its own interests and in the wider interests of humanity lies in the patient, unspectacular, and if need be, lonely search for the interests that unite nations, for the international instruments of law and security,' including the development, as in the Congo and elsewhere, of the U.N.s ‘capacity to act."
--Harlan Cleveland, former Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to NATO
"The Cuba missile crisis was the most dangerous moment in the history of man because never before had war threatened between two powers that had between them the technical capacity to blow up the planet and all the people on it. After the U.S.-Soviet confrontation at the U.N., President Kennedy wired Stevenson: ‘The United States is fortunate to have your advocacy, adding later that Stevensons work at the U.N. was of ‘inestimable national importance."
--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., historian and former presidential assistant
"Adlai Stevensons early public support for a ban on thermonuclear testing in the 1956 presidential campaign ‘was attacked ferociously. But this is the way it is with those who think of the long-term consequences of our actions. He helped create a constituency for a test ban then and to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty today."
--Dr. Sidney Drell and Ambassador James Goodby, former arms control advisors
Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy is, indeed, full of interesting reminiscences of Governor Stevenson and reflections on his career and life. It elucidates so many policy issues that he thought about and framed responses to: the role of international institutions; nuclear weapons; diplomacy; and force.”
--Dr. Henry S. Bienen, President, Northwestern University and former Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
“In recent conversations about the edited collection of essays on Adlai Stevenson, I was struck by the important parallels with our own times. We think of problems now in global terms, something Ambassador Stevenson did nearly a half century ago. His foresight into issues such as nuclear disarmament, stopping the testing of nuclear weapons that polluted our atmosphere with radiation, and urging nations to work in concert for reasonable solutions to problems are things we now take for granted.”
--Dr. Thomas S. Schwartz, Illinois State Historian
“As a young politician, I drew inspiration from Adlai Stevenson, as did countless others. His legacy continues to inspire generations of Americans, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the editor and contributors to Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy for exposing admirers, new and old, to Stevensons myriad contributions to our times. History, government, international relations - all these disciplines could utilize the test.”
--Lee H. Hamilton, President, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Co-Chairman of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group
“Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy covers many aspects of Governor Stevensons contributions to American political life and American society. Many of the issues that were important during Stevensons career continue to be relevant today, none more so than the ethics of public service and the importance of nuclear arms control.”
--Prof. Jack F. Matlock, Jr., Hamilton College, U.S. Ambassador to USSR, 1987-91
“This book tells the inspiring story of Stevensons leadership at the United Nations during critical international events such as the Cuba Missile Crisis and the tragic civil war in the Congo. At a time when President Barack Obama promises new U.S. leadership in the UN, the book provides lessons which his new UN Ambassador can make use of in her work. It will also be an important teaching tool for todays students about this historic period in American foreign policy.”
--Professor Richard N. Gardner, Columbia University Law School, Deputy Asst. Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, 1961-65
“Interest in Adlai Stevenson and his thoughts remain high. Our McLean County Museum of History in Stevensons home town of Bloomington, Illinois was proud to have recently hosted a well-attended lecture on the book, Adlai Steven sons Lasting Legacy, by former Senator Stevenson and Judge Liebling.”
--Greg Koos, Executive Director, McLean County Museum of History
“Adlai Stevenson was one of the towering figures of the 20th Century. His contributions range from the state level in Illinois to the United Nations, with stops in between for two highly respected presidential campaigns. The editor has assembled a valuable interrelated collection of writings on Stevenson in the book, Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy, and its usefulness in higher education and informed public discussions is clear.”
--Dr. Naomi B. Lynn, Chancellor Emerita, University of Illinois, Springfield
“As curator of the Adlai Stevenson Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University, I can attest to the continued interest in Stevensons life and work. In the last ten years, the collection has been reviewed over 1500 times by more than 125 researchers. This makes it one of our more frequently used collections. I expect that there will be continued interest in Stevenson, especially in light of the recent election, and that interested persons and scholars will explore aspects of his record and life and that Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy will be part of their basic bibliography.”
--Daniel J. Linke, Princeton University Archivist and Curator of Public Policy Papers
“As an admirer of Adlai Stevenson since my school hood years, I found that Adlai Stevensons Lasting Legacy made me look back and remember things I had forgotten and brought to mind many things I did not know about him. I remember my father saying how much he admired “Ike” but he had to vote for Mr. Stevenson for president because he was such a good governor. I look back and agree with Senator Gene McCarthys statement, that if Stevenson had been elected president in 1960, he believed there would have been a diplomatic settlement in Vietnam. I would hope that both of our recent candidates for president have read the book, and I think it should be required reading for future political candidates.”
--Robert Pickerill, Springfield, Illinois
Synopsis
Former Governor of Illinois, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and twice unsuccessful Democratic candidate for President of the United States, Adlai Stevenson played a key role in American politics through out much of the middle of the twentieth century. This collection of essays from Senator Eugene McCarthy, Senator Adlai Stevenson III, Ambassador George Bunn, Brian Urquhart, Arthur Schlesinger, and others, looks at Stevenson's past and current societal significance.
Synopsis
Twice unsuccessful Democratic candidate for President of the United States, Adlai Stevenson played a key role in American politics throughout much of the middle of the Twentieth Century. This collection of essays from Senator Eugene McCarthy, Arthur Schlesinger, and others, looks at Stevenson's past and current societal significance.
About the Author
Alvin Liebling is a retired U.S. Administrative Law Judge, former Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency Attorney, and Northwestern University lecturer. He is currently engaged in state regulatory matters and he resides with his wife Jacquelyn in Chicago.
Table of Contents
Preface * Recollections of Eleanor Roosevelt * Introduction--Alvin Liebling * Prologue Part I: The Road to Springfield--Donald C. Campbell * Prologue Part II: The Presidency--Eugene J. McCarthy *
PART I: INTEGRITY AND CONCERN FOR NUCLEAR SURVIVAL * Another Time, Another Politics--Adlai E. Stevenson III * Would That the Guv Were Here--Adele Simmons * Stevenson, Concerned and Brilliant: His Finest Hour Was in Seeking a Nuclear Test Ban--Ken Hechler * About The H-Bomb--Adlai E. Stevenson II * How Adlai Stevenson Helped To End Nuclear Weapon Testing--George Bunn * Adlai Stevenson and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of Today--Sidney D. Drell & James E. Goodby *
PART II: THE COLLABORATIVE VALUE OF THE UNITED NATIONS * Adlai Stevenson and Our Times--Brian Urquhart * On A World-Scale Roller-Coaster: Adlai Stevenson at the UN, 1961-65--Harlan Cleveland * Thoughts of Stevenson's UN Deputy Charles Yost--Felicity O. Yost * The Presidency and Our Role In and With The United Nations--William J. vanden Heuvel *
PART III: EDUCATION AND A BETTER POLITICS * John Brademas on Adlai E. Stevenson: His Impact on Education, International Affairs, Nixon and Politics--John Brademas * Remembering Adlai Stevenson--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. * Adlai's Integrity And Credibility Were Impressive National Resources--Carl McGowan *
Epilogue: Adlai Stevenson, the Past and a Look at the Future—Alvin Liebling, Cleveland & Stevenson III