Synopses & Reviews
South Dakota senator George McGovernandrsquo;s 1972 presidential bid was one of the most memorable campaigns in American political history. Despite McGovernandrsquo;s landslide loss to the incumbent Richard Nixon, McGovernandrsquo;s campaign attracted widespread grassroots support, and his campaign posters represent a landmark in the history of U.S. campaign memorabilia in terms of the sheer number and quality of posters produced in support of the candidate. Like Barack Obamaandrsquo;s run for the presidency in 2008, McGovernandrsquo;s campaign stoked the imagination of the artistic community. World-famous artistsandmdash;including Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Larry Rivers, Sam Francis, Thomas W. Benton, Sister Corita, and Paul Davisandmdash;produced posters in support of McGovern that captured a generationandrsquo;s efforts to bring about major political change.and#160;George McGovern and the Democratic Insurgents, with nearly three hundred stunning images, provides an illustrated journey through the protest and psychedelic rock posters of the 1960s, the posters of Eugene McCarthyandrsquo;s 1968 presidential campaign, the poster explosion of George McGovernandrsquo;s 1972 campaign, and the best campaign posters from 1976 to 2012. A historical examination of the graphic precedents for this politicized art form, Hal Elliott Wertandrsquo;s collection offers readers a singular insight into artistic invention and activism in the United States.
Review
"The Cuban missile crisis may be the most thoroughly documented yet grossly misunderstood episode in Cold War history, and the value of Sheldon Stern's splendid book is that it punctures the myths and unearths the truth so compellingly, drawing on irrefutable evidence, that you'll never think about the crisis or about JFK and his 'best and brightest' advisers in the same way again."—Fred Kaplan, Slate's "War Stories" columnist; author of 1959 and The Wizards of Armageddon
Review
"For nearly half a century national security decision makers have relied on three lessons derived inappropriately from the Cuban missile crisis: success depends on (1) the threat of superior force, (2) toughness and inflexibility, and (3) the use of a small ad hoc group like the ExComm to advise the President. Sheldon Stern's trenchant analysis, based on the most careful and exacting review to date of the ExComm's recorded conversations, turns the three traditional missile crisis lessons on their head. He effectively demonstrates that the outcome depended on President Kennedy's repeated refusal to use or threaten to use force, and on his persistent search for a compromise that could end the stand-off peacefully. Most important, Stern highlights that the ExComm did not provide Kennedy with the well-considered advice he supposedly used to avoid war, but instead Kennedy directed its discussions towards the conclusions he sought. This is a clearly written, timely, and significant contribution to our understanding of the Cuban missile crisis."—Philip Brenner, American University
Review
"It has taken nearly 50 years to get a history of the Cuban missile crisis as it really was, as opposed to how it was initially (and for many decades) managed and manipulated by the Kennedy inner circle as well as gullible journalists and historians. For that we have Sheldon M. Stern to thank."—Max Holland, Contributing Editor, The Nation, and Editor, washingtondecoded.com
Review
"The latest addition to the outstanding Stanford Nuclear Age series . . . Informed and informative, The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myths versus Reality is a seminal work of impressive scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic library 20th Century American History reference collections in general, and 'U.S. - Soviet Union Cold War Studies' supplemental reading lists in particular."—James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review
Review
"In Stern's judgment, President Kennedy displayed leadership, remaining calm during the crisis and staring down his belligerent civilian advisers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. . . Recommended."—S. G. Rabe, CHOICE
Review
"The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory offers a compelling reassessment of [the] events [of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis]. Using tapes of ExComm meetings (the ad hoc group formed to meet the crisis), Stern challenges much of the received wisdom. In particular, he rejects Robert F. Kennedy's dovish self-portrayal in Thirteen Days (1969), finding instead a consistent hardliner who, for instance, opposed an American naval blockade in favor of air strikes."James Clyde Sellman, Colloquy
Review
"Timed for the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Stern. . . exposes myths about the crisis. [He] provides an important interpretation grounded in careful research."Karl Helicher, Library Journal
Review
"[Stern's] new book marshals irrefutable evidence to succinctly demolish the mythic version of the crisis . . . Reached through sober analysis."Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic
Review
"Stern is not alone in questioning the precision of the transcripts offered, but he has made the most painstaking attempt to clarify what was really said and done."Alice George, Journal of American History
Review
"Stern's book is a great example of how much is being discovered and revised regarding the Cold War and its major events as more archival sources are declassified. This work is a must read for any scholar of the Cuban missile crisis or the Kennedy administration. It provides a complicated and broad understanding of both the crisis and the Kennedy presidency."Javan D. Frazier, H-War
Review
andldquo;Hal Wert transports the reader back to a time when wheat paste campaigns were as incendiary and potent a political weapon as a Swiftboat ad is today. Psychedelic, defiant and poignant, the political posters Wert has gathered together in this book capture the zeitgeist of the era.andrdquo;andmdash;Daniel Joseph Watkins, author of Thomas W. Benton: Artist/Activist
Review
andldquo;This expertly curated collection of poster art is a vivid but poignant reminder of the turbulent years when politicians could dare to reflect the ideals of the counter-culture. Evocative and powerful, these rare artifacts bring historic dreams and doomed crusades back to life.andrdquo;andmdash;Peter Doggett, author of Thereandrsquo;s a Riot Going On
Review
andldquo;You donandrsquo;t have to be a George McGovern fan to appreciate Hal Wertandrsquo;s latest book, but if you are, youandrsquo;re in for a treat. Hal Wert combines art, music, politics, and history, along with a fascinating array of posters throughout the decades, to provide a visual feast with plenty of accompanying substance and historical context.andrdquo;andmdash;Laurie Langland, university archivist at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakotaand#160;
Review
andldquo;A valuable contribution to understanding and appreciating the power of pictorial imagery to persuade people.andrdquo;andmdash;Ann McGovern, daughter of George McGovern
Review
andldquo;Wert has assembled an impressive array of official and unofficial artworks that reveal the rich intersection of electoral, countercultural, and mass-movement posters that sought to reframe American society.andrdquo;andmdash;Lincoln Cushing, author of All of Us or None: Social Justice Posters of the San Francisco Bay Area
Synopsis
This book completely transforms our understanding of the actual roles that each of the principal EXCOMM members played in the decision making process that led to a peaceful resolution of the Cuban missile crisis.
Synopsis
This book exposes the misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies that have shaped the still dominant but largely mythical version of what happened in the White House during those harrowing two weeks of secret Cuban missile crisis deliberations. A half-century after the event it is surely time to demonstrate, once and for all, that RFK's Thirteen Days and the personal memoirs of other ExComm members cannot be taken seriously as historically accurate accounts of the ExComm meetings.
Synopsis
The mother of all conspiracy theories concerns the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Many of its elements have even become part of American folklore: the single bullet, the grassy knoll shooter, and the mysterious deaths of interested parties.
JFK Assassination Logic shows how to approach such conspiracy claims. Studying Lee Harvey Oswaldand#8217;s character and personality, for example, doesnand#8217;t help determine whether he alone shot the president, and our opinion of bureaucrats can often cloud our judgments. How people view the JFK assassination can be a model for how (or how not) to evaluate other conspiracy theories, including those generally considered dubiousand#8212;such as President Rooseveltand#8217;s foreknowledge of Pearl Harbor, desert staging of the 1969 moon landing, and U.S. government involvement in 9/11and#8212;as well as those based on fact, such as Watergate.
John McAdams addresses not only conspiracy theories but also how to think, reason, and judge evidence in such cases. By putting the JFK assassination under the microscope, McAdams provides a blueprint for understanding how conspiracy theories arise and how to judge the evidence.
About the Author
Hal Elliott Wert is a professor of history at the Kansas City Art Institute. He is the author of Hoover, the Fishing President: Portrait of the Private Man and His Life Outdoors and Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints. Frank Mankiewicz (1924and#8211;2014) was a journalist, served as the presidential campaign press secretary for Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 and as the campaign director for 1972 presidential nominee George McGovern, and was a former president of National Public Radio. Robert Chase Heishman is an artist living and working in Chicago, Illinois. His work is held in the collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Walker Art Center.