In the nation's service : the life and times of George P. Shultz / Philip Taubman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taubman, Philip, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Statesmen--United States--Biography.

Statesmen.

Cabinet officers--United States--Biography.

Cabinet officers.

Diplomatic relations.

Politics and government.

Shultz, George P., 1920-2021.

Shultz, George P.

United States--Foreign relations--1981-1989.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1945-1989.

Genre:

Biographies

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xix, 456 pages 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, [2023]

Summary:

"Deftly solving critical but intractable national and global problems was the leitmotif of George Pratt Shultz's life. No one at the highest levels of the United States government did it better or with greater consequence in the last half of the 20th century, often against withering resistance. His quiet, effective leadership altered the arc of history. While political, social, and cultural dynamics have changed profoundly since Shultz served at the commanding heights of American power in the 1970s and 1980s, his legacy and the lessons of his career have even greater meaning now that the Shultz brand of conservatism has been almost erased in the modern Republican Party. This book, from longtime New York Times Washington reporter Philip Taubman, restores the modest Shultz to his central place in American history. Taubman reveals Shultz's gift for forging relationships with people and then harnessing the rapport to address national and international challenges, under his motto "trust is the coin of the realm"--as well as his difficulty standing up for his principles, motivated by a powerful sense of loyalty that often trapped him in inaction. Based on exclusive access to Shultz's personal papers, housed in a sealed archive at the Hoover Institution, In the Nation's Service offers a remarkable insider account of the behind-the-scenes struggles of the statesman who played a pivotal role in unwinding the Cold War"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I. Early years. "Grow up a real man"

No empty threats

The real economy

Pathway to power

Part II. Nixon administration, Bechtel. Equal opportunity

Treasury travails

Part III. Reagan administration. Odd man out

A common foundation

Stumbling start

Soviet policy standoff

Nancy Reagan to the rescue

Shultz's opponents strike back

A test of loyalty

Hitting bottom

The target is destroyed

Combating terrorism

Reelection and renewed hope

Sea change in the Kremlin

The fireside summit

Battles that never end

Implosion of a presidency

Back on track

Encore in Moscow.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Taubman, Philip. In the nation's service

ISBN:

9781503631120

1503631125

OCLC:

1295219575

Publisher Number:

90102499362