As I Saw It

by Dean Rusk, Tom Rusk

Dean Rusk's influential State Department career spanned the birth of the United Nations and NATO, the creation of Israel, and the Korean War. He served as Secretary of State to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson during the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam War. But he retired vowing never to write his memoirs. In As I Saw It, Dean Rusk finally breaks his silence. 32 pages of photographs.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Politics, War, Memoir, American History

672 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your standard memoir. Dean Rusk (1909-1994) said he would never write a memoir and did not keep a diary or any of his papers. His son, Richard Rusk, had lots of questions about his life and convinced his father to tell him about his life. The result is this book. There is no photography or documentation except for a few copies of speeches or other writings. The first part of the book is done chronologically, but the latter is done by issues or topics.

The book is well written. I found the book most interesting. What I liked the best was his discussion of his life in England as a Rhodes Scholar. He came from a rural Georgia farm to Oxford University with its centuries of traditions. He also discussed the difference between the philosophy of higher education between England and the USA. Rusk spent most of his life working in various roles at the State Department except for a period of time when he was president of the Rockefeller Foundation. He was Secretary of State (1961-1969) under John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. I enjoyed his comments and analysis of the various people he worked with as well as the presidents (6) he served. I found his analysis of Truman and Johnson most interesting as well as that of General George Marshall. Rusk discussed and analyzed his good decisions as well as his bad ones. I was surprised he was able to do this in a neutral manner. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; in many ways it was a trip down memory lane for me. I only wish there were pictures.

I read this as a hardback book purchased from Amazon. It is 672 pages published by Norton Publishing Company. The publishing date is July 1, 1990.

[Tim Petersik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not many people have played as active a role in as much history as Dean Rusk. He tells the stories of turbulent times in modern American historywith verve.