The epidemic that never was: Policy-making and the swine flu scare

by Richard E. Neustadt

293 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Richard Elliott Neustadt (June 26, 1919 – October 31, 2003) was an American political scientist specializing in the United States presidency. He also served as adviser to several presidents.

Neustadt was born in Philadelphia of a family of Swiss origin. Neustadt received a BA in History from the University of California, Berkeley in 1939, followed by an M.A. degree from Harvard University in 1941. After a short stint as an economist in the Office of Price Administration, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1942, where he was a supply officer in the Aleutian Islands, Oakland, California, and Washington. He then went into the Bureau of Budget (now known as the Office of Management and Budget) while working on his Harvard Ph.D., which he received in 1951.

Neustadt died in London after complications from a fall. In addition to Shirley Williams, Neustadt left a daughter, Elizabeth, and a granddaughter. His son, Richard, predeceased him in 1995.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book for our time- the gaffes of our federal agencies becoming amplified into life-death scenarios for American citizens..

[Fishface · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not as gripping as I was led to hope, this is the reproduced report originally written for the delectation of president Jerry Ford to help him decide what to do after the notorious 1976 swine flu fiasco. The report is nested inside layer after layer of author's notes, prefaces, forewords, appendices and introductions by Tom, Dick and Harry. It certainly gives the reader some insight into the total confusion that surrounded the flu-related death of an Army recruit, and the panic that followed.