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Senator Gerald P. Nye and American foreign relations
Senator Gerald P. Nye and American foreign relations by Wayne S Cole.
- GenresPoliticsAmerican History
293 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
18 people want to read
About the author
Wayne S. Cole
9 booksWayne Stanley Cole was a leading scholar of the pre-World War II American isolationist movement. Dr. Cole, an Army Air Forces pilot during World War II, spent much of his academic career teaching American diplomatic history at the University of Maryland.
His maiden book was America First (1953), which like many of his works described the forces that animated the isolationist movement as a continuing presence in American politics. Dr. Cole followed with Senator Gerald P. Nye and American Foreign Relations (1962), about the North Dakota Republican who was a leading noninterventionist between the world wars; Charles A. Lindbergh and the Battle Against American Intervention in World War II (1974); and Roosevelt and the Isolationists (1983).
Obituary: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...
His maiden book was America First (1953), which like many of his works described the forces that animated the isolationist movement as a continuing presence in American politics. Dr. Cole followed with Senator Gerald P. Nye and American Foreign Relations (1962), about the North Dakota Republican who was a leading noninterventionist between the world wars; Charles A. Lindbergh and the Battle Against American Intervention in World War II (1974); and Roosevelt and the Isolationists (1983).
Obituary: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2019
Had things gone differently Gerald P. Nye might have had a long career as a Senator from North Dakota. But he made some very bad choices and the voters did not return him for a fourth elected
term in 1944. As he lived until 1971 that would have made him number one in seniority had he stayed.
Nye was originally from Wisconsin and became a newspaper editor while still in his teens. He was
born in 1892 and bounced all over the midwest before settling in the small town of Fryburg, North
Dakota where on foreign policy he was quite the cheerleader for Woodrow Wilson and our entrance
into World War I. Like millions of others he was quite disillusioned at the outcome and in the 20s
became a confirmed isolationist. He was appointed to the US Senate in 1925 to fill a vacancy and then won 3 terms in his own right.
On domestic issues he was pretty progressive and turned out to support many New Deal domestic
measures. But on foreign policy he was a hard isolationist. What brought him to the center of the
movement was Nye chairing in the 30s an investigative committee that looked into the munitions
industry. It's report blamed the war and its length on the munitions industry. No doubt as they
always do, the arms industry made big money. But it was way too simplistic an explanation for
World War I. It was popular though in many quarters and Nye was lauded.
Nye became the real voice, the most strident voice in the US Senate for keeping out of any war be
it the European war or one with Japan that was brewing. Many elected officials were involved with
the newly formed America First Committee, but Nye topped the list.
America First is controversial to this day. How much influence the Third Reich had with it is a
controversial topic to this day. Nye as did others like Charles Lindbergh associated with it got
pretty tarred being such staunch supporters..
Nye was up for his 4th term and after Pearl Harbor he and so many of his isolationist brethren
went down in the elections of 1942, 1944, and 1946. The Roosevelt administration took a special
interest in his demise. He won a three way GOP primary in 1944, but one of his primary opponents
ran as an independent in the general election and Democrat John P. Moses won.
Ironically enough Moses who was probably terminally ill when he won died in the Mayo Clinic in
March of 1945. A man named Milton R. Young got appointed the same way Nye did and stayed as
a Republican in the Senate representing North Dakota until 1981.
As much as the book is about Nye it is also about the American Isolationist movement in the 30s.
Professor Wayne S. Cole who wrote this book on Nye also authored a couple of other books on that
topic alone.
If you're interested in the topic you would do well to read this and other works by this author. As
for Nye he remains an interesting figure of the times.
term in 1944. As he lived until 1971 that would have made him number one in seniority had he stayed.
Nye was originally from Wisconsin and became a newspaper editor while still in his teens. He was
born in 1892 and bounced all over the midwest before settling in the small town of Fryburg, North
Dakota where on foreign policy he was quite the cheerleader for Woodrow Wilson and our entrance
into World War I. Like millions of others he was quite disillusioned at the outcome and in the 20s
became a confirmed isolationist. He was appointed to the US Senate in 1925 to fill a vacancy and then won 3 terms in his own right.
On domestic issues he was pretty progressive and turned out to support many New Deal domestic
measures. But on foreign policy he was a hard isolationist. What brought him to the center of the
movement was Nye chairing in the 30s an investigative committee that looked into the munitions
industry. It's report blamed the war and its length on the munitions industry. No doubt as they
always do, the arms industry made big money. But it was way too simplistic an explanation for
World War I. It was popular though in many quarters and Nye was lauded.
Nye became the real voice, the most strident voice in the US Senate for keeping out of any war be
it the European war or one with Japan that was brewing. Many elected officials were involved with
the newly formed America First Committee, but Nye topped the list.
America First is controversial to this day. How much influence the Third Reich had with it is a
controversial topic to this day. Nye as did others like Charles Lindbergh associated with it got
pretty tarred being such staunch supporters..
Nye was up for his 4th term and after Pearl Harbor he and so many of his isolationist brethren
went down in the elections of 1942, 1944, and 1946. The Roosevelt administration took a special
interest in his demise. He won a three way GOP primary in 1944, but one of his primary opponents
ran as an independent in the general election and Democrat John P. Moses won.
Ironically enough Moses who was probably terminally ill when he won died in the Mayo Clinic in
March of 1945. A man named Milton R. Young got appointed the same way Nye did and stayed as
a Republican in the Senate representing North Dakota until 1981.
As much as the book is about Nye it is also about the American Isolationist movement in the 30s.
Professor Wayne S. Cole who wrote this book on Nye also authored a couple of other books on that
topic alone.
If you're interested in the topic you would do well to read this and other works by this author. As
for Nye he remains an interesting figure of the times.
June 8, 2023
Excellent, objective, biography of an excellent North Dakota Senator who led the way in opposing USA entry into world war II. Seems he was defeated in 1944 re-election by a Democrat, because another Republican (backed by out-of-state Internationalists) ran as a 3rd party candidate and split the Republican vote. You see the same thing today. Republicans would rather lose than win with an "outsider" not approved by the Establishment.
Anyway, people in ND shot themselves in the foot on that one, since Nye could have served till 1971, and used his seniority to bring home a lot of bacon,.
Note: Although Nye was 100 percent behind the war effort after Pearl Harbor, the Roosevelt administration did everything it could to attack Nye and smear him as "Unpatriotic". Its not clear who FDR hated more, Hitler, or anyone who opposed him prior to December 7th 1941. See "New Dealers war" by Thomas Fleming for more details.
Anyway, people in ND shot themselves in the foot on that one, since Nye could have served till 1971, and used his seniority to bring home a lot of bacon,.
Note: Although Nye was 100 percent behind the war effort after Pearl Harbor, the Roosevelt administration did everything it could to attack Nye and smear him as "Unpatriotic". Its not clear who FDR hated more, Hitler, or anyone who opposed him prior to December 7th 1941. See "New Dealers war" by Thomas Fleming for more details.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews