Herbert Feis (1893–1972)

While it can be a little dry in some places, this book helps to provide alot of important information and background to WW2. While the focus is around Pearl Harbor, it also broadly talks about Japan's entry into WWII, as well as its war with China.

2710 Churchill Roosevelt Stalin: The War They Waged and the Peace They Sought, by Herbert Feis (read 17 Mar 1995) This book has been deemed a basic book on its subject. It tells a very interesting story, starting in January 1942 and ending in June 1945. I felt I knew most of what the book said--not because I lived through those years, but because so much of the discussion of those years is common knowledge carefully outlined in this book. In general Feis paints a picture I agree with--fairly show more pro-Roosevelt In a way. Since we won the Cold War, it all seems less momentous now than it did when this book was written in 1957. One wishes FDR had been tougher, but maybe things would have been worse if we had pushed Russia more. Al in all, it is a fascinating time and this rather massive (660 pages) book was well worth reading. show less

2723 1933: Characters in Crisis, by Herbert Feis (read 26 Mar 1995) The author in 1932 and 1933 was economic advisor in the State Department and in 1966 he published this account of his time there, with particular emphasis on his trip to London in June-July 1933 for the Monetary and Economic Conference. I read Raymond Moley's account of that conference in the Saturday Evening Post in 1939 or 1940, so was well aware of Moley's role in that Conference. Feis does not look at it as Moley did, show more and in general Feis is critical of Moley and rather admiring (though not approving) of FDR. This book was fun to read, even though it is non-profound and in no way definitive of what he talks about. Feis is admiratory of Henry Stimson (who was Secretary of State under Hoover) and apparently rightfully so. William C. Bullitt married John Reed's widow, and was our first ambassador to the Soviet Union--the story of how we came to recognize Russia in 1933 is rather well told in this book. The early thirties were an interesting time and this book was good to read. show less

2721 Between War and Peace: The Potsdam Conference, by Herbert Feis (read 21 Mar 1995) (Pulitzer History prize in 1961) This gives a person considerable insight into how the Potsdam Conference went. Since this was before the Cold War began and since it is now over, the concerns Feis deals with in this book seem less momentous. I was glad to be done reading this book, which was not super-absorbing.