Rockefeller Memoirs: The Only Autobiography of the Rockefeller Family in History

Author: David Rockefeller (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Few authors can write openly about themselves, but David Rockefeller has succeeded in doing so. His accounts of his upbringing and the responsibilities imposed by his immense wealth are captivating. Equally engaging is his description of four generations of the Rockefeller family. Unconsciously, the book clearly reveals David Rockefeller's integrity, honesty, and benevolence. In this memoir, David Rockefeller uses a candid, perceptive, and moving pen to depict his life. Whether describing his extraordinary family, his outstanding career, or his significant role in international affairs, he provides us with a unique and valuable perspective on our era. This is a distinctive family history. David Rockefeller defied his grandfather's legacy that "Rockefeller family members should not write autobiographies" and wrote the first and only autobiography of the Rockefeller family. Long before "globalization" became a household term, David Rockefeller recognized the importance of fostering strong and mutually trusting relationships with leaders from around the world. We are deeply honored to benefit from his lifelong pursuit of world peace and to read his descriptions of these experiences in this memoir. This family history is deeply connected to the modern economic and diplomatic history of the United States. As a descendant of one of America's most influential families, David had opportunities that others did not have to meet with the world's most influential economists, powerful families, politicians who shaped the political landscape of Europe and America, and every U.S. president. He participated in many visits that significantly altered the global landscape. During the Cold War, he visited the Soviet Union and had direct, sharp face-to-face exchanges with Khrushchev and Gorbachev. He was one of the first capitalists to visit China in 1973, when U.S.-China relations began to thaw, and he also closely engaged with China during the early days of its reform and opening-up, successfully conducting business activities as an international financier. His interactions with Chinese leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, as well as his deep friendship with Rong Yiren, the then Vice President of the People's Republic of China, deeply fostered his affection for this land. As a student of Hayek and Schumpeter, and a classmate of the renowned economist Paul Samuelson, he had profound insights into economics, business operations, and the influence of government, which broadly influenced the direction and policy-making of the U.S. economy. He inherited immense wealth and successfully linked the cultivation of wealth to the trajectory of the global political landscape,ing his influence into every aspect of social life. He redefined the identity of an entrepreneur: "The identity of an entrepreneur itself represents an opportunity, to satisfy human instincts of innovation, ambition, and gambling. In fact, the pursuit of achievement itself is, for many, a goal, and for those who see profit only as a byproduct worth striving for." This perhaps better explains all he has done in the use and creation of wealth.