Harryman Recalls Road: Rare Historical Materials on Post-War International Relations

Author: W. Averell Harriman, E. L. Abell, translated by Wu Shimin and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The original title of this book is "Special Envoy: My Life with Churchill and Stalin," which records the personal experiences of the renowned American diplomat W. Averell Harriman during World War II (1941-1946) when he served as envoy to Great Britain and the Soviet Union. In this book, he attempts to elucidate his views on Soviet policy through his own 50 years of diplomatic experience, pointing out flaws and proposing solutions, hoping that policymakers will adopt his ideas. He advocates using "American ideals," or the American way of life, to (penetrate) the Soviet Union, and employing "economic and technological ties" to pressure the Soviet Union into submission, thereby achieving the goal of "Washington as the center of power." Although the book is a reflection of Harriman's personal experiences, and the historical events he describes have been documented in specialized works and memoirs by contemporaries, it still contains valuable first-hand materials. The international environment of that time is intricately linked to the world of today. Harriman's proposals, tested by the history of the 20th century, still hold the value of "eyewitness accounts, firsthand observations, and direct experiences," making them a valuable lesson for posterity.