Books in Brief: Selected Papers of Will Clayton

Selected Papers of Will Clayton, edited by Frederick J. Dobney (Johns Hopkins, 298 pp., $8.50). With isolationism on the rise again, and even its avowed opponents chattering about eras of negotiations for generations of peace, it is wise to recognize two facts. First, isolationism is the norm in American history. Second, our two decades of confident internationalism—1942-1962—were made possible by the efforts of a small band of public servants whose skill and vision in the immediate postwar years literally saved the world. One of the most important of these was Will Clayton, Assistant Secretary of Commerce prior to entering the State Department in 1944 as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. Clayton, who died in 1966, 86 years after his birth on a farm near Tupelo, Mississippi, understood better than anyone else the way political power can grow out of vigorous capitalist commerce. He knew that free trade is a necessary condition for an internationalist foreign policy that seeks the cooperation of strong allies, that a nation too weak or timid to practice free trade is a nation incapable of world leadership. The theme and—almost as important—tone of these papers is confidence. Clayton had confidence in the virtues of our civilization, and in our ability to make those virtues tell in a world of conflict. One can sample Clayton’s spirit in a letter he wrote to Senator William Fulbright: “When Castro publicly announced that he was a Communist, he gave notice that the Monroe Doctrine had been flagrantly violated. Within 24 hours thereafter, the United States should have blockaded Cuba and taken other drastic action to end the Communist government set up by Castro and thus end the violation of the Monroe Doctrine. Not having taken this action at the time, the United States should take it now, with or without Latin American participation. Failing any such action, the United States might as well channel all its strength in preparation for World War III.” That letter was dated September 19, 1962—just one month before President Kennedy disavowed the Monroe Doctrine in order to get Soviet missiles out of Cuba. By then American confidence was running out, and an isolationist tide was running. Men of Clayton’s breed were not “pragmatists” like those now greasing the skids for our slide away from world responsibilities. Rather, they were men whose policies flowed from a profound understanding of the nation’s possibilities and purpose. This volume contains their powerful vision and coherent philosophy. It is well-annotated and handsomely produced.

About the Author

George F. Will

George F. Will has been a columnist, beginning with National Review, since 1973.

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Selected Papers of Will Clayton, edited by Frederick J. Dobney (Johns Hopkins, 298 pp., $8.50). With isolationism on the rise again, and even its avowed opponents chattering about eras of negotiations for generations of peace, it is wise to recognize two facts. First, isolationism is the norm in American history. Second, our two decades of confident internationalism—1942-1962—were made possible by the efforts of a small band of public servants whose skill and vision in the immediate postwar years literally saved the world. One of the most important of these was Will Clayton, Assistant Secretary of Commerce prior to entering the State Department in 1944 as Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. Clayton, who died in 1966, 86 years after his birth on a farm near Tupelo, Mississippi, understood better than anyone else the way political power can grow out of vigorous capitalist commerce. He knew that free trade is a necessary condition for an internationalist foreign policy that seeks the cooperation of strong allies, that a nation too weak or timid to practice free trade is a nation incapable of world leadership. The theme and—almost as important—tone of these papers is confidence. Clayton had confidence in the virtues of our civilization, and in our ability to make those virtues tell in a world of conflict. One can sample Clayton’s spirit in a letter he wrote to Senator William Fulbright: “When Castro publicly announced that he was a Communist, he gave notice that the Monroe Doctrine had been flagrantly violated. Within 24 hours thereafter, the United States should have blockaded Cuba and taken other drastic action to end the Communist government set up by Castro and thus end the violation of the Monroe Doctrine. Not having taken this action at the time, the United States should take it now, with or without Latin American participation. Failing any such action, the United States might as well channel all its strength in preparation for World War III.” That letter was dated September 19, 1962—just one month before President Kennedy disavowed the Monroe Doctrine in order to get Soviet missiles out of Cuba. By then American confidence was running out, and an isolationist tide was running. Men of Clayton’s breed were not “pragmatists” like those now greasing the skids for our slide away from world responsibilities. Rather, they were men whose policies flowed from a profound understanding of the nation’s possibilities and purpose. This volume contains their powerful vision and coherent philosophy. It is well-annotated and handsomely produced.