Books in Brief: Diplomats and Demagogues

Diplomats and Demagogues, by Spruille Braden (Arlington, 496 pages, $12.50). In this very fascinating autobiography, Spruille Braden recounts his experiences, thoughts and lessons learned from careers in mining, the State Department and finally volunteer work in New York. A dash-ing tale of family fortunes made and lost, he destroys enduring myths of American investors as robber barons and cruel exploiters of less developed countries. Braden’s extensive business experience in the cities and mountains of Latin America prepared him well for his subsequent diplomatic career there. The only slow part of the book is his detailed treatment of a long peace conference in which he played the major role. Braden complains of the lack of time to think in the State Department and was the first to suggest that ambassadors-designate be given substantive briefings rather than a round of pre-departure cocktail parties. He cites specific instances of dictators of the Right and Left working together, but neglects to mention the false dichotomy implicit in those terms. The narrative is spiced by its uninhibited comments, such as its description of Nelson Rockefeller, who “. . . lacked in knowledge [but] made up in eager willingness to squander the taxpayer’s money on harebrained schemes.”

DD

About the Author

D. B. Duval

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Diplomats and Demagogues, by Spruille Braden (Arlington, 496 pages, $12.50). In this very fascinating autobiography, Spruille Braden recounts his experiences, thoughts and lessons learned from careers in mining, the State Department and finally volunteer work in New York. A dash-ing tale of family fortunes made and lost, he destroys enduring myths of American investors as robber barons and cruel exploiters of less developed countries. Braden’s extensive business experience in the cities and mountains of Latin America prepared him well for his subsequent diplomatic career there. The only slow part of the book is his detailed treatment of a long peace conference in which he played the major role. Braden complains of the lack of time to think in the State Department and was the first to suggest that ambassadors-designate be given substantive briefings rather than a round of pre-departure cocktail parties. He cites specific instances of dictators of the Right and Left working together, but neglects to mention the false dichotomy implicit in those terms. The narrative is spiced by its uninhibited comments, such as its description of Nelson Rockefeller, who “. . . lacked in knowledge [but] made up in eager willingness to squander the taxpayer’s money on harebrained schemes.”