A Time for Giants: The Politics of the American High Command in World War II

Looks at the careers of Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, Clark, Halsey, Stilwell, MacArthur, and Patton, and explains how they were selected for leadership positions without combat experience

YA While Clayton presents nothing controversial or enlightening, he does deal with how and why a man was chosen for high command. Very little is explained about the actual conduct of the command, once achieved. The focus is on politicshow each man prepared himself for the next position. Clayton makes every sentence count as he describes the leaders of the armed forces in the intricate and entangling panorama of World War II and its larger-than-life leaders. He shows both the vulnerability of the men and the part that chance and politics played. This book will be of moderate interest to the general student population, and should motivate future historians. The text is well documented. Barbara Batty, Port Arthur Independent Sch . Dist .
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

James, best known for his definitive three-volume biography of Douglas MacArthur, integrates archival research and an encyclopedic knowlede of published sources in this unique survey. It focuses on the men who held posts above the field army/fleet level. Scholars and general readers alike will admire James's ability to summarize without becoming superificial and to analyze without becoming judgmental. While recognizing tensions and antagonisms among his protagonists, James accurately stresses an underlying consensus of goals and attitudes. Even such controversial figures as MacArthur and Mark Clark emerge as ulimately more concerned with winning the war than with feeding their egos. Dennis E. Showalter, History Dept., Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.