AMBASSADOR FROM THE PRAIRIE Or Allison Wonderland

by John M. Allison ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 1973

Allison, by his own admission, was a lucky man. Straight from the cornfields of Nebraska -- where his father had some sort of business -- he drifted into a stint of English teaching in pre-war Japan, then fortuitously stayed on as an advertising manager for General Motors, then as an officer in the Foreign Service where, in a 30-year career, he was Ambassador to Japan, Indonesia and Czechoslovakia, rising as high as Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs under Truman. Allison was present in Japan when Pearl Harbor was bombed, with MacArthur when the North invaded South Korea, in Indonesia when that country raised its claims to New Guinea (he criticized the policy of giving aid to anti-Sukarno forces and was recalled); he worked with and admired Dulles (""a man of great vision, imagination and above all, energy""), Truman (""one of our greatest Presidents"") and Acheson (""one of the outstanding men of our time""). In turns he was hail-fellow with almost everybody, from writer Christopher Morley to the U.S. Senate, which did not think him pink although he was not 101% for Chiang. Originally a moderate cold-warrior, he gradually became more dovish and, as a person, more sophisticated, developing a taste for Chinese porcelains and rare editions. Allison seems to have been a quiet, competent, honest diplomat who was not afraid to make some waves. No intellectual brilliance here, just homely reminiscences -- what one old soldier might tell another at the Metropolitan.

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION