MY MISSION TO ISRAEL

This is an informed and soundly reasoned (though some will say a prejudiced) book, a record of 2 years' diplomatic history of the young state of Israel, as reported by the first special representative (later Ambassador) from the U.S.A. McDonald had been actively interested in the Palestinian problem -- was unequivocally sympathetic with Israel. Here from his diaries, he has traced the rugged path of those initial years, including as they did almost insurmountable problems of any new country, plus a floodtide of immigration, economic hurdles of no mean proportion, lack of sympathy in many parts of the world- and war on the Arab fronts. From his shocking encounter with Ernest Bevin, aggressively anti-Israel, to his confident analysis of the high calibre of leadership in Israel itself, he gives his readers pen portraits of the men- and of one woman- largely responsible for the strides Israel has taken. This is a political and diplomatic record; he touches only lightly and incidentally on the economic issues, the social aspects. But he makes his facts prove his point, that Israel is winning through because of basic political good sense and democratic sentiment. This might be considered the ""after"" side of a picture of which Bartley Crum's (1947) was the ""before"". An important item of current history.