For the last sixty years, American foreign and defense policymaking
has been dominated by a network of institutions created by one piece
of legislation--the 1947 National Security Act. This is the definitive
study of the intense political and bureaucratic struggles that
surrounded the passage and initial implementation of the law. Focusing
on the critical years from 1937 to 1960, Douglas Stuart shows how
disputes over the lessons of Pearl Harbor and World War II informed
the debates that culminated in the legislation, and how the new
national security agencies were subsequently transformed by battles
over missions, budgets, and influence during the early cold war.
Stuart provides an in-depth account of the fight over Truman's plan
for unification of the armed services, demonstrating how this dispute
colored debates about institutional reform. He traces the rise of the
Office of the Secretary of Defense, the transformation of the CIA, and
the institutionalization of the National Security Council. He also
illustrates how the development of this network of national security
institutions resulted in the progressive marginalization of the State
Department. Stuart concludes with some insights that will be of value
to anyone interested in the current debate over institutional reform.
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A History of the Law That Transformed America
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400823772
Publisert
2013
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Antall sider
360
Forfatter