Journals 1952-2000

This was my first Schlesinger book and, considering how much I enjoyed it, definitely will not be my last. As the title suggests, it's written in a diary style, with daily entries spanning from 1952 to 2000. Arthur's vocabulary, wit, and expert analysis make this a delight to read. It's like having a front-row seat to historical and political events, as well as some of the author's own personal life and thoughts. Especially fun, of course, is the "gossip", or the parts when Arthur tells what so-and-so is really like. He knew many famous people, from politicians to world leaders to movie stars, and hobnobbed with the likes of the Kennedy clan, the Clintons and Gores, Kay Graham, Henry Kissinger, and Lauren Bacall. He repeats his conversations with these people, complete with quotes, and makes you feel like you're eavesdropping on history. Particularly interesting was Arthur's observations on Richard Nixon, who at one point moved in next door to him. He tells how his whole family looked out their windows in the hopes of a peek at the reclusive ex-President, and tells a few funny stories about encounters with him. Also interesting is the fact that, while writing this book, he discusses writing other books. He mentions that Bobby Kennedy's wife asked him to write a biography of him, and discusses the process of writing and publishing what would become the first version of his memoirs. His views, many of which are eerily prescient, on current events and people and events from my own time are especially fun to read. He makes predictions for all of the Presidential elections, and comments on how he thinks each administration did, from Nixon to George W. Bush. In all, entertaining and informative- I wanted to read ALL of the entries he wrote! (his sons edited the diaries for the sake of brevity).

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. was a fine historian and a gifted writer. These extracts from his journals kept over a period of nearly 50 years highlight the period in which not only was he writing history, he was helping make it through his political activities. Schlesinger was a life long liberal Democrat who never flinched or prevaricated. The journals start with short extracts from the 1950s, when he was a devotee of Adlai Stevenson. Unfortunately there is far too little material from that decade included here, and it would have been invaluable in helping us understand Stevenson's appeal. There is more detail from the early 1960s, when Schlesinger at first reluctantly and then enthusiastically supported John F. Kennedy and worked as a special assistant in the White House. Much of this material has already been covered in A Thousand Days, but its interesting to read it as Schlesinger was experiencing it and writing it down in his journals. The same can be said for Schlesinger's diaries in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, when he was an anti-war activist and strong partisan for Robert Kennedy and George McGovern. Oddly, very little material about Schlesinger's take on Watergate is included here, beyond his forgiveable rejoicings over the downfall of Richard Nixon, a man he absolutely detested. After about 1975 Schlesinger was more an observer than a participant in political affairs, but his trenchant comments and sardonic views on the Carter, Reagan, Bush I and Clinton Administrations are well worth reading. Unfortunately the journals end with the 2000 Election mess. I'm sure Schlesinger had strong views on the Bush II Administration, and its a pity they weren't included here. Schlesinger was not just a historian, he was an active socializer and name dropper. Its amusing to read his long descriptions of the parties he attended at Hickory Hill (RFK's home), including his versions of the famous "jumping in the swimming pool fully clothed" incidents. The book could use a few more footnotes to identify some of the now obscure names, but a little independent research by the reader own can usually reveal much. Schlesinger was an astute observer of his times, and its good to have his private thoughts and analysese available here.

Arthur Schlesinger died in February of 2007 at the age of 89. In 2006, already ailing, he requested that his sons go through some 6,000 pages of unedited journals in which he had jotted done his daily observations and musings of the last 50 years. The pared down version is still a doorstopper at 894 pages. It is virtually a who's who of politics, literature, art, and academia of the last half century. Schlesinger's journal is reminiscent of Gore Vidal's memoirs and some of Truman Capote's works in that they are written in the chatty upper-crust Manhattan society banter of an earlier time. As in Vidal's and Capote's books, this one also contains lots of name-dropping and juicy bits gossip. Schlesinger was a man of many talents: He was a great historian, a leading spokesman of liberalism, and he was the in-house intellectual of the Kennedy White House, the role for which he is most well-known. Kennedy was his contemporary and his hero, for he embodied the kind of liberalism that Schlesinger believed in deeply. Contrary to what many believed, Kennedy was very astute politically. Kennedy was quick to grasp political complexities and was able to skillfully turn them to his advantage. Schlesinger's tour of duty at the White House was undoubtedly the defining moment of his career. Although he was already an accomplished historian with important books on Jackson and Roosevelt, he was for the first time actually living and making history. This "proximity to power" remains a constant theme in these journals. After Kennedy's assassination, Schlesinger stayed for a short time with the Johnson administration. This relationship did not last long since Johnson's temperment and style were antithetical to Schlesinger's. Johnson was a product of Congressional dealmaking, who did not have the vision component that Schlesinger saw as an essential for presidents. Schlesinger claims that Kennedy would not have let the country become mired in Vietnam nor allowed the Democratic Party to succumb the infighting, which paved the way for the election of Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon, along with Henry Kissinger, are two figures that appear throughout these journals as well as Schlesinger's life. In 1979, Schlesinger was surprised to find out that Nixon had moved in a townhouse in Manhattan a few doors down the row. His observations of Nixon bring back the uptight person we always knew he was. Apparently Nixon sunbathed in his backyard in a shirt and tie. This small detail is emblematic of his entire presidency. In 1981, Schlesinger accompanied Nixon, Kissinger, Carter, and Ford to the funeral of Anwar Sadat. Kissinger confided that Nixon was still his old self "trying to manipulate everybody and everything, dropping poisonous remarks, and doing his best to set people against each other. Ford had said that, "Sometimes I wish that I had never pardonned that son of [...]." Schlesinger had a love-hate relationship with Kissinger, for they had known each oth

Arthur Schlesinger Jr.'s great literary regret was that he did not complete his historical project on the Roosevelt years. The three volumes he did publish , along with important works on a variety of subjects- the Jackson years, the cycles of 'Conservative and Liberal' power in American history, the first thousand days of the Kennedy Administration, the conception of the 'vital center' in American politics, the dangers of multiculturalism -made him both in professional and public mind one of the most important American historians of the century. It would be thus quite ironic if the volume he is most remembered by is one he never intended to publish, this volume of his journals. This close to nine- hundred page work was selected and edited by Schlesinger's two older sons from a manuscript five times its size. It is by all accounts not only a valuable historical document but an insightful and often highly entertaining look into the doings of the political and cultural elite of America. Schlesinger Jr. loved the good life, the best restaurants the best parties the most important and interesting people. While he came to prominence first in the academic world he readily made the transition to the rough- and- tumble of White House politics when called to the flag by President Kennedy. And in fact the Kennedy years are the time of insider - Schlesinger's most passionate and vivid writing. He had true admiration for the intellect, the keen political instinct , the leadership qualities of President Kennedy. He was even more closely connected with Bobby Kennedy whose compassion for the outsiders of this world, and ability to learn from tough experience were appreciated by Schlesinger. Schlesinger was close to many different major figures at many different times. His character sketches of numerous celebrities are outstanding. His anecdotal power is great, as is his openness and ability to surprise. He in the course of knowing Presidents from Truman provides his evaluations. Though FDR remains for him the great figure of the century, the man who saved the world for Democracy he gives very high marks to Kennedy and also appreciates Lyndon Johnson's overpowering political skill. His most scathing remarks are reserved for President Carter who Schlesinger saw as incompetent. Schlesinger was a person of the Liberal Left with a strong non- isolationist conception of America's central role in the world. There are important inside looks at the decision- making process, including one in which Schlesinger was the lone dissenter, the failed Bay of Pigs operation. Some of the most quotable remarks in the book come from his good friend Henry Kissinger, with Kissinger often making himself a bit more liberal than he truly is. Kissinger may also be made uncomfortable as will others by Schlesinger's direct quotations. The fact that the book was published posthumously without requiring Schlesinger's approval means he gets off the hook here for having 'betr

Everyone loves gossip. Especially if it's true. Well, "Journals" has the dish. The author was there. When he talks about the Kennedy brothers, for example, we get more information than we've ever had before. It's not the old rehash. Yes, we hear about Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy testosterone. But there's lots more here too. This is about cafe society. The author was at the center of it for so many years. Much of what he tells us, he heard at private dinner tables and parties. So the stories are not well-known if known at all. That's one thing that makes this book so special and such a good read. Where else could you get this sort of information? About the Kennedy administration the author pens, "I cannot banish from my mind the picture of these brave men, pathetically underequipped, dying on Cuban beaches before Soviet tanks" and "J.F.K. was in superb form at lunch." This Washington insider gives us a look at the people in power that's not been generally known. It's fun and yet it's a bit scary when we discover how utterly ill prepared some of them were (and perhaps are) to deal with the major affairs of governing. Nonetheless, this is a good book and I recommend it to you.