Product Description
The Department of Homeland Security:An Overviewis the single source to help you understand the Department of Homeland Security.It provides a comprehensive overview of the Department’s history, mission, organization, and programs designed to reduce America’s vulnerability to attack and quickly recover from disaster.Learn about:The Terrorist Threat Homeland Security Strategy Warning and Analysis Critical Infrastructure Protection Border and Transportation Security Planning Scenarios Emergency Preparedness Emergency Response First Responders The National Exercise Program Homeland Defense Homeland Security Legislation Science & Technology Initiative The New Reorganization America’s New Normalcy & The FutureThis book takes a strategic look at the Department of Homeland Security and answers the key questions: “What is DHS?”, “Why do we need it?”, and “How does it protect America?” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

US DHS Book
Fantastic book...no one seems to know what the Department of Homeland Security does or how it was form, this book accomplishes that. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Dean Acheson joined the U.S. Department of State in 1941 as an assistant secretary for economic affairs. Shortly after the end of World War II, he attempted to resign, but was persuaded to come back as under secretary of state; Harry Truman eventually rewarded Acheson's loyalty by picking him to run the State Department during his second term (1949 to 1953).

"The period covered in this book was one of great obscurity to those who lived through it," Acheson wrote at the beginning of his memoirs, first published in 1969. "The period was marked by the disappearance of world powers and empires ... and from this wreckage emerged a multiplicity of states, most of them new, all of them largely underdeveloped politically and economically. Overshadowing all loomed two dangers to all--the Soviet Union's new-found power and expansive imperialism, and the development of nuclear weapons." Present at the Creation is a densely detailed account of Acheson's diplomatic career, delineated in intricately eloquent prose. Going over the origins of the cold war--the drawing of lines among the superpowers in Europe, the conflict in Korea--Acheson discusses how he and his colleagues came to realize "that the whole world structure and order that we had inherited from the nineteenth century was gone," and that the old methods of foreign policy would no longer apply. Among the accolades Acheson garnered for his candid self-assessment was the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A Great Book Of A Very Fascinating Man!
I rememeber doing a 60-page research paper on Dean Acheson while I was an undergraduate at UCLA; and this book was one of the primary sources of material that I used in my research. The book is a fascinating insight into a man who before, and during the Cold War, was truly 'Present at the Creation.' Dean Acheson was Harry Truman's Secretary of State during one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. As secretary of state, he was one of the primary movers who helped shape and guide the nation's foreign policy for many years to come. Dean Acheson was not only one of the most important men during this postwar period, but as one who helped shape a major part of this country's policies; and he gives a fascinating insight into the policies and decision makers in the government.

In the book, Dean Acheson describes how decisions were made and then eventually implemented. The book, which is Acheson's memoirs of his years in the state department is not dry; but instead a very insightful a engaging read. If you are interested in politics, or history, and wonder how decisions were made that impacted the American foreign policies during the Cold War, then this book is an important read. Moreover, what he discusses in the book has not changed at all in terms of how the government goes about implemeting polices, and those who try and thwart the process: either through political gain or ignorance. Or in some cases a little bit of both.

You might ask yourself, "Why should I care about this man, and his memoirs?" Well the answer would be [from me anyway] that the polices he helped shape are with us today. [Many anyway]. The political structure of the postwar period was primarily designed to contain communism. And as such, the creation of NATO was one of the most important decisions enacted during the cold war era. His insistence [along with Truman] that Western Europe had to be revived and restructered as a thwart to Soviet Russia is an extremely important chapter in our nations history. This book is highly recommended, and belongs in your library.

Long, superb as a primary source, but has problems..
I respect that this book has a Pulitzer for History, and it has a wealth of information for scholars, but for the lay reader, it is too long by 100 pages or so and goes into minute governmental procedures and such, obscuring the good parts of the book. Acheson manages to be hawkish, critical of both parties, but makes a lot of sense too about containment, and realistically looking at the Soviets.I take his comments with a grain of salt, as this is part memoir and apologia.I would have liked to see more of his take on the years after Truman's presidency.And yes, this book did help me appriciate Truman's character more.

It's Amazing That Governments Can Accomplish Anything
A generally enjoyable and interesting book.I hold Dean Acheson in very high regard along with Harry Truman and George Marshall.As other reviewers have stated, those three men (and several others) initiated policies that shaped world history for the next 50 years.

That said, the most fascinating aspect of the book for me was the back-stabbing, political posturing, stonewalling, and unresponsiveness that Acheson described throughout all the various government bureaucracies (both foreign and domestic) - Congress, the Defense Department, Foreign Ministries, Treasury, etc.It drives home to the reader just how difficult it is to get ANYTHING done in government!And it also reminds the reader that the political animosity and disfunction we see in modern government isn't a new phenomenon at all...

Great Story from a Great Man!
Dean Acheson, one of "The Wise Men" who crafted foreign policy from Truman to Johnson, was a great American. I assume it could be debated just how correct our Cold War policy was, but we're all still here to debate the point so that in itself says volumes. President Truman was wise indeed for the trust and extreme confidence that he placed in Dean Acheson. Great reading!

the best book ive ever read
I'm a 16 year old sophmore in high school and have an interest in all history, especially history that took place during the 1930's to around 1965. this book gave very deep and detailed insight into the inerworkings of the stae department after world war 2, and displayed the type of men it took to rebuild governments around the world into well oiled democratic machines.i would HIGHLY reccomend this book to anyone interested in learning a great deal about the state department under truman and acheson, as well as a person just interested in a good read. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1914 edition by Yale University Press etc., New Haven; London. ... Read more

Book Description
This reference history describes and analyzes the State Department and Foreign Service of the United States. It also outlines the history of three major State Department functions, namely, the treatymaking process and record, representation in international conferences, and participation in international organizations and other agencies. The volume covers more than two centuries--from the genesis of American diplomacy to the 1990s. Unlike other works, this volume deals with such matters as departmental organization and management; personnel and staffing; administrative practices, reform, and reorganization; and the Department's operations, functions, principal and other officers, and problems. The volume consists of eight chapters, extensively footnoted, each of which focuses on successive periods grouped in four major historical eras. Tables are designed to serve as further reference for long-range historical analysis and exploration. The book is supplemented with three appendixes and a comprehensive bibliography. A complete and up-to-date major reference, this will be an asset to the reference collections of both academic and public libraries. ... Read more

Product Description
This two volume set provides the most complete and authoritative historical data on terrorism around the globe. Never before published in book form, these U.S. State Department reports havebeen the basis for policy decisions and actions over two decades."Patterns of Global Terrorism" collects twenty years of these reports into a coherent, accessible resource that allows for comparison over time and place. Berkshire, a publisher known for its experitise in international political and religious trends, has organized this informationin a user-friendly format replete with tables, graphs, and illustrative material."Patterns of Global Terrorism" reports are vital to understanding global terrorism, as they allow for comparison over time and place and have been the basis forpolicy decisionsand actions over two decades.Berkshire's "Patterns of Global Terrorism" is the only print, archival edition to collect these historical documents. It is an essential resource for every college, school, and public library. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The Books That Changed History {4 1/2 stars}
This massive multi-volume study of US government policy on Vietnam has permanent value not just for scholars and students of the Vietnam War, but for anyone concerned with the making of American foreign policy. The "Papers" are fundamentally important not only in terms of content, of course, but even more so in contrast to the public statements of our leaders explaining the purpose and progress of the war. While this makes the (self-)deception and lies clear enough, it is the internal dialogue of bureaucratic thinking that is most fascinating.

The format of "The Pentagon Papers" is a bit confusing, with primary documents mixed into the main narrative, but not always in a distinguishable manner. The sheer bulk of the material will naturally deter many readers, but it does repay the effort and is superior to various abridgements. While the expurgated editions are useful, the nature of the selection process gives them an episodic quality, and tends to highlight dramatic incidents rather than the all-important mundane character of bureaucracy, even on life and death matters of global import.

Daniel Ellsberg, who released the papers to the press, may well have some unheroic qualities about him. But his greatness lay in transcending the constraints of background and institutional context, and recognizing a higher duty to his country and humanity. Not only the substance of "The Pentagon Papers" ensures their significance, but also Ellsberg's example of public service. This is vitally important in a time when yet another presidential administration deceives us all in pursuit of fatally flawed military adventures. Who will be the Daniel Ellsberg of the so-called "war on terror?"

Some of the issues raised by "The Pentagon Papers" and Ellsberg's career are addressed in N. Chomsky, "American Power and the New Mandarins" (especially the essays on intellectuals' responsibility); D. Ellsberg, "Secrets;" and from a rather different stance, J. Kwitny, "Endless Enemies."The fifth volume of the "Papers" contains invaluable critical essays by notable scholars such as Chomsky and Howard Zinn. For "balance," also look at Robert McNamara's mature reflections on Vietnam,"In Retrospect." But he still seems to be partly in denial. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Exceptional Children, published by Council for Exceptional Children on January 1, 1989. The length of the article is 1728 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Survey on prereferral practices: responses from state Departments of Education. (state special education directors favor prereferral intervention strategies)
Author: Jane Carter
Publication: Exceptional Children (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1989
Publisher: Council for Exceptional Children
Volume: v55Issue: n4Page: p298(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Career Planning For Military!!
This book is great for anyone wanting, or considering to join the military. It provides descriptions on basically all the career paths and occupations you can choose from with the picture to go along with it. This book will help me narrow down on what I want to do in the military when I join the USMC. If you are not sure on exactly what you want to do for the military, but want to join, then this is the book for you. I love this book! (This can be especially good for young people like myself) ... Read more