A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel

by Ronald Radosh, Allis Radosh

Overview

“[This] revelatory account of Truman's vital contributions to Israel's founding. . .is told. . . with an elegance informed by thorough research."
—Wall Street Journal

"Even knowing how the story ends, A Safe Haven had me sitting on the edge of my seat.”
—Cokie Roberts

A dramatic, detailed account of the events leading up to the creation of a Jewish homeland and the true story behind President Harry S. Truman’s controversial decision to recognize of the State of Israel in 1948, drawn from Truman’s long-lost diary entries and other previously unused archival materials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060594640
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/20/2010
Pages:	428
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Allis Radosh has taught at Sarah Lawrence College and the City University of New York, and served as a program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ronald Radosh, professor emeritus of history at the City University of New York and adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, is the author or coauthor of fourteen books, including The Rosenberg File. He has written for The New Republic, National Review, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. This is the second book they have written together. They live in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Allis Radosh has taught at Sarah Lawrence College and the City University of New York, and served as a program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Ronald Radosh, professor emeritus of history at the City University of New York and adjunct senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, is the author or coauthor of fourteen books, including The Rosenberg File. He has written for The New Republic, National Review, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. This is the second book they have written together. They live in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 FDR's Legacy: Palestine, the Jews, and the Arabs 1

2 Truman Inherits a Problem 36

3 From San Francisco to Potsdam 61

4 The Plight of the Jewish DPs: The Harrison Report 92

5 The Search for Consensus: The Anglo-American Committee 112

6 Impasse: The Report That Kicks Up a Storm 145

7 Conflict Between Allies: The Morrison-Grady Plan 171

8 Truman's October Surprise 185

9 UNSCOP: Prelude to Partition 207

10 The Fight over Partition: "A Line of Fire and Blood" 244

11 A "Big Conspiracy" Brews in Washington: The State Department Fights Partition 277

12 A New Country Is Born: Truman Recognizes Israel 310

Conclusion 340

Acknowledgments 355

Notes 359

Bibliography 399

Index 409

What People are Saying About This

Cokie Roberts

“Even knowing how the story ends, A SAFE HAVEN, had me sitting on the edge of my seat watching Harry Truman weigh the arguments of his friends and advisors in the months, then weeks, then days leading up to his recognition of Israel.”

Ron Rosenbaum

“In their deeply engaging study of Truman and the foundation of Israel, the Radoshes capture the dramatic intersection of momentous millennial aspirations and the thrilling intricacies of political intrigue with remarkable narrative skill. ”

Michael Oren

“ A Safe Haven, is an outstanding achievement. This is certain to become an essential work for students, journalists, and statesmen—-indeed, anyone interested in understanding Israel’s origins.”

Editorial Reviews

[A] revelatory account of Truman’s vital contributions to Israel’s founding. . . . Told by the Radoshes with an elegance informed by thorough research.” — Wall Street Journal

“This is an excellent examination of a presidential decision that has had immense historical consequences.” — Booklist

“ A Safe Haven, is an outstanding achievement. This is certain to become an essential work for students, journalists, and statesmen—indeed, anyone interested in understanding Israel’s origins.” — Michael Oren, author of Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, and Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East.

“In their deeply engaging study of Truman and the foundation of Israel, the Radoshes capture the dramatic intersection of momentous millennial aspirations and the thrilling intricacies of political intrigue with remarkable narrative skill. ” — Ron Rosenbaum, author of Explaining Hitler and The Shakespeare Wars

“Even knowing how the story ends, A SAFE HAVEN, had me sitting on the edge of my seat watching Harry Truman weigh the arguments of his friends and advisors in the months, then weeks, then days leading up to his recognition of Israel.” — Cokie Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of The Ladies of Liberty

From the Publisher

In their deeply engaging study of Truman and the foundation of Israel, the Radoshes capture the dramatic intersection of momentous millennial aspirations and the thrilling intricacies of political intrigue with remarkable narrative skill.

Ron Rosenbaum

Even knowing how the story ends, A SAFE HAVEN, had me sitting on the edge of my seat watching Harry Truman weigh the arguments of his friends and advisors in the months, then weeks, then days leading up to his recognition of Israel.

Cokie Roberts

A Safe Haven, is an outstanding achievement. This is certain to become an essential work for students, journalists, and statesmen—indeed, anyone interested in understanding Israel’s origins.

Michael Oren

This is an excellent examination of a presidential decision that has had immense historical consequences.

Booklist

[A] revelatory account of Truman’s vital contributions to Israel’s founding. . . . Told by the Radoshes with an elegance informed by thorough research.

Wall Street Journal

This is an excellent examination of a presidential decision that has had immense historical consequences.

Booklist

[A] revelatory account of Truman’s vital contributions to Israel’s founding. . . . Told by the Radoshes with an elegance informed by thorough research.

Wall Street Journal