| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 91.4

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| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 91.4 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Stuart Symington: A Life. By James C. Olson. (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2003. xviii, 550 pp. $39.95, ISBN 0-8262-1503-3.)
Stuart Symington reflects the fundamental consensus on foreign policy that emerged in the Cold War period and came apart during the Vietnam War. Drawing on primary sources and Symington's papers, James C. Olson has written a fine biography of an interesting and influential man. Symington was a charming, competent, and highly competitive individual who was happiest in periods of intense organizational activity, usually as a troubleshooter.	1
Olson focuses primarily on Symington's professional activity, which is well documented. Symington was a cold warrior, a colleague of James Forrestal, and the most hawkish of the Truman circle after Forrestal's departure. He was a confirmed believer in air power as a necessary and perhaps a sufficient defense. His linkage to the air force began during the war, when his electrical equipment company grew into the largest manufacturer of bomber power turrets in the world. His assignment as assistant secretary of war for air by Harry S. Truman seemed appropriate. He was young, dynamic, modern. The air corps welcomed him into their brotherhood. On his side, Symington accepted their world view and their objectives uncritically. He became an effective salesman for the air force.	. . .

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