Inside the Cold War

This is a biography of the American diplomat Loy Henderson, a key foreign service officer whose career spanned the period 1920 to 1960. Henderson's involvement in many critical decisions of his time presents insight into the course of the development of American foreign policy over four decades. As the USA started to become enmeshed in world affairs between the 1930s and 1960s, so Henderson's career developed. He was part of the first American diplomatic mission to Moscow in 1934, and watched the unfolding of Stalin's totalitarian design. He refused to temper his opinions to suit the White House and consequently often found himself in far corners of the world. Henderson served as the American representative to the Baghdad Alliance when a 1953 coup in Iran carried the USA into the Middle East in an unprecedented way. By the time he retired in 1961, he enjoyed a reputation unmatched in his profession. In telling the story of Henderson's service, this text shows how he reflects so many of the major themes of 20th century American foreign policy. The author also makes use of Henderson's career to explore major themes of American policy, particularly in the post-1945 Cold War period.