Born in Paris, reared in New York and Boston, and by his mid-20s a veteran of diplomatic service in World War I Europe, Christian Herter was equipped as few other statesmen to revivify the crumbling Atlantic Alliance. Yet when he succeeded John Foster Dulles as Secretary of State in 1959, his reward was frustration.
In the last 21 months of the Eisenhower Administration, there were too many crises to permit any bold initiatives in Washington's dealings with either allies or foes. Soviet pressure on Berlin was a constant threat. Relations with Castro's Cuba continued to deteriorate. Laos tottered, the Congo...
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