John T. McNay, RWC History Professor, will be signing his book Acheson and Empire in the RWC Bookstore on Oct. 31, 1-2:30 p.m. He will also be signing at the Clifton Campus Bookstore on Nov. 9, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and at Borders Books in Tri-County on Dec. 1, 1-3 p.m.The book is a new evaluation of Dean Acheson and his policies toward the former colonial world. Dean Ancheson served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry Truman, 1949-1953.
According to McNay, Acheson did not approach the formal colonial world with realistic perspective, but instead approached the world with a romantic idea of imperialism. The result of this was that he would tend to support imperial-style relationships.
A main argument is that instead of working in American interest, McNay says, Acheson often viewed British and American interest as the same. McNay’s book focuses on Ireland, India, Egypt, and Iran as the four case studies where this argument is supported.
Some believe that the U.S. policy supporting British positions in Egypt and Iran has contributed to the animosity against the U.S. in the Middle East. By supporting British control of the Suez Canal in Egypt and British control of oil industry in Iran, Acheson led the British to believe there were more possibilities for the relationship between U.S. and Britain than really existed.
The research for the book was gathered from a variety of locations: the National Archives in Washington, Yale University Library, Truman Library in Missouri, Public Records Office in London, Princeton Archives, and a few other smaller collections.
Next summer, McNay will be teaching a special course on the History of World War II as part of the RWC Summer British Study Abroad Program. Students will spend three and a half weeks in England and France as part of the program. For information on the summer program contact Professor McNay at 745-5654 or Professor Michael Roos at 745-5764 or email michael.roos@uc.edu.