Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989 (review)

Michael Beschloss, a scholar of the presidency and of late twentieth century American diplomacy, offers a wide-ranging look at presidents who have "made courageous decisions for the national interest although they knew they might be jeopardizing their careers" (ix). He chooses George Washington (for his support of the unpopular Jay's Treaty and pursuit of peace with Britain), John Adams (for his support for negotiating peace with France), Andrew Jackson (for his war on Nicholas Biddle's Bank of the U.S.), Abraham Lincoln (for his commitment to the emancipation of slaves), Theodore Roosevelt (for his willingness to confront powerful financial interests), Franklin Roosevelt (for challenging isolationists at home in order to confront Hitler abroad), Harry Truman (for recognizing Israel against the advice of the State Department), John F. Kennedy (for his support of civil rights), and Ronald Reagan (for his role in ending the Cold War).

Oral history, of course, does not come into play until the later presidents, but for Truman, Kennedy, and Reagan the author uses it extensively. Nearly a third of the seventy-seven interviews Beschloss cites are his own interviews with prominent figures such as Presidents George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon, as well as Clark Clifford and George Shultz. He also uses oral histories from the presidential libraries: fifteen from the Truman Library, eight from the Kennedy Library, and eleven from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia (which has conducted oral history interviews on the Reagan presidency). Beschloss is one of the master narrative historians of the twentieth century presidency, and oral history enriches his accounts of the three most recent presidents as diaries and letters do for the earlier ones.

Colorful stories of the sort that populate oral histories help humanize the moments of courage that Beschloss records. Robert Kennedy's oral history provides insights into his brother's conversion from caution to courage on civil rights, recalling President Kennedy's remarks that civil rights could be his "political swan song," but also his conclusion that "If we're going to go down, let's go down on a matter of principle" (274). Off-hand remarks in unguarded moments by those close to presidents add revealing context, as when George Shultz, in the summer of 1987, with the Reagan presidency bogged down by Iran-Contra, told a colleague that "Ronald Reagan has had the landing lights on and the flaps down for the last year" (315). Or the observations of another Reagan aide, who noticed that just before the president's call in Berlin for Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall!" Reagan had reacted with anger when he saw police pushing East Berliners back when they tried to get within range to hear his speech (315).

Oral history enlivens, enriches, and contextualizes the work of historians such as Beschloss who use it as one of many weapons in their arsenal. His work rests on a firm familiarity with a wide variety of primary and secondary research, and a sweeping narrative such as Presidential Courage displays his talents. However, the good story, often gleaned from oral history, can also distort the record, and such is the case of Truman's decision to recognize the new state of Israel. Narrative history thrives on the dramatic, and oral history offers drama. Perhaps, the best story of factors that influenced Truman's decision involves Eddie Jacobson, Truman's partner in managing a canteen at Fort Sill during training before World War I and then in the failed Kansas City haberdashery after the war. Jacobson was Truman's closest friend among several Jewish acquaintances in Kansas City; the story of Jacobson's role in the recognition of Israel rests largely on oral history and has been repeated in many accounts. At a key moment, when Truman became irked at Zionist persistence in lobbying him, Jacobson prevailed on his friendship with Truman to insist...