A Personal History of World War II

About the Book

An informal and sometimes humorous account of adventures in the U.S. Army during and after the war. Principal focus is on American efforts to denazify and reconstruct German information services following the armistice in Europe. Also describes the author's training as an undercover agent, life in a combined British-American psychological warfare headquarters, and beginnings of the "cold war" with the Soviet Union.

Readers probably will encounter familiar names in the roster of individuals who figure in the narrative. These may include William Paley, General Lucius Clay, Nicholas Nabokov, Harold Laski, General Robert McClure, Leon Edel, Edward Shils and various people who may not yet be famous but should be. One also meets German citizens-journalists and others-who played a part in reestablishing democratic institutions and a free press in Germany. Not least among these is a stubborn old printer who was intimidated neither by the Nazis nor by an American second lieutenant.

This is a useful information source about a small but important corner of World War II. It's also a "good read"-something like a letter home that reports noteworthy incidents of everyday life along with developments of historical significance.

About the Author

W. Phillips Davison, now retired, has taught at Columbia, Princeton, American University and M.I.T. He has also conducted research at the Council on Foreign Relations and the RAND Corporation. His publications include The Berlin Blockade, several books on international communication and, in 2004, Things Might Go Right?a creative discussion of prospects for peace and a better life in today?s world.