A Scientist at the White House: The Private Diary of President Eisenhower's Special Assistant for Science and Technology

by George B. Kistiakowsky, Charles S. Maier (Introduction)

Overview

The days of intricate test-ban negotiations, Khrushchev's visit to Camp David, the cranberry controversy, the impending rupture with Cuba, the downed U-2, and the failed Summit in Paris come to life again in this highly personal diary kept by the Ukrainian-born chemist who was President Eisenhower's science advisor. Richly detailed, candid, and very human, the memoir offers an inside view of White House infighting, policy disputes, and bureaucratic conflict, and of the role an eminent scientist came to play in shaping presidential decisions. It records the interaction between the scientific community and the defense establishment during a critical period in the making of United States foreign policy. Throughout, Kistiakowsky's growing admiration for the President becomes clear.

George Kistiakowsky became President Eisenhower's special assistant for science and technology in July 1959, and he served until John F. Kennedy's inauguration. He was the second person to hold this office, which was created by Eisenhower and would be abolished under Nixon. After considerable pressure from the scientific community, President Ford reinstated the position on the White House staff in August 1976.

From the day he took office, Kistiakowsky kept a private journal of his activities and conversations. This diary, edited and annotated, is a readable and informative chronicle; it adds substantially to our knowledge of day-to-day operations in the office of the President. It records the progress of a citizen-expert who struggled to serve the President and the country with objective information and dispassionate analysis—but who also had his own strong ideas and passionate beliefs.

With an introduction by Charles S. Maier and supplemented by Kistiakowsky's own reminiscences and commentary, this book can be read either as a primary document or as entertaining background; it is a unique contribution to contemporary history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674498419
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	02/05/1976
Edition description:	Reprint 2014
Pages:	515
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.13(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction by Charles S. Maier: Science, Politics, and Defense in the Eisenhower Era

1. Introduction to the Nuclear Test-Ban Problems
July 15, 1959

2. The Competition for the Budget Dollar
August 19, 1959

3. Chairman Khrushchev in Camp David
September 25, 1959

4. Controversies over Space Vehicles
September 28, 1959

5. Back to Geneva and the Budget
November 4, 1959

6. Meetings with the Vice-president
December 4, 1959

7. Thresholds and Cranberries
December 28, 1959

8. Advising the President
February 4, 1960

9. Another Summit in Camp David
March 18, 1960

10. The Lost U-2 and the Summit That Never Was
May 3, 1960

11. The Difficulties Accumulate
June 2, 1960

12. The Last Tasks
July 29, 1960

Epilogue

Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Code Names

Index