Why read Envoy to the Promised Land?

Book cover of Envoy to the Promised Land: The Diaries and Papers of James G. McDonald, 1948-1951

Book description

Just before Israel emerged as a state in May 1948, key United States officials hesitated and backtracked. Undersecretary of State Robert Lovett told Moshe Sharett of the Jewish Agency for Palestine that the US had expected a peaceful transition to dual states in Palestine. Now, war between Jews and Arabs…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Envoy to the Promised Land as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jeffrey Herf

Author

President Truman appointed James McDonald to be the first U.S. Ambassador to Israel. McDonald’s diaries of 1948-1951 offer fascinating insights into the key events surrounding the establishment of the Jewish state. The diaries offer revealing and astute observations of the personalities and policies of Truman, Secretary of State George Marshall, British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin, the Jewish Agency’s leading foreign policymaker, Moshe Shertok (later Moshe Sharett), and leader of the Jewish Agency and future Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. McDonald was that unusual American diplomat who, in those years, supported Zionist aspirations. The McDonald diaries are required reading for anyone seeking…

From Jeffrey's list on The best works that address major issues related to the history of the establishment of the State of Israel.