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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did George Kennan develop his connection to Russia according to Isaacson?
(a) By studying under Russian professors who were experts in the Czarist era.
(b) By studying Russian in Paris.
(c) By reading War and Peace.
(d) By working with Russian ambassadors to Germany.

2. With whom did John McCloy and Robert Lovett serve as advisers to the Secretary of War, according to Isaacson?
(a) McGeorge Bundy and Henry Stimson.
(b) George Marshall and Erskine Hawkins.
(c) Robert Patterson and Harvey Bundy.
(d) Dean Acheson and Averell Harriman.

3. How did John McCloy come into contact with Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett?
(a) Through the law firm where John McCloy was employed.
(b) As an advisor with the War Department.
(c) As a student at Harvard Law School.
(d) While he was directing a law office in Paris.

4. Under which president did Dean Acheson serve in the Attorney General's office?
(a) Herbert Hoover.
(b) Harry Truman.
(c) Calvin Coolidge.
(d) Franklin Roosevelt.

5. According to Isaacson, how did Harriman respond to Stalin's shifting demeanor?
(a) Harriman was blunt and counseled patience.
(b) Harriman was confused and called Washington for advice.
(c) Harriman was indifferent and held to his mission.
(d) Harriman was dismayed and threatened to leave.

6. What was one of the first challenges facing the Truman Administration in dealing with the Soviet Union after WWII, according to Isaacson?
(a) Blocking the Soviet Union from attempting to set terms of peace with Japan.
(b) Dealing with Soviet front groups in the United States.
(c) Trying to prevent the Soviet Union from taking German industrial equipment and charging reparations against Germany.
(d) Slowing the influence of Soviet communism over the Maoist movement in China.

7. What event does Isaacson suggest brought calls to come out of its isolationism following WWI?
(a) The rise of Italian Fascism.
(b) Japanese Imperialism through the Far East.
(c) The Stalinist purges in Russia.
(d) The spread of Nazism across Europe.

8. Where does Isaacson claim Averell Harriman and Dean Acheson first met?
(a) In Paris.
(b) At Groton Prep School.
(c) In New York City.
(d) In Russia during WWII.

9. Which of the six "Wise Men" does Isaacson report Roosevelt's Secretary of War asked to work on German espionage?
(a) Chip Bohlen.
(b) Robert Lovett.
(c) John McCloy.
(d) Averell Harriman.

10. What approach did Wall Street favor regarding the future of Germany's industrial base during plans for the post-war era, according to Isaacson?
(a) Wall Street favored reviving Germany because of the business opportunities.
(b) Wall Street favored placing German corporations under the control of the American government to reduce the possibility of competition from vigorous foreign markets.
(c) Wall Street favored Soviet usurpation of German manufacturing equipment so American manufacturers would have a market advantage in Europe.
(d) Wall Street favored putting German companies under the control of American Corporations to expand markets around the world.

11. Who does Isaacson report chose Kennan and Bohlen for service in the American Embassy in Moscow?
(a) The American Ambassador to Russia, William Bullitt.
(b) President Franklin Roosevelt.
(c) Secretary of State Elihu Root.
(d) Secretary of War Henry Lewis Stimson.

12. Who does Isaacson report to have been the vice president the W. A. Harriman investment firm?
(a) Franklin Roosevelt.
(b) Harry Truman.
(c) Dwight D. Eisenhower.
(d) Prescott Bush, father of former President George H.W. Bush.

13. What unusual practice did Soviet pilots take as they flew in approach to Russian cities, according to Isaacson?
(a) They shut off their engines and glided into a landing to avoid detections by subversives.
(b) They went into a "torpedo dive" to best avoid being hit by enemy fire.
(c) They approached Russian cities at tree top level so as to be recognized by the Russian military.
(d) They did barrel rolls to impress Stalin with their skill.

14. What position did the "Wise Man" who implemented the Lend Lease program eventually take in the Roosevelt administration?
(a) Assistant Secretary of War.
(b) Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.
(c) Under Secretary of State.
(d) Secretary of Commerce.

15. What does Isaacson claim to be the goal of the "Wise Men"?
(a) To scale government back to the limits of the Constitution.
(b) To expand the authority of the Federal Reserve Bank over the monetary policy.
(c) To limit the spread of Soviet Communism.
(d) To rebuild Europe after WWII.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the focus of the agreement after the initial meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill, according to Isaacson?

2. How does Isaacson claim Joseph Stalin's temperament changed between Harriman's first and second meetings?

3. What does Isaacson report to be the differences between the negotiating styles of Roosevelt and Truman?

4. Who encouraged the United States to rearm and come out of what Isaacson claims to be a period of isolationism following WWI?

5. What Assistant Secretary of War does Isaacson cite as fearing American isolationism after WWII?

(see the answer keys)

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