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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Isaacson report to be a weakness Bohlen exhibited in the execution of his profession?

2. What does Isaacson claim to be Bohlen's view of Bolshevism?

3. What does Isaacson cite as the difference between Kennan's and Chip Bohlen's approach to preparing for their chosen field?

4. What does Isaacson report that John McCloy called, "Something that is worse than anything probably that ever happened in the world"?

5. What two post-secondary schools does Isaacson report George Kennan attended?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Isaacson claim that Robert Lovett's father started in his work for E.H. Harriman?

2. Where does Isaacson report Dean Acheson started his career after WWI?

3. What does Isaacson claim to be Averell Harriman's qualification for Skull and Bones?

4. Who does Isaacson identify as the two men that Secretary of War Henry Stimson called the "Heavenly Twins"?

5. What does Isaacson claim to be Averell Harriman's view regarding Russia building a tier of states friendly to its system in Eastern Europe?

6. What does Isaacson report to be the difference between George Kennan's approach to training for the foreign service and that of Chip Bohlen?

7. What does Issacson suggest comes between 20th century isolationism and a utopian dream of a world order based on international law?

8. What were the roles of George Kennan and Chip Bohlen in President Franklin Roosevelt's successful effort to open official diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933, according to Isaacson?

9. What does Isaacson report to be a prerequisite for being tapped for Skull and Bones at Yale?

10. After WWI, how does Isaacson show Averell Harriman's process of making business deals with Leon Trotsky of Communist Russia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout WWII Joseph Stalin was depicted in The Wise Men as an unreliable ally and he was considered a threat to American interests after the war. Yet when the destructiveness of the atom bomb was exposed, members of the Truman Administration considered making the Soviet Union part of a system of regulating the use of the weapon and even considered sharing the technology with the Soviets. What were the reasons for inviting the Soviets to share strategic information regarding atomic weapons with the U.S.? Are these reasons contradictory to the distrust that the six "Wise Men" had for Stalin and the Soviets? How so or how not? Did the eventual development of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union act to preserve peace or lead to justifications for more military build-up? Explain your answers with information from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Connections with the Soviet Union became a connecting point between each of the "Wise Men" and other world leaders. Detail how the "Wise Men" established connections with the Soviet Union, what leaders affected their connections with it, and events that shaped their future perspectives of the Soviet Union.

Essay Topic 3

Harry Truman committed American soldiers to fight the war in Korea without a Congressional declaration. What are the constitutional requirements for committing American soldiers to war? How did the Truman Administration justify the action to Congress? Who benefited from this decision? What have been the long-term effects of using American soldiers to fight undeclared wars beyond the oversight of Congress? Who carries the responsibility for these effects, the presidency or Congress?

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