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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. Under whom does Isaacson report Kennan studied for his chosen field?

2. What does Isaacson claim the six men profiled in The Wise Men represent?

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

4. What was the ratio of students who passed the training for Kennan's chosen field to those who took the course, according to Isaacson?

5. Where does Isaacson claim Averell Harriman was when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett come to work together after WWI, according to Isaacson?

3. What does Isaacson identify as the major issues facing Harry Truman during the first month of his presidency after the death of President Roosevelt?

4. Which of the "Six Wise Men" attended Yale, according to Isaacson?

5. What were the major declarations of the Atlantic Charter, according to Isaacson?

6. What experience in John McCloy's background does Isaacson claim gave McCloy the exposure to Henry Stimson that eventually led to McCloy's appointment to the Department of War as a special consultant on German espionage?

7. 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?

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

9. What military action did Joseph Stalin demand from his British and American allies once the United States entered WWII, according to Isaacson?

10. As the Allied powers began to close in on Germany, what does Isaacson expose to be the main concern of the British and American governments for the post-war era?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Truman Administration was at odds with General Douglas MacArthur even before he took command over the UN troops in Korea. The attitudes of the administration demonstrated themselves with the order to MacArthur forbidding him from bombing bridges between China and Korea across which Chinese soldiers and equipment were traveling to support North Koreans. Was the conduct of the Truman Administration and the "Wise Men" an extension of President Truman's spoken disdain for MacArthur, or did MacArthur cause his own problems with the Truman Administration. Use comments and decisions by members of the Truman Administration and the "Wise Men" pertaining to or directed at MacArthur as well as MacArthur's actions and statements to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

The Soviet Union was an ally of Nazi Germany before the U.S. entered WWII, but sought out U.S. and British support after Germany invaded it. Use details from the book that suggest:

a. American support for enemies of Nazi Germany was bringing America to the brink of the European war.

b. The Soviets would manipulate the alliance with the U.S. and Britain for their own benefit.

c. How the war time alliance between the Soviet Union and the U.S. foretold conflict for the future.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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