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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. According to Isaacson, why did did George Kennan oppose the development of more powerful nuclear weapons?

2. Who does Isaacson report that President Johnson wanted to serve as Ambassador to Vietnam in 1964?

3. Why did President Eisenhower relieve Bob Lovett from the Defense Department, according to Isaacson?

4. How does Isaacson claim the Truman Administration learned of the Soviet Union's possession of nuclear weapons in September, 1949?

5. Who eventually took the position of Ambassador to Vietnam, according to Isaacson?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who were the first two of the "Six Wise Men" to remove themselves from advising President Johnson because they could no longer support America's involvement in Vietnam, according to Isaacson?

2. What was the focus of George Kennan's "Long Telegram" according to Isaacson?

3. What does Isaacson claim Winston Churchill offered as a suggestion for a solution to Soviet expansionism in his "Iron Curtain" speech in Missouri?

4. What does Isaacson claim made President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, attractive to the eastern foreign policy Establishment?

5. What did Isaacson identify as George Kennan's recommended next phase for dealing with communist expansionism after he felt that his plan for containment was working?

6. What does Isaacson report to have been General Douglas MacArthur's proposal to stop the flow of Chinese Soldiers into the war between North and South Korea?

7. What Southeast Asian country did President Eisenhower tell President-Elect Kennedy was the "key" to keeping communism from overtaking all of Southeast Asia according to Isaacson?

8. How does Isaacson explain the changes in the military policy of the Truman Administration once it became clear the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons?

9. Why did the Truman Administration consider making an atomic arms control "covenant" with the Soviet Union, according to Isaacson?

10. How many coups were conducted in Vietnam in less than a year between 1963 and 1964, according to Isaacson?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The "Wise Men" made decisions that they knew would have affects on the voting public. Identify three such decisions, the elections that they influenced and the candidates whom they were intended to assist. Use support from the book to validate your positions.

Essay Topic 2

Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett established lucrative careers in rail roads, investment banking, shipping, and ship building, among other industries. Was the track these two took to influence government policy altruistic toward the benefit of the U.S., or followed for the benefit of the industries that made them powerful? Use details from the book to support your view.

Essay Topic 3

Isaacson on several occasions throughout The Wise Men suggests that the "Wise Men" and various leaders in the government were fighting against "isolationist" desires of the general public and various political leaders. What evidence does Isaacson offer to support the idea that "isolationism" was a threat to America's future, and how did the internationalism of the "Wise Men" affect them and the country?

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