Cold War Adviser: Llewellyn Thompson and the Making of U.S. Policy toward the Soviet Union

Llewellyn Thompson was arguably the most influential figure who ever advised U.S. presidents about policy toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War, yet until 2018 no book-length biography of him had appeared. Fortunately, a stellar biography was published last year, and it is the subject of this book forum. Thompson’s two daughters, Jenny and Sherry, wrote the book after carrying out extensive archival research. The finished book is both absorbing and illuminating, a book worthy of Thompson. Five experts offer commentaries on various aspects of the book, followed by a reply from Thompson’s daughters.