Book Review: Commonwealth of Nations: The Career of Arthur Hamilton Gordon
| Author | D. J. McDougall |
| Date | 01 December 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206401900423 |
| Published date | 01 December 1964 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
BOOK REVIEWS
573
position
and
hatred
of
Japan
mounted.
Franklin
Roosevelt
adopted
Stimson's
policy
of
meddling.
He
was
moved
in
large
part
by
stories
of
his
grandfather's
exploits
in
the
Orient and of
his
own
love
for
the
navy.
The
handling
of
relations
with
Japan
prior
to
Pearl
Harbor
con-
stituted
a
chapter
of
nationalistic
idealism
that
rested
on
the
illusion
of
the practicability
of
collective
security and
a
world
governed on
the
basis of
law and
orderly
change.
In
fact
this
was
the
essence
of
the
imperialism
of
the
United
States.
To
this
Neumann
adds
the
story
of
almost
unbelievable diplomatic
fumbling
whereby
Franklin
Roosevelt
becomes
largely
responsible
for
Pearl
Harbor.
Some
of
Neumann's
interpretations
have
merit.
The United
States
was
sentimental toward
China.
Americans
did
sometimes
take
an
unrealistic
and imperialistic
position
in
the
name
of
collective
security
and
international
morality.
However,
Neumann
writes
of
the
Far
Eastern
policy of
the
United
States
without
reference
to
the
develop-
ments
in
the
Far
East,
and
particularly
those
in
Japan
after
1931,
to
which
that
policy
was
a
response.
It
is
the
omission
of
this
aspect
that
permits
the
author
to
write
as
if
the
policy
were
wholly
a product
of
illusions suffered
by
misguided
men.
To
assume
that
an
Eastern
Asia
dominated
by
Japan
was
only
a
matter
of
concern
because
of
a
host
of
American
moralistic
illusions
or
to
explain
Roosevelt's
Far
Eastern
policy
as
a
product
of
a
childlike
enthusiasm
for
China and
a
love
of
ships,
strikes
this
reviewer
as
inadequate.
There
is
a
very
real
need
for
a
tough
minded
recognition
of
the
"holier-than-thou"
attitude
that
did
prevail,
but
it
should
be
balanced
with
an
equally
tough-minded
recog-
nition
of
the
deep
sources
of
Japanese
imperialism
and
the
power
of
military
elements
in
Japan.
The
late
Frederick
S.
Dunn
presents
the
story
of
the
evolution
of
the
peace
treaty
with
Japan.
The
book
is
written
with
the
restraint
and
discipline of
an
able
scholar.
Much of
the
material
is
already available
in
books
on
the
occupation,
but
the
author's
purpose
is
to
describe
the
decision
making
process
that
led
to
the
treaty
and
therefore
the
information
is
seen
from a
new
vantage
point. The
presentation pro-
vides
a
clear
picture
of
the
differences
between
the
Department
of
State
and
the
American
military
and
likewise
shows
the
essentially
different
approaches
to
the
problem
of
Japan
taken
by
Australia,
New
Zealand,
and
the
newly independent
countries
of
South
and Southeast
Asia.
Michigan
State
University
PAUL
A.
VARG
Commonwealth
of
Nations
THE
CAREER
o0
ARTHuR
HAmiLTON
GoRD0oN,
First
Lord
Stanmore,
1829-
1912.
By
J.
K.
Chapman.
1963.
(Toronto:
University
of
Toronto
Press.
vii,
387pp.
$8.50)
In
his
career
as
a
colonial
governor
Arthur
Gordon
probably
had
as
rich
and varied
an
experience
as fell
to
the
lot
of
any
one in
a
similar
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