Overview
John Kenneth Galbraith, the noted economist, joined Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal in 1934 and served that administration during World War II in the crucial role of deputy head of the Office of Price Administration in charge of price control. His service to FDR and his relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt began a long involvement with the leaders who would define much of the course of the twentieth century: Truman, Stevenson, John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy, Nehru, Lyndon Johnson, and others at home and abroad. Drawing on a lifetime of access to many of the greatest public figures, Galbraith creates a rich and uniquely personal history of the century—a history he helped to shape. We are invited to hear FDR on the Great Depression and World War II; Albert Speer, the Third Reich's architect and armaments minister, on the boorishness and incompetence of the Nazi leadership; John F. Kennedy, from youth to the presidency; Jacqueline Kennedy's shrewd judgments of the White House inner circle. In this clear-eyed, unsparing, and amusing look back at the world and the people he has known, Galbraith tells what these leaders did—how they looked to him then and how they look to him now—with unforgettable reminiscences and a rich infusion of engaging anecdotes. Name-Dropping charts the political landscape of the past sixty-five years with the dazzling insight, humor, and literary skill that mark Galbraith as one of the most distinguished writers of our time. Just some of the portraits . . . Eisenhower's brother remembered a meeting in the Oval Office at which some difficult and potentially very unpopular decision was reached. Reflecting on the expected adverse reaction, Ike had said, "It's all right. When I've explained it to the press, no one will have any clear idea what we intend to do." Kennedy's preference for plain talk did not spare his friends. Before I left for New Delhi in April 1961, we had a farewell breakfast at the White House. That morning the New York Times had a piece on the new ambassador to India; Kennedy asked how I liked it. It had been generally favorable, and I said it was all right, but I didn't see why they had to call me arrogant. "I don't know why not," said Kennedy. "Everybody else does." Nehru said that one day at Gandhi's ashram in Ahmedabad a friend and supporter sought to ease a conflict with the British Viceroy by saying, "Mahatma, you must know that Lord Irwin never makes a decision without praying over it first." Gandhi reflected on this for some minutes. Then he said, "And why do you suppose God so consistently gives him the wrong advice?" Johnson once said to me, "Did it ever occur to you, Ken, that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissin' down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else." Not since have I given a speech on economics without having that metaphor in mind.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewBorn a Canadian farm boy, John Kenneth Galbraith was an unlikely candidate to become one of America's leading political dignitaries. Yet, since 1934, he has been an economic adviser and confidant to several presidents, editor of Fortune, ambassador to India, professor emeritus of economics at Harvard, author of 31 books, and all-around éminence grise. Now, at the age of 91, he offers his recollections of the men and women and the triumphs and errors he witnessed from a privileged and intimate perspective. And while this places his work in the political memoir genre, he thankfully avoids the tawdry gossip and bitter backstabbing that have become a standard aspect of White House books -- an aspect he dismisses as "unpleasant and overtly disloyal."
Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson; foreign leaders Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Albert Speer; first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy; renegade philanthropists Averell Harriman and Chester Bowles -- Galbraith offers graceful and concise portraits of all these players. He reveals private moments of unexpected humor and charisma -- an off-color joke told by Harry Truman, a sardonic wisecrack made by Gandhi, the meeting between Hollywood actress Angie Dickinson and Indian Prime Minister Nehru, a day spent dove hunting in the Texas hills with Lyndon Johnson.
Yet, while Galbraith's stated aim is simply to provide portraits of those he knew and admired, he offers us much more than a mere collection of anecdotes. Throughout the book, he offers a compelling challenge to ourconventional views of history.
In 1945, Galbraith was put in charge of determining the overall economic effects of Germany's bombing raids. His duties included the interrogation of Nazis, including the former director of Hitler's war economy, Albert Speer. Galbraith found Hitler's immediate staff to be "an incredible collection of deranged incompetents." Speer shared his view -- referring to his cohorts as "Hitler's nodding donkeys" and confessing that the last months of the Third Reich were spent awash in a "sea of alcohol.... I was always dealing with drunk men." Commenting on the disparity between his observations of pathetic war criminals and the mythical view of a brilliant enemy, Galbraith observes: "When the war is over, those who won do not wish the public perception of the strength and intelligence of the now-defeated foe to be diminished. This would lessen their own wartime achievement and detract from the victory. Only the defeat of a worthy opponent secures the history of the conflict for the victors, and they, indeed, write the history."
Such insight into how official history often revises reality also appears in his portrait of John F. Kennedy. Galbraith recounts his impressions of the president and reveals the reasons he believes Kennedy would have ended the war in Vietnam. Having great respect for the intelligence and achievements of his "well-loved friend," Galbraith is disturbed by the "highly aggressive discussion that has centered on JFK's health and his extramarital sex life." Rather than take the Dick Morris tack of weighing in on his former confidant's infidelity, Galbraith instead critiques the media culture that profits from such obsession. He simply pillories those who stoop to include bedroom antics in presidential history: "Sex is something that even the dimmest commentator can understand, the least literate can write about."
With noble intent and compassionate insight, Galbraith illuminates the progress and failures of the 20th century. His book is at once a primer on political etiquette, a call for economic responsibility, and a witty and charming memoir.
--Margot Towne
The New York Times
It is not usual for a man past his 90th birthday to write a book that is as fresh and lively as the work of a 30-year-old. But John Kenneth Galbraith is not a usual man, and he has done it.Town and Country
No one has been more inside than John Kenneth Galbraith. In Name Dropping, he shares a dozen intimate portraits of the men and women who figured prominently in his life - from Harry Truman to Jacqueline Onassis.The New Yorker
Galbraith never pretends to greater intimacy than he achieved with the public figures he describes in these brief essays, but each portrait tells us something we wouldn't have otherwise known.USA Today
Name-Dropping is a look at prominent people the former ambassador to India and famed economist has known, from FDR on.Joel Drucker
There is a...sense that Galbraith's comments have been countlessly retold....Then again, as he enters his tenth decade, Galbraith is entitled to a bit of recycling.— Biography
Boston Magazine
Writing with great decorum, and even greater intelligence, Galbraith focuses on personality and politics in his fond but balanced portraits of the powerful.Boston Globe
Name-Dropping: From FDR On is mischievously and merrily unrepentant.Publishers Weekly
Galbraiths thin, impressionistic sojourn through his astounding career provides glimpses of some of the centurys most remarkable personalitiesincluding his own. In a series of chapters devoted to powerful, compelling individuals (FDR, JFK, LBJ, Nehru, to name a few), Galbraith rehashes much that is already known about these figures while offering his own perspective on their personalities and motivations. An astute observer of personalities, Galbraith, professor emeritus of economics at Harvard, expresses admiration for Nehru, Adlai Stevenson, Eleanor Roosevelt and John and Jackie Kennedy, scorn for Albert Speer and aversion to LBJ for his Vietnam entanglements. Galbraith claims he was ignorant of JFKs philandering, expresses his belief that Nazi leaders he interrogated after WWII were an incredible collection of often deranged incompetents and relates the rebukes he received from FDR concerning price control and rationing decisions. Though Galbraith treads on familiar ground with his defenses of Keynesian economics and occasional forays into liberal, Affluent Society territory, the book never congeals into a coherent whole. It is, instead an anecdotal mlange of first-hand impressions, autobiography and history.Library Journal
It is hard to believe that Galbraith is an economist, for he is such a gifted writer. In his latest book, Galbraith (The Good Society, LJ 4/1/96) reminisces about important figures with whom he has been involved in his long and distinguished life in the public arena. Among the brief portraits are those of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, JFK, LBJ, Nehru, and others. More than the self-effacing title indicates, this book offers important insights into the people and times on which its author reflects. Galbraith writes with a wit, style, and elegance few can match. While composed in an informal and conversational manner, this work delves into weighty matters concerning the key factors (leaders personality traits as well as political circumstances) that shaped an important era in modern history. At its close, Galbraith helps us make sense of the people and forces that shaped the 20th century. For public and academic libraries.— Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles
Joel Drucker
There is a...sense that Galbraith's comments have been countlessly retold....Then again, as he enters his tenth decade, Galbraith is entitled to a bit of recycling.— Biography
Godfrey Hodgson
It is not usual for a man past his 90th birthday to write a book that is as fresh and lively as the work of a 30-year-old. But John Kenneth Galbraith is not a usual man, and he has done it....For American readers...it is Galbraith's take on the big cats, on Roosevelt and Truman, the Kennedys and L.B.J., that matters, and he has sharply observed things to say about all of them....Name-Dropping is...a contribution to history few others could make, and the humor remains as dry as a good martini.— The New York Times Book Review
Susan Page
The sort of insider anecdotes a lucky dinner guest might hear after the second or third bottle of wine has been corked...[A] quick and engaging book that also includes just a bit of self-deprication.— USA Today