'John Holmes is without question one of the wisest commentators on Canadian foreign policy. (This volume presents) a thorough and detailed analysis of Canada's emergence from a timid colony in the 1930s into the aggressive and confident middle power of the war and immediate postwar years. Holmes looks at Canada's role in the making the peace, building the UN, and re-shaping the North Atlantic triangle. The result is a careful and wise book.'
- J.L. Granatstein, Quill and Quire
'Written with grace, with and perception by a distinguished Canadian diplomat-scholar. The subject is importance for its own sake and also for its comparative perspective on the ideas and policies of Americans. A major contribution to the growing literature of Canadian diplomatic history.'
Recent Books on International Relations
'likely to be for a long time the most comprehensive account of the work of what a British diplomat once called the most impressive team of foreign service officers of its day. A new breed of Canadian diplomats ... deliberately set out to try to reshape international relations to meet what they believed were the needs of a new age. Holmes argues persuasively that, although they were in some ways unduly idealistic, (they) did make it a significant contribution to the shaping of the peace.'
History
'This is an immensely important and interesting book, and as a study of its subject it is unrivalled. Elegance, depth and care characterize every page.'
Canadian Forum