On the Edge of the Cold War: American Diplomats and Spies in Postwar Europe
Drawing on archival documents and testimonies of high-ranking American diplomats and intelligence officers, "On the Edge of the Cold War" explores the postwar political crisis in former Czechoslovakia from the perspective of the U.S. Embassy under Laurence Steinhardt and of U.S. Intelligence under Charles Katek and Spencer Taggart. The book paints a critical portrait of Ambassador Steinhardt, and shows that his groundless optimism caused Washington to ignore signs that democracy in Czechoslovakia was in trouble.
Overview
In 1945, both the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Intelligence saw Czechoslovakia as the master key to the balance of power in Europe and as a chessboard for the power game between East and West. Washington believed that the political scene in Prague was the best available indicator of whether the United States would be able to coexist with the Soviet Union. Drawing on archival documents and testimonies of high-ranking American diplomats and intelligence officers, Igor Lukes, author of On The Edge of the Cold War, explores the postwar political crisis from the perspective of the U.S. Embassy under Laurence Steinhardt and of U.S. Intelligence under Charles Katek and Spencer Taggart.
The book paints a critical portrait of Ambassador Steinhardt. It shows that his groundless optimism caused Washington to ignore signs that democracy in Czechoslovakia was in trouble. Although U.S. Intelligence officials who served in Prague were committed to the mission of gathering information and protecting democracy, they were defeated by their Communist opponents. The book reveals that the deputy commander of the Intelligence section was turned by the Russians. Consequently, when the Communists moved to impose their dictatorship in 1948, the U.S. Embassy and its CIA section were unprepared and powerless.
The fall of Czechoslovakia in 1948 helped deepen Cold War tensions for decades to come. The book offers vivid portraits of previously unknown American diplomats and intelligence officers at a crucial stage of the Cold War.
Joining Igor Lukes will be Benjamin Fischer, former Chief Historian of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Petr Gandalovic, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States. Christian Ostermann, director of the Wilson Center's European Studies and History and Public Policy programs, will chair the discussion.
Speakers
Hosted By
Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe’s capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include “Ukraine in Europe” – an examination of what it will take to make Ukraine’s European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe’s energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
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