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A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel Hardcover – May 12, 2009

by Ronald Radosh (Author), Allis Radosh (Author)

4.3 56 ratings

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“[This] revelatory account of Truman's vital contributions to Israel's founding. . .is told. . . with an elegance informed by thorough research."
—Wall Street Journal

"Even knowing how the story ends, A Safe Haven had me sitting on the edge of my seat.”
—Cokie Roberts

A dramatic, detailed account of the events leading up to the creation of a Jewish homeland and the true story behind President Harry S. Truman’s controversial decision to recognize of the State of Israel in 1948, drawn from Truman’s long-lost diary entries and other previously unused archival materials.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A] revelatory account of Truman’s vital contributions to Israel’s founding. . . . Told by the Radoshes with an elegance informed by thorough research.” (Wall Street Journal)

“This is an excellent examination of a presidential decision that has had immense historical consequences.” (Booklist)

“ A Safe Haven, is an outstanding achievement. This is certain to become an essential work for students, journalists, and statesmen---indeed, anyone interested in understanding Israel’s origins.” (Michael Oren, author of Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, and Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East.)

“In their deeply engaging study of Truman and the foundation of Israel, the Radoshes capture the dramatic intersection of momentous millennial aspirations and the thrilling intricacies of political intrigue with remarkable narrative skill. ” (Ron Rosenbaum, author of Explaining Hitler and The Shakespeare Wars)

“Even knowing how the story ends, A SAFE HAVEN, had me sitting on the edge of my seat watching Harry Truman weigh the arguments of his friends and advisors in the months, then weeks, then days leading up to his recognition of Israel.” (Cokie Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of The Ladies of Liberty)

From the Back Cover

On May 14, 1948, under the stewardship of President Harry S. Truman, the United States became the first nation to recognize the State of Israel—just moments after sovereignty had been declared in Jerusalem. But it was hardly a foregone conclusion that America would welcome the creation of this new country. While acknowledging this as one of his proudest moments, Truman also admitted that no issue was "more controversial or more complex than the problem of Israel." As the president told his closest advisers, these attempts to resolve the issue of a Jewish homeland had left him in a condition of "political battle fatigue."

Based on never-before-used archival material, A Safe Haven is the most complete account to date of the events that led to this historic occasion. Allis and Ronald Radosh explore the national and global pressures bearing on Truman and the people—including the worldwide Jewish community, key White House advisers, the State Department, the British, the Arabs, and the representatives of the new United Nations—whose influence, on both sides, led to his decision.

Impeccably researched, brilliantly told, A Safe Haven is a suspenseful, moment-by-moment re-creation of this crossroads in U.S.-Israeli relations and Middle Eastern politics.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; 1st edition (May 12, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060594632
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060594633
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,142,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,532 in International Diplomacy (Books)
- #2,900 in Israel & Palestine History (Books)
- #2,994 in Middle Eastern Politics

Customer Reviews:
4.3 56 ratings

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David Thomson

Harry Truman's Remarkable Courage

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2009

Verified Purchase

Allis and Ronald Radosh present a convincing case that Harry Truman behaved courageously by supporting the birth of Israel. The State Department and most Democrat and Republican leaders thought it best not to upset the Middle East apple cart. Preserving solid relations with the Arabs and their oil was deemed of greater importance. A disingenuous form of anti-Semitism also motivated many of them. Jewish-Americans did not possess the sort of political power to make the risk worth it to the self-serving politician. Most assuredly, the issue of Israeli statehood would have been kicked down the road for a future generation to resolve. The Soviets could also have been placed in the position of saviors of the Israelis. Their position in the Mid East would have been greatly enhanced had Truman not stood tall. We know that he was a racial bigot in his earlier years. The odds are that he was also anti-Semitic. Truman is a reminder that people can change for the better. This book is well worth reading.

11 people found this helpful

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Stuart Shapiro

Detailed and Important History

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021

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This book presents an excellent chronicling of the steps toward US recognition of Israel in 1948. It focuses both on the various commissions (so many commissions!) that researched the status of Palestine and the conditions of the Jews in the displaced persons camps in Europe and on the role of President Truman.

In both areas it is very enlightening. The detail is considerable but worthwhile in that it provides explanations for why things happened the way they did.

The only drawback is that few of the characters are drawn out besides President Truman. The State Department and the British are largely drawn as cartoon villains and the work could have profited from fleshing them out.

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Carlos R. Abramowsky

Detailed story of the drama in the US government around the creation of the State of Israel

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017

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This is an extensive account on the discussions and multiple debates that went on for years within the US government and with the British government in relation to the future of Palestine and of the Jewish pleople in particular after Harry Truman inherited the presidency from FDR. The narrative details the lonely figure of Truman who, motivated by altruistic and moral reasons, wanted to help the thousands of Jews who survived the death camps and who lingered in detention facilities in Europe and Cyprus; this, in contrast to many others in the State Department, starting with General Marshall and others who opposed the creation of a Jewish State. The book is well written but extensively detailed. Many of its pages are references to govenment files and private diaries of those who participated in these events

6 people found this helpful

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Jonathan D Philbrick

Great Book

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2018

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Fascinating, filled with intriguing detail, a page Turner, real history written the way history should be written. The truth is stranger than fiction when the real truth is told. Just about everyone in places of power seems to have been against the founding of the modern state of Israel, and yet things swung around in the nick of time, pieces fell into place, the vote came through in the UN, and it came to pass. I write as a Christian, and to me the hand of God in it all is most evident, fulfilling ancient promises of the Old Testament. This is not a point made by the authors, but Christians and Orthodox Jews will see the hand of God in it.

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diane

Good content/poor condition

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020

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While the book is well written and impartial the condition is extremely poor. Basically, the book is falling apart and for that reason I may return it.

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019

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I read this book for a university class, and I really feel like I came away with something. The authors capture the narrative of several key characters very well, and I'm satisfied knowing that I know more because of this. It's not a light read, but it's definitely not heavy-- considered the subject matter, I'd say it's just right.

2 people found this helpful

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Michael J. Kubat

A Safe Haven: Harry Truman and the Founding of Israel

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2012

Verified Purchase

I wanted more detail about Truman's decision to recognize Israel, and I got far more than I bargained for. By the time I was halfway through the book, my respect for the man skyrocketed. Truman found wrestling with this conundrum so difficult, and the advocates - both pro and con - so importunate, that he actually became so worn down by it that, for a time, he refused to meet anyone and talk to anyone about it. And yet, exhausted and disgusted, he made the right decision.

This is of course a well-documented book about a major historical event. But to me, it is mainly a book is a story about character and a keen sense of right and wrong, those rare attributes that Truman possessed to an uncommon degree.

4 people found this helpful

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history buff

A Safe Haven

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2010

Verified Purchase

This is a very well documented history of a courageous action by one of our best, and most underrated presidents. Although it is a historical work, it reads like a novel. On the substance, it is remarkable to look back on how Israel was created and the forces that were then aligned against it and see that not much has changed in 60 years. The Arabs are as intransigent as ever, the British continue to be anti-semetic and pro-Arab and the US State Department and the Secretary of State are as duplicitous as ever. Nevertheless, the Jews continue to build a wonderful country that has set a moral standard for the world.

One person found this helpful

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