John Foster Dulles Summary

For foreign policy, this is especially significant because it provides explanation behind certain policies and also illuminates the thought process behind them instead of focusing on the policy itself. Each person involved from the president down to the makers of the policy each have an influence on policy and those around them, and are also subject to influence as well. It is key to understand the relationship between the most prominent individuals behind each policy to fully grasp the making of the policy and the role each person plays in its creation. 1 Specifically, Richard H. Immerman’s biography of John Foster Dulles is one example of how analyzing the life of one person sheds new light on their role in foreign policy. Immerman states that Dulles “was the product of the union of powerful religious and secular influences, with a heavy internationalist orientation overlaying both,” therefore he grew up in a home where internationalism was quite prevalent (Immerman 1). All of his early years prepared him for his future since he had been exposed to foreign policy since birth and also had the influence of his grandfather, John Watson Foster, to guide his way and “was directly responsible
After supporting the New Look policy for most of his term, he came to the realization that it was a policy, that if utilized, it would only bring destruction since there were no nuclear weapons that could contain damage as he thought (174). This transformation reveals that he realized that the previous policy was not as effective as he thought and he was willing to admit that he was wrong, but he had convinced Eisenhower early on of the policy’s significance that he could not change the president’s mind (182). Overall, Dulles’s time as secretary of state was well spent, regardless of the fact he often resorted to hyperboles. He was able to shape foreign policy for the remainder of the Cold War by providing examples of both his successes and failures in foreign policy. Dulles was the mastermind behind the administration because no one else had the audacity to provide the same advice that he did to the president, who in turn, could not reach the same conclusions without Dulles.