---
product_id: 8180840
title: "The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made"
price: "167.58 DT"
currency: TND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8180840-the-wise-men-six-friends-and-the-world-they-made
store_origin: TN
region: Tunisia
---

# Global impact & legacy Classic post-WWII diplomacy Covers 1920-1980 historical era The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made

**Price:** 167.58 DT
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🌟 Unlock the secrets of the world’s most influential statesmen — before everyone else does!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made
- **How much does it cost?** 167.58 DT with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8180840-the-wise-men-six-friends-and-the-world-they-made)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Six Titans of History:** Meet the original best and brightest who shaped modern geopolitics.
- • **Rich Historical Context:** Dive deep into pivotal events from WWII through the Cold War and Vietnam.
- • **Enduring Legacy for Leaders:** Essential reading for professionals shaping tomorrow’s policies and strategies.
- • **Timeless Diplomatic Mastery:** Explore the strategic genius behind America's postwar world order.
- • **Unrivaled Insider Perspectives:** Personal biographies reveal the human side of global decision-making.

## Overview

The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made is a compelling, well-reviewed historical account chronicling six American statesmen who shaped global diplomacy from WWII through the Cold War. Featuring personal biographies and public drama, this classic work offers millennial professionals a rare insider’s view of leadership, strategy, and legacy that continues to influence U.S. policy today.

## Description

With a new introduction by the authors, this is the classic account of the American statesmen who rebuilt the world after the catastrophe of World War II. A captivating blend of personal biography and public drama, The Wise Men introduces six close friends who shaped the role their country would play in the dangerous years following World War II. They were the original best and brightest, whose towering intellects, outsize personalities, and dramatic actions would bring order to the postwar chaos and leave a legacy that dominates American policy to this day. The Wise Men shares the stories of Averell Harriman, the freewheeling diplomat and Roosevelt’s special envoy to Churchill and Stalin; Dean Acheson, the secretary of state who was more responsible for the Truman Doctrine than Truman and for the Marshall Plan than General Marshall; George Kennan, self-cast outsider and intellectual darling of the Washington elite; Robert Lovett, assistant secretary of war, undersecretary of state, and secretary of defense throughout the formative years of the Cold War; John McCloy, one of the nation’s most influential private citizens; and Charles Bohlen, adroit diplomat and ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Review: Great look at 1920-1980 - As someone who is to the right politically than the authors I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I felt as though the authors missed the boat with Reagan and his relationship to the soviets, thankfully it was a very small part of the overall book. The authors suffered from a 1980s liberal anathema of all things Reagan and history proved them wrong about the efficacy of his policies. The antipathy towards Reagan has the authors offering up an almost naive view of the Soviets and it was my only issue with the book. Common sense AND HISTORY proves my point and is shown by the benign attitude the authors have towards Yuri Andropov, a former KGB head and a serious problem regarding freedom for people in Eastern Europe, and for the world. Having said my piece above I still give the book 5 stars due to how much I loved how the authors gave us the feel of the times and how our six heroes dealt with all of it's issues and crises. Being a Dean Acheson fan I found his part of the book fascinating and it just reinforced all of my prior thoughts about this giant of the 20th century. I feel as if there should be a movie made of Acheson as a way to introduce him to today's students and others...but I know it will never happen. Anyone who doesn't know Dean Acheson should read some books by or about him. Being a fan of the time period I of course was familiar with Averell Harriman, but I wasn't aware of exactly what a giant of the times he was. As the book progressed I found myself thinking that he was an opportunist, a man that wanted "it" to be all about him, but as the book progressed I came to respect him more and more. This is especially true when he did not get his coveted Secretary of State position and yet never tried to torpedo Acheson, who did get the job. This is so unlike today and that is a shame. Harriman kept on and kept on and I found him also fascinating. His desire for diplomatic means of solving problems was legendary. I found Chip Bohlen to be totally enjoyable, cool and as "hip" as anyone from today...he came across as timeless. The picture of him and JFK driving down the street, Kennedy with his shades on and at the wheel showed the man perfectly. Robert Lovett as someone I had never heard of and yet he was also a huge force during momentous times. Almost as rich as Harriman, but not nearly as stuffy, his part was a great part of the book as well. As someone who followed foreign affairs a bit I was very familiar with George F, Kennan (Mr. X) but I was surprised by his being so sensitive with regard to being insecure. A great mind and perfect for the early cold war period. John McCloy was someone who is so underrated when discussing historic people of the second half of the 20th century. He combined public and private service that could (and should) never be allowed today, but his contribution was huge and very positive and that is why so many presidents called on him for assistance. Anyone who is interested in WWII, the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War should read this book. Anyone interested in high society in the 20s thru the 80s should read this book. It was a different time, but we would not be us without how well our country handled events and how these man contributed to the world.
Review: A Spotlight on Public Service - There are politicians, and then there are the diplomats , advisors and experts and so many others that advise on and implement policies and decisions. History needs to record the service of these people if only provide a goal or measurement for the future. These men served over a forty year period that included world war, the atomic bomb, the State of Israel, the Korean war, The Viet Nam war and the cold war. They served under presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. This is an important book. It is well written. Every American citizen needs a better understanding of how our government works. This highly readable book would be a good place to start.

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #60,975 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #51 in Military Strategy History (Books) #106 in Vietnam War History (Books) #151 in Political Leader Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 963 Reviews |

## Images

![The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Uyknd+bzL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great look at 1920-1980
*by B***S on August 7, 2020*

As someone who is to the right politically than the authors I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I felt as though the authors missed the boat with Reagan and his relationship to the soviets, thankfully it was a very small part of the overall book. The authors suffered from a 1980s liberal anathema of all things Reagan and history proved them wrong about the efficacy of his policies. The antipathy towards Reagan has the authors offering up an almost naive view of the Soviets and it was my only issue with the book. Common sense AND HISTORY proves my point and is shown by the benign attitude the authors have towards Yuri Andropov, a former KGB head and a serious problem regarding freedom for people in Eastern Europe, and for the world. Having said my piece above I still give the book 5 stars due to how much I loved how the authors gave us the feel of the times and how our six heroes dealt with all of it's issues and crises. Being a Dean Acheson fan I found his part of the book fascinating and it just reinforced all of my prior thoughts about this giant of the 20th century. I feel as if there should be a movie made of Acheson as a way to introduce him to today's students and others...but I know it will never happen. Anyone who doesn't know Dean Acheson should read some books by or about him. Being a fan of the time period I of course was familiar with Averell Harriman, but I wasn't aware of exactly what a giant of the times he was. As the book progressed I found myself thinking that he was an opportunist, a man that wanted "it" to be all about him, but as the book progressed I came to respect him more and more. This is especially true when he did not get his coveted Secretary of State position and yet never tried to torpedo Acheson, who did get the job. This is so unlike today and that is a shame. Harriman kept on and kept on and I found him also fascinating. His desire for diplomatic means of solving problems was legendary. I found Chip Bohlen to be totally enjoyable, cool and as "hip" as anyone from today...he came across as timeless. The picture of him and JFK driving down the street, Kennedy with his shades on and at the wheel showed the man perfectly. Robert Lovett as someone I had never heard of and yet he was also a huge force during momentous times. Almost as rich as Harriman, but not nearly as stuffy, his part was a great part of the book as well. As someone who followed foreign affairs a bit I was very familiar with George F, Kennan (Mr. X) but I was surprised by his being so sensitive with regard to being insecure. A great mind and perfect for the early cold war period. John McCloy was someone who is so underrated when discussing historic people of the second half of the 20th century. He combined public and private service that could (and should) never be allowed today, but his contribution was huge and very positive and that is why so many presidents called on him for assistance. Anyone who is interested in WWII, the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War should read this book. Anyone interested in high society in the 20s thru the 80s should read this book. It was a different time, but we would not be us without how well our country handled events and how these man contributed to the world.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Spotlight on Public Service
*by J***S on January 31, 2025*

There are politicians, and then there are the diplomats , advisors and experts and so many others that advise on and implement policies and decisions. History needs to record the service of these people if only provide a goal or measurement for the future. These men served over a forty year period that included world war, the atomic bomb, the State of Israel, the Korean war, The Viet Nam war and the cold war. They served under presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. This is an important book. It is well written. Every American citizen needs a better understanding of how our government works. This highly readable book would be a good place to start.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Original Best and Brightest
*by R***N on January 1, 2009*

This was a fascinating and well-written book about six men that are probably unknown to today's general public but shaped US Foreign Policy from post WWI through Vietnam. Their lives moved through the 20th century intertwined via elite prep schools, Yale/Harvard, investment banking firms, law firms, high level cabinet roles and foreign policy posts. Their advice to the Presidents resulted in tragic wars - some right and some wrong, the strategies that prevented nuclear annihilation but also may have resulted in elongating the Cold War. Isaacson and Thomas also provide a multi-sided view into each one's personality but especially Dean Acheson, George Kennan and Averill Harriman. We see their strengths of brilliance, integrity and deep patriotism but also their weaknesses. Kennan was overly sensitive, conducive to self-pity and had a tendency for literary flair and verbosity. Harriman became more self interested after WWII and sometimes placed politics over diplomacy. Acheson's persona came across as elitist, condescending and pompous which turned away many liberals, moderates and conservatives even when they agreed with his views. The right schools, the right families and the right wealth played a large role in giving these six men the opportunity to shape the century. One can argue if that tradition has continued today or not. What may be different is that their vision and actions seemed to be more defined by pragmatism rather than ideology. The results are not always what we wanted but far better than the foes they battled that placed ideology over pragmatism.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8180840-the-wise-men-six-friends-and-the-world-they-made](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/8180840-the-wise-men-six-friends-and-the-world-they-made)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Tunisia*
*Store origin: TN*
*Last updated: 2026-08-14*