Book Reviews : The American Impact on Russia, 1784-1917. By MAX M. LASERSON. (New York: The Macmillan Company. 1950. Pp. 441. $5.00.)

• Published date: 01 September 1951
• DOI: 10.1177/106591295100400313
• Author: Edward G. Lewis
• Date: 01 September 1951
• Subject Matter: Articles

495
The new volume contains some 1,400 pages, thus giving evidence of
the extraordinary growth of international organizational activity, whether
some of this activity be altogether effective or not. Documentation in-
creases rapidly and confronts teachers and editors alike with an ever more
difficult problem of selection. If a third edition is published, Dr. Harley
undoubtedly will be faced with the problem of eliminating some of the
material in the earlier ones. The present reviewer ventures to suggest that
while the extended treatment of the San Francisco Conference and the
Senate hearings provide an opportunity of capturing much of the spirit
and action of that period, the claims upon space of the U.N. in action will
probably mean that the Conference (1945) will need less than at present
given to it. Many of the opening speeches at the Conference and much
of the evidence given at the hearings were of a general character which
may well give way to important documents emanating from the several
international agencies now in operation. In the present edition, however,
the reader will find a judicious balance between the general historic
background, the League of Nations, the diplomatic preparations for
San Francisco, and the constitution and activities of the U.N. and its
specialized agencies.
Special mention should be made of the selected bibliography (pp.
1271-1414), and of the fact that in the list of contents the author has given
the page of the selected bibliographies at the end of each chapter. It may
be noted that although the work of the F.A.O. and W.H.O. is described,
the constitutions of those bodies are not included.
LINDEN A. MANDER.
University of Washington.
The American Impact on Russia, 1784-1917. By MAX M. LASERSON. (New
York: The Macmillan Company. 1950. Pp. 441. $5.00.)
Professor Laserson’s book is an almost encyclopedic survey of the in-
fluence of the United States on Russia from the time of Catherine II to
the fall of the Provisional...