Book Reviews : Together We Stand: New Perspectives on French-American Relations. By SYLVAN GOTSHAL. (Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press, 1959. Pp. vii, 77. $3.25.)

• Author: Ivo K. Feierabend
• Published date: 01 September 1961
• Date: 01 September 1961
• DOI: 10.1177/106591296101400327
• Subject Matter: Articles

787

the

behavior

of

American

troops

was

often

in

contrast

to

American

preachments.

In

Marburg

the

requisition

of

housing

was

a

major

irritant.

The

Germans

of

Marburg

felt

humiliated

by

the

American

suspicion

and

distrust,

and

Marburg’s

democrats

noted

that

when

members

of

the

Occupation

did

move

in

German

circles

it

was

among

the

English-speaking

social

and

economic

elite

which

was

most

closely

identified

with

Nazism.

The

demobilization

of

the

Occupation

staff

negated

any

continuity

at

the

local

level

and

forced

a

dependence

on

German

civilians

of

doubtful

ability

and

loyalty

to

American

objectives,

includ-

ing

a

surprising

number

of

members

of

the

Communist

party.

One

of

the

basic

errors

of

American

policy,

Gimbel

believes,

was

to

remain

politically

neutral.

Our

refusal

to

support

established

democratic

political

or-

ganizations

and

our

sponsorship

of

nonpartisan

women’s

clubs

or

garden

clubs

made

us

appear

naive

or

ridiculous

in

German

eyes.

The

United

States

should

have

backed

those

parties

and

pressure

groups

which

were

prepared

to

support

our

objectives.

Gimbel

also

feels

that

the

Occupation

should

have

favored

a

partisan

press.

Other

mistakes

of

American

policy

included

our

sweeping

denazification

pro-

gram

and

the

industrial

demobilization

program,

both

of

which

were

resisted

by

all

organized

political

groups

in

Marburg.

American

policy

is

seen

generally

as

a

compound

of

confused

idealism

and

expediency.

And

the

results

were

often

the

opposite

of

what

had

been

anticipated.

The

research

for

this

case

study

was

done

at

Marburg,

where

extensive

interviewing

took

place,

at

the

Kansas

City

Army

Records

Center,

and

in

State

Department

files.

There

is

a

helpful

Bibliographical

Note

which

not

only

re-

views

the

pertinent

literature

but

indicates

the

method

of

conducting

the

study.

This

is

a

blunt,

hard-hitting

book.

If

it

has

any

weakness

it

is

the

failure

to

appreciate

the

difficulties

under

which

the

personnel

of

the

American

Occupa-

tion

labored.

Colorado

State

University

BRUCE

B.

FRYE

Together

We

Stand:

New

Perspectives

on

French-American

Relations.

By

SYLVAN

GOTSHAL.

(Washington,

D.C.:

Public

Affairs

Press,

1959.

Pp.

vii,

77.

$3.25.)

Mr.

Gotshal

announces

in

his

Preface

that

&dquo;this

is

a

book

with

a

purpose.&dquo;

And

indeed

this

slim

volume

is

more

apt

to

persuade

and

exhort

than

to

analyze.

Its

purpose

is

to

keep

&dquo;the

memory

and

the

reality

of

Franco-American

friend-

ship...

vibrantly

alive&dquo;

and

to

preserve

&dquo;a

brotherhood

bom

in

stress

of

the

Revolutionary

War

and

tempered

in

the

furnace

of

time....&dquo;

Consequently

the

memories

are

pleasant

and

affection

is

expressed

for

a

France

that

is

wise,

loyal,

unselfish,

gallant,

and

admirable.

Furthermore,

France

is

adjudged

an

indispensable

ally

to

the

United

States

engaged

&dquo;in

a

mortal

struggle

with

the

Soviet

Union

and

world

communism.&dquo;

With

these

attitudinal

commitments,

this

well-written

book,

in

a

very

brief

fifteen

chapters,

highlights

some

memorable

episodes

of

Franco-American

rela-