The Big Three: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin in Peace and War.

• Author: Beschloss, Michael R.

The Big Three: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin in Peace and War. Robin Edmonds. Norton, $24.95. One of the seldom-noted consequences of the turbulent period through which we are now passing is its effect on historiography. During the half-century of the Cold War, studies of World War II were in vogue. Historians and readers seeking to understand the origins of the great American-Soviet confrontation looked for answers in Churchill's efforts to maintain the British empire, Stalin's frustrations as he waited for the opening of a second front, Roosevelt's confidence that his powers of persuasion would, in the end, bring the Soviets into line. The Cold War's finale might have made these questions seem more remote and antique, pushing them from the realm of current politics into that of abstract historical debate.

Historians of World War 11 have been saved from this fate by the events of 1990 and 1991. As the nations of the world grope for new alignments and as the UN coalition tries to tame the dictator described by President Bush as "Hitler revisited," the statecraft of World War 11 offers important precedents and lessons. How early must force be used to contain a regional power with world ambitions? How can we avoid miscalculation and misperception? To what degree should agreements between governments be concealed from the peoples of the world? How wise is a policy of unconditional surrender? To what extent is the strategy of a war fought by coalition shaped by the postwar aspirations of the coalition members? Can intemational organizations take the place of traditional balance-of-power politics?

An additional gain for historians of World War 11 is the opening of archives in the Soviet Union. James MacGregor Burns once considered following his Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom with a book called Big Three, but gave up after realizing the degree to which access to Soviet archives was restricted. Joseph P. Lash also sought to write a book on the subject, a successor volume to his Roosevelt and Churchill. With Franklin Roosevelt Jr. in tow, he went to Moscow and vainly sought to persuade officials of the Brezhnev regime to let him use the archives and interview...