On The Edge of The Cold War

American Diplomats and Spies in Postwar Prague - An academic non fiction that is a must read for students of European History, especially 20th century, and in particular in the immediate aftermath of the second world war.  

This is a noteworthy result of what appears to have been years of research through a remarkable amount of resources. Igor Lukes has produced what may be a defining history of  this period, in the especially euphoric and chaotic  days, weeks, and months immediately following the second world war. His work to a great extent helps us to understand how communism exploited these circumstances, and sadly took advantage of whatever weaknesses it could find in the American Diplomatic mission during that time.

While this book stands rather well on its own merits, it can also be compared to the autobiographic memoir, The Journey, written by Cecilia Sternberg. In fact these two books overlap and compliment one another on many historical points. One is through the eyes of a participant, as they reflect back on the events of their life, and the other is told through the lens of the skilled historian, who sifts through an abundance clues, as a detective must, to find a just verdict in the court of our present understanding of these events.