Acheson is the first comprehensive biography of the most important and controversial secretary of state of the twentieth century. More than any other of the renowned "Wise Men" who shaped America's vision of the world in the aftermath of World War II, Dean Acheson was the quintessential man of action, the driving force behind the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO. James Chace has given us an important and dramatic work of history chronicling the momentous decisions, events, and fascinating personalities of the most critical decades of the American Century.