  | Book Details Title: Such Splendid Prisons: Diplomatic Detainment in America during World War II |
Book DescriptionReview “Uncovering a hidden slice of wartime America, Harvey Solomon’s Such Splendid Prisons tells an intriguing story of elite Axis prisoners incarcerated by the U.S. government, replete with behind-the-scenes diplomatic machinations and political calculations.”—Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, The Generals, and The Allies (Winston Groom 2019-02-23)“In World War II the U.S. government detained thousands of the Axis powers’ diplomats and dependents—by putting them up in luxury hotels. In this absorbing, cinematic account, Harvey Solomon examines the one place where Germans, Italians, and Japanese all had to live together: the United States of America.”—Stephen Wertheim, visiting assistant professor of history at Columbia University (Stephen Wertheim 2019-02-23)“With sharp characterization, crackling prose, and an eye for humorous detail, Harvey Solomon takes us on a wild technicolor ride. . . . His prodigious research has cracked the code of silence surrounding the secretive detention of Axis diplomats and their families. This is the most detailed and lively account of this ironic wartime episode yet written.”—Max Paul Friedman, professor of history at American University (Max Paul Friedman 2019-02-23)“In a consistently fascinating book, Harvey Solomon guides his readers though what really is—in that overused phrase—one of the last untold stories of World War II. Here in their faded glory are the experiences of the enemy diplomats obliged to remain in the custody of the U.S. government after the outbreak of war. Exotic characters and arcane attitudes abound in this window on diplomatic lives as they were lived in what now seems like the end of an era. Readers have to pinch themselves to be sure this isn’t some dream of the nineteenth century but rather events that unfolded simultaneously with the horrors of Auschwitz, Stalingrad, and Hiroshima.”—Nicholas J. Cull, professor of communications and director of the Masters of Diplomacy Program at the University of Southern California (Nicholas J. Cull 2019-02-23)“In this engagingly written volume, Harvey Solomon tells the unknown—and fascinating—story of enemy diplomats who were detained in America during the Second World War. Anyone interested in the war will find Such Splendid Prisons an intriguing, memorable tale.”—Jonathan Rosenberg, associate professor of history at Hunter College, CUNY Graduate Center (Jonathan Rosenberg 2019-02-23)“A lively depiction of the Washington scene on the brink of World War II, with fascinating revelations about the fate of Axis diplomatic staffs interned in the U.S. at the outbreak of hostilities. Highly engaging and personal, this account will captivate general readers and scholars alike.”—Alfred M. Beck, author of Hitler’s Ambivalent Attaché (Alfred M. Beck 2019-02-23)“Such Splendid Prisons provides a well-crafted and dramatic narrative of a little-known aspect of World War II. It tells a fascinating story with lively accounts of the individual personalities: a real pleasure to read.”—Derek Mallett, author of Hitler’s Generals in America: Nazi POWs and Allied Military Intelligence (Derek Mallett 2019-02-23) Read more About the Author Harvey Solomon is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC. He is the author of three nonfiction books, including Book of Days: ’60s: A Day-by-Day Look at the Pop Culture Moments That Made History. He has written articles for dozens of publications, including the Boston Herald, the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Read more Customers Review: The book is actually a pretty easy read, surprising for a book that required as much research as this obviously took, I enjoyed it because I am families with the area around The Greenbrier and Homestead resorts. A picture of the friction between the German diplomats and their Italian and Japanese counterparts and the headaches it caused at the State Department, FBI, OSS, the Border Patrol, the Swiss and Swedish Embassies. My biggest gripe is the size of the print. Even with reading glasses my 8o+ year old eyes had a problem. I finally found an e-book version and downloaded it on my I-pad. Much better thank you
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5 reviews