In August 1916, two years into World War I, leaders in all the warring powers faced a crisis. There were no good military options. Money, people, and food were running short. Yet roads to peace seemed daunting too, as exhausted nations, drummed forward bypatriotic duty and war passion, sought meaning from their appalling sacrifices. Germany made the first move. Its government secretly asked Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States and leader of the only great power still neutral, to mediate an end to the Great War. As a token of good faith, Germany promised to withdraw from occupied Belgium. Wilson too was anxious to make peace. If he failed, he felt sure America would drift into a dreadful, wider war. Philip Zelikow recounts the five months when, behind closed doors, the future of the war, and the world, hung in the balance.

Author Philip Zelikow Published by PublicAffairs ISBN 9781541750951 EAN 9781541750951 Bic Code Cover Hardback