Serving under the Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy administration, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson was a skilled man who shaped and led the country’s foreign policies in the era of turbulence. During his time in office, the old Euro-centric system that ruled the world for many centuries collapsed. Encountering countless problems from reconstructing Europe to decolonizing former colonies after the Second World War, Acheson strove to stabilize the turmoil and disorder in many different regions and restrain the growing influence of Communism. His foreign policies during the Cold War period were both “influential” and “controversial” at the same time, said American historian George Herring. (1)
Acheson's Speech to the National Press Club
The controversy around his speech to the National Press Club about his view on Asian affairs on January 12, 1950, sparked the ongoing debates whether he triggered the Korean War or not. Historians have always disagreed whether his speech ultimately gave a ‘green light’ to North Korea for invasion or not. Critics argue that the Truman administration’s foreign policies were Eurocentric and ignorant about Asia. They claim that this clumsy manner of the administration in dealing with Asian affairs ultimately resulted in losing China to the Communists and unknowingly invited North Korea to invade South Korea in 1950.
<U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson>
Dean Acheson's memoir
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Present at the Creation:
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"With deft portraits of many world figures, Dean Acheson analyzes the processes of policy making, the necessity for decision, and the role of power and initiative in matters of state." 
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Amazon Books
Footnote
(1) George C. Herring, From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776, (Oxford University Press, 2008), 613.
(1) George C. Herring, From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776, (Oxford University Press, 2008), 613.
