James C. Humes – författare

The presidency, in Theodore Roosevelt's famous words, is a Bully Pulpit. No one has studied the presidency from this vantage point. This book, in a sense, is a study of American political history seen through the prism of selected presidential addresses. It reveals how presidents used major addresses to create a theme for their administrations, to introduce history-making legislation or programs, or to rally successfully a majority of the nation behind their policies. No other book has examined the major presidential addresses--their construction and their impact--as history. No other book examines, in such detail, the background of the speechwriters who drafted the addresses. James C. Humes, a former White House speechwriter, has a unique understanding of the process of presidential speech-drafting.A single speech can be a defining point in American history, such as the Kennedy inaugural (Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country), or a rallying cry, such as Franklin Roosevelt's inaugural (The only thing we have to fear is fear itself). It can become an American creed as did the Gettysburg Address or a prophecy like the Reagan address to the Houses of Parliament in 1982. Washington's Farewell Address would prescribe our conduct in foreign policy for a century, as did the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. Sometimes the message is a declaration for war, such as Wilson's speech in 1917, or a war against an economic elite like Jackson's Bank veto in 1832 or Cleveland's Tariff message in 1887. This book is of great interest not only to historians and political scientists but also to students of the presidency and government.

The presidency, in Theodore Roosevelt's famous words, is a Bully Pulpit. No one has studied the presidency from this vantage point. This book, in a sense, is a study of American political history seen through the prism of selected presidential addresses. It reveals how presidents used major addresses to create a theme for their administrations, to introduce history-making legislation or programs, or to rally successfully a majority of the nation behind their policies. No other book has examined the major presidential addresses--their construction and their impact--as history. No other book examines, in such detail, the background of the speechwriters who drafted the addresses. James C. Humes, a former White House speechwriter, has a unique understanding of the process of presidential speech-drafting.A single speech can be a defining point in American history, such as the Kennedy inaugural (Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country), or a rallying cry, such as Franklin Roosevelt's inaugural (The only thing we have to fear is fear itself). It can become an American creed as did the Gettysburg Address or a prophecy like the Reagan address to the Houses of Parliament in 1982. Washington's Farewell Address would prescribe our conduct in foreign policy for a century, as did the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. Sometimes the message is a declaration for war, such as Wilson's speech in 1917, or a war against an economic elite like Jackson's Bank veto in 1832 or Cleveland's Tariff message in 1887. This book is of great interest not only to historians and political scientists but also to students of the presidency and government.

In 1998, Professor Humes and Doctor Ryals traveled with Edward Nixon, the brother of the President, to the People's Republic of China. While retracing Nixon's steps, they interviewed those Chinese Foreign Service experts who had planned the president's meetings with Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai. These protégés of Chou En-lai ended their diplomatic careers as envoys in Anglophone nations such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.During interviews with Humes, Ryals, and Edward Nixon, these experts shared their observations about the forces, such as the Gang of Four, who were plotting to prevent the Nixon Trip, as well as why, at the time, Mao was amendable to restoring ties with America despite the ongoing Cultural Revolution.

In 1998, Professor Humes and Doctor Ryals traveled with Edward Nixon, the brother of the President, to the People''s Republic of China. While retracing Nixon''s steps, they interviewed those Chinese Foreign Service experts who had planned the president''s meetings with Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai. These protégés of Chou En-lai ended their diplomatic careers as envoys in Anglophone nations such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.During interviews with Humes, Ryals, and Edward Nixon, these experts shared their observations about the forces, such as the Gang of Four, who were plotting to prevent the Nixon Trip, as well as why, at the time, Mao was amendable to restoring ties with America despite the ongoing Cultural Revolution.

Presidents and Their Pens: The Story of White House Speechwriters explores 23 presidencies through the detailed analysis of speeches including Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” speech, Eisenhower’s farewell to the nation, and Bill Clinton’s compassionate words in the wake of tragedy. Confidant and wordsmith to five Republican presidents (Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush), professor of language and noted historian James C. Humes tells how and why presidential speeches have marked milestones in our nation’s history, from Washington through Obama. Readers will find out how FDR brought down the house with humor, how “Give ‘em hell” Harry Truman planned his Whistle-Stop Tours, and how Ronald Reagan defied his advisors to make history at the Berlin Wall. Presenting stories of greatness as well as tragically unfulfilled promise, Presidents and Their Pens also features an introduction by author and historian Julie Nixon Eisenhower.

Presidents and Their Pens: The Story of White House Speechwriters explores 23 presidencies through the detailed analysis of speeches including Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” speech, Eisenhower’s farewell to the nation, and Bill Clinton’s compassionate words in the wake of tragedy. Confidant and wordsmith to five Republican presidents (Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush), professor of language and noted historian James C. Humes tells how and why presidential speeches have marked milestones in our nation’s history, from Washington through Obama. Readers will find out how FDR brought down the house with humor, how “Give ‘em hell” Harry Truman planned his Whistle-Stop Tours, and how Ronald Reagan defied his advisors to make history at the Berlin Wall. Presenting stories of greatness as well as tragically unfulfilled promise, Presidents and Their Pens also features an introduction by author and historian Julie Nixon Eisenhower.

Fame-Dropping is a bit like name-dropping, but when your guide is historian James C. Humes, you can expect something more than just trivial details about celebrities. A former White House speechwriter and Pennsylvania state legislator, the author commands powers of persuasion that have opened doors into the lives of the world’s most influential men and women.Fame-Dropping zooms in for a close-up while offering you a front-row seat for viewing history’s big picture. Rich with insight, and told in a lively, self-deprecating style, this book contains tales of a gregarious ghostwriter who has met countless notables — from star performers to those who wield power behind the scenes, in Hollywood, Washington, and beyond. Learn, laugh, and enjoy with a “well-traveled political junkie” and Churchill biographer as he witnesses Richard Nixon’s informal side, dances with a young and radiant Queen Elizabeth II, and watches Margaret Thatcher tear up a speech he’d just written. Come and join Sir John Gielgud at the bar for cocktails, dine in Washington with McGovern’s Hollywood supporter Shirley MacLaine, and find out what the guests found hanging in Pamela Harriman’s powder room. At once intimate and grounded in a historian’s wider perspectives, Fame-Dropping invites you to come closer and listen in, as you take a whirlwind tour of world events with the man who was welcomed everywhere.

Fame-Dropping is a bit like name-dropping, but when your guide is historian James C. Humes, you can expect something more than just trivial details about celebrities. A former White House speechwriter and Pennsylvania state legislator, the author commands powers of persuasion that have opened doors into the lives of the world’s most influential men and women.Fame-Dropping zooms in for a close-up while offering you a front-row seat for viewing history’s big picture. Rich with insight, and told in a lively, self-deprecating style, this book contains tales of a gregarious ghostwriter who has met countless notables — from star performers to those who wield power behind the scenes, in Hollywood, Washington, and beyond. Learn, laugh, and enjoy with a “well-traveled political junkie” and Churchill biographer as he witnesses Richard Nixon’s informal side, dances with a young and radiant Queen Elizabeth II, and watches Margaret Thatcher tear up a speech he’d just written. Come and join Sir John Gielgud at the bar for cocktails, dine in Washington with McGovern’s Hollywood supporter Shirley MacLaine, and find out what the guests found hanging in Pamela Harriman’s powder room. At once intimate and grounded in a historian’s wider perspectives, Fame-Dropping invites you to come closer and listen in, as you take a whirlwind tour of world events with the man who was welcomed everywhere.

"Perhaps it is a cliche that a politician thinks of the next election and a statesman of the next generation, yet my grandfather found merit in the maxim. He had known leaders he esteemed as the greatest of statesmen…Churchill, however, was the leader he admired above all…In hundreds of studies of Churchill, no one else, remarkably enough, has focused on Churchill''s predictions and prophecies. James Humes has produced a book that is unique as well as necessary for an understanding of statesmanship." —David Eisenhower, author and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute

Ronald Reagan is more than a revered and popular president--he is a hero to millions, beloved as a persuasive leader who inspired America and shaped the future more than any other modern president. Reagan''s everyman insight--stemming from his unique background as actor, sports broadcaster, and labor leader--make him America''s most quotable president. In The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan, author James C. Humes brings together the best observations and opinions of the "Great Communicator." Spanning one-liners, anecdotes, zingers, and little-known stories, this collection also includes commentary about Reagan from friends and foes as well as analysis of his great speeches. The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan is an exceptional tribute to America''s adored fortieth president.

From the bestselling author of War of the Roses, now a major motion picture: The Roses, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. "e;...Adler & Humes have managed to make a crucial moment in modern history come alive..."e; Thriller Books JournalAs Great Britain and the United States celebrate a victorious end to WWII, Joseph Stalin's relentless Soviet Union is creeping across Eastern Europe, leaving a trail of devastation and murder in its wake. Winston Churchill, the cigar-puffing icon of the British fighting spirit, embarks on a crusade to lift the veil of secrecy that hangs over Stalin's mission. Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, sets the diplomatic stage upon which the world's political players grapple for supremacy as Churchill delivers his fated Iron Curtain speech on March 5th, 1946. Soviet operatives have infiltrated British and American governments at the highest level. As Churchill prepares to launch the Cold War, Stalin unleashes his trained mole, an American Nazi who served in Hitler's SS. His mission: assassinate Winston Churchill. Churchill travels with a lone bodyguard, W.H. Thompson, a former British police officer who protected Churchill faithfully through the turbulent years of war. Thompson alone senses danger, but will his trained instincts and vigilance be enough to protect the former Prime Minister from a ruthless killer?In this gripping historical thriller, battles are fought not on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields, on the streets, or in the hills but behind closed doors in the shadows of espionage. Mission Churchill is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, political thrillers, and spy dramas. Reviewers Adore this Fast-Paced, Gripping Historical Thriller????? "e;Target Churchill, set in the 1940s, has all the breathless pacing of a strong thriller..."e; Historical Novel Society????? "e;James C Humes and Warren Adler, with their different skills, combine well to create a meticulously researched thriller and it's hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction."e; Crime Fiction Lover????? "e;Target Churchill "e;unfolds a fast-moving cloak-and-dagger drama starting days before Churchill's historic visit to Fulton, Missouri, in 1946, where he delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time It is excellent read and should please those who do not mind a fictionalized dab into history."e; Goodreads Review????? "e;I love historical novels, especially those dealing with World War II and its aftermath. This novel is in the same mold as Day of the Jackal... The plot was intriguing, and the forces behind it reflect the prelude to the Cold War that soon followed. This is an excellent read."e; Goodreads Review????? "e;Somewhere in the heat of the "e;Target Churchill"e; action, I was shocked. Warren Adler does it again, I thought. He knocks out his reader after a meticulous buildup after we get to know the characters. And it's not just a shock: it's embedded in history this time... a breathtaking climax!"e; Goodreads Review