Robert B. Rakove successfully contributes to the historiography of the years under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson with his book Kennedy, Johnson and the Nonaligned World. Rakove contends that after President Dwight Eisenhower nearly ignored Third World countries that did not choose sides in the Cold War, Kennedy embarked on a strategic initiative to embrace this so-called nonaligned world. In Rakove's view, Kennedy believed the Cold War would be decided “on the battlefields of the Third World” (p. xxi). However, after Kennedy's assassination, Johnson chose a different strategy, which led to a breakdown of Kennedy's efforts and alienation of the Third World.
Rakove uses a great deal of source material. He makes his case not only through the major events but also with the words and actions of the personalities who affected history. The study is thoroughly researched with an original and insightful argument and would serve...