Nearly thirty years ago, as I was researching a study of James B. Conant (1893–1978)—chemist, Harvard University president, Manhattan Project administrator, diplomat (Ike's man in Germany), and more—I interviewed the great man's granddaughter, Jennet. Although she was only a teenager when he died, she offered insights about various aspects of her grandfather's life, making clear that she was a perceptive and articulate observer.
In the ensuing years, Jennet Conant established herself as a prolific popular historian, churning out at a steady clip a series of engaging studies of topics loosely revolving around World War II and the early Cold War—from secret scientific enterprises in Tuxedo Park (radar) and Los Alamos (the nuclear bomb) to British spies to Julia Child's work for the Office of Strategic Services before going on to become a renowned promoter of French cuisine on television. Looming over all of Jennet's work, however, though making only occasional...