Llewellyn Thompson was arguably the most influential figure who ever advised U.S. presidents about policy toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War, yet until 2018 no book-length biography of him had appeared. Fortunately, a stellar biography was published last year, and it is the subject of this book forum. Thompson's two daughters, Jenny and Sherry, wrote the book after carrying out extensive archival research. The finished book is both absorbing and illuminating, a book worthy of Thompson. Five experts offer commentaries on various aspects of the book, followed by a reply from Thompson's daughters.

This article examines the impact of Japan on U.S.-Soviet relations during Richard Nixon's first term as U.S. president. Drawing heavily on recently declassified documents pertaining to back-channel negotiations between Nixon's national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, and Soviet Ambassador Anatolii Dobrynin, the article explains why no Soviet-Japanese rapprochement proved feasible even during the height of East-West détente. The enduring hostility was in contrast to the realignments of the other major powers during this period.