{"product_id":"colonel-house-a-biography-of-woodrow-wilsons-silent-partner-9780195045505","title":"Colonel House: A Biography of Woodrow Wilson's Silent Partner","description":"\u003cp\u003eA man who lived his life mostly in the shadows  Edward M. House is little known or remembered today; yet he was one of the most influential figures of the Wilson presidency. Wilsons chief political advisor  House played a key role in international diplomacy  and had a significant hand in crafting the Fourteen Points at the Paris Peace Conference. Though the intimate friendship between the president and his advisor ultimately unraveled in the wake of these negotiations  Houses role in the Wilson administration had a lasting impact on 20th century international politics.  In this seminal biography  Charles E. Neu details the life of \"Colonel\" House  a Texas landowner who rose to become one of the centurys greatest political operators. Ambitious and persuasive  House worked largely behind the scenes  developing ties of loyalty and using patronage to rally party workers behind his candidates. In 1911 he met Woodrow Wilson  and almost immediately the two formed what would become one of the most famous friendships in American political history.  House became a high-level political intermediary in the Wilson administration  proving particularly adept at managing the intangible realm of human relations. After World War I erupted  House  realizing the complexity of the struggle and the dangers and opportunities it posed for the United States  began traveling to and from Europe as the presidents personal representative. Eventually he helped Wilson recognize the need to devise a way to end the war that would place the United States at the center of a new world order.  In this balanced account  Neu shows that while House was a resourceful and imaginative diplomat  his analysis of wartime politics was erratic. He relied too heavily on personal contacts  often exaggerating his accomplishments and missing the larger historical forces that shaped the policies of the warring powers. Ultimately  as the Paris Peace Conference unfolded  differences appeared between Wilson and his counselor. Their divergent views on the negotiations led to a bitter split  and after the president left France in June of 1919  he would never see House again.  Despite this break  Neu refutes the idea that Wilson and House were antagonists. They shared the same beliefs and aspirations and were  Neu shows  part of an unusual partnership. As an organizer  tactician  and confidant  House helped to make possible Wilsons achievements  and this impressive biography restores the enigmatic counselor to his place at the center of that presidency.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647035367477,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195045505","price":26.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195045505.jpg?v=1781686437","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/colonel-house-a-biography-of-woodrow-wilsons-silent-partner-9780195045505","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}