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In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

- Alistair Horne
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Author:
Alistair Horne
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Jewel
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Shortly after Pearl Harbor, FDR committed a most visionary act: He appointed a Harvard historian to write the official account of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Samuel Eliot Morison was given the rank of lieutenant commander, with the right to interview anyone of whatever status.

Kissinger was surely one of the very few statesmen to try to do something positive to break the log jam of the Cold War; to try to end the war in Vietnam; to bring a halt to the cycle of war in the Middle East.

On 6 October 1973, the Yom Kippur war broke out between a coalition of Arab states and Israel. At 6 A.M. that morning, Kissinger, asleep in the Waldorf, was taken by surprise by the Arab attack - as were the CIA and the rest of the world.

By the end of 2001, between 100,000 to 150,000 Algerians had died in the civil war, as well as 120 foreigners. The cost to the economy ran into billions of dollars. And all this in spite of a tough, 120,000-strong army backed by 80,000 police.

Christmas 1972 was a lonely time for Kissinger, as well as for his boss, and a period of serious reflection. Kissinger was then a bachelor, enamored of the tall, elegant, but elusive WASP Nancy Maginnes, but still very much a bachelor - Washington's most sought-after bachelor.

In Tbilisi in 1990, I recall watching zealous Georgians smash statues of Lenin and Stalin. A few days earlier, though, in Moscow I had been invited to address the Red Army, as one of the first Brits to benefit from Glasnost. The subject they chose: The Cuban Missile Crisis.

Following 9/11, intelligence indicated numerous links between al-Qa'eda and Algeria. It began to look as though the roots of jihad could be traced back to the war in Algeria that began 50 years ago.

Though not the longest battle in history - that was Verdun - Stalingrad was certainly the most pitiless, an adjective that reappears regularly in Mr. Beevor's classic work.

Though Washington had closed down for the holidays, the next day, December 26, a key message from Hanoi brought Kissinger racing back to his office. It was the signal the White House had anxiously been awaiting; it was also the day of one of the biggest raids by the giant B-52s.

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In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.

In the 17th century, Barbados was regarded in London as 'the brightest jewel in the English crown'.