Mr. White and Lord Keynes: The Battle of Bretton Woods by Benn Stell

I got this book as a birthday gift from my colleague. He knows me well.

This book opens the black box of the making of international order. Before reading the book, I still had the naive fantasy on the international conferences:  diplomats, speeches and cocktail. The new order came out as "friendly and constructive discussion". They are not. In Stell's account of the Bretton Woods, it is politics, schemes and personalities. In appearance, Bretton Woods is an international conference, but secretly, even Lord Keynes called delegates from other countries as "monkeys". Only the U.S. and the British Empire are real players, others are moneys. They are invited to show the fairness and legitimacy of new international order. Beneath, it is a game of power.

The most impressing thing is how Harry White, the major representative of the U.S., design the procedure of  the Bretton Woods so that he could swept in the clause that benefits U.S. at the cost of the British Empire. He avoided face to face conflicts with Keynes by letting Keynes to chair the session on the World Bank, which command no material significance. White himself chairs the session of IMF, the most important institution in the new order. All meeting minutes is written by staff from the U.S.. One can discuss, debate, or fight, but at the end of the day, it is all Mr. White's idea get written down.

This book is rich. I learned a lot about John Maynard Keynes, the greatest economists in the 20th century. Contrary to the image of the great, invincible man, he failed in many battles in his life. He is a great thinker, but a lousy diplomat. He even constantly felt inconfidence about his appearance, which, according to the picture and my judgement, is not really necessary. I also learned a lot about Harry Dexter White. His mysterious second life as a Soviet spy fascinates me. I also get a glimpse of the post World War history, when the great British Empire fell apart and the U.S. rose to power. I learned how the U.S. use the economic strength to maneuver. Finance is a weapon of massive destruction. It is a battle without bloodshed, but no less crucial.