Belgium; a personal narrative (Volume I)

By Brand Whitlock

Book Overview

Brussels, 1914: the lights dim. As Germany tightens its grip on Belgium, Brand Whitlock, the American ambassador Brussels, records what he saw and what he had to do when diplomacy became survival. Belgium; a personal narrative (Volume I) is a world war i memoir and an unabridged diplomatic memoir from inside the German occupation of Belgium. Whitlock writes as a witness and a working official: reporting great war diplomacy, daily pressure on a neutral legation, and the hard choices behind humanitarian relief efforts that kept civilians fed. Read alongside the story of Herbert Hoover Belgium relief, this volume offers primary source research value as well as narrative force, capturing Brussels during WW1 with the texture of streets, offices, and negotiations. He shows how neutrality was negotiated hour by hour, and how food, paperwork, and patience became tools of statecraft amid the German occupation Belgium at every turn. It is the opening movement of a complete two-volume narrative, essential for military history readers, historians of Belgium early 20th century, and anyone drawn to the moral mechanics of international crisis. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. For casual readers it is immediate and humane; for classic-literature collectors it stands as a historically significant record of American engagement in occupied Europe, and a cornerstone for understanding the politics of relief and representation in wartime.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9389169283
• ISBN13: 9789389169287
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 676 Pages
• Weight: 1.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"