This multigenerational memoir sketches the lives of three generations of the author's family that were involved with some of the most profound issues of the twentieth century. Smith's paternal grandfather was present at the creation of General Motors Corporation and served as its Vice President and General Counsel. His maternal grandfather, William G. Maguire, was an entrepreneur and natural gas pipeline pioneer with a visionary grasp of natural gas's significance in the twentieth century American economy. Smith's father served as a senior diplomat under five presidents, working to constrain the nuclear arms race between the United States and Russia and to curtail proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Autorentext

John Thomas Smith II, like his father and grandfather, is a lawyer. His career involved him in some of the signal events of the twentieth century, including the Saturday Night Massacre during "Watergate" and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Inhalt

Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: William George Maguire
Chapter 2: John Thomas Smith
Chapter 3: More about J.T.
Chapter 4: My Father, Gerard C. Smith
Chapter 5: Life in Washington in the Early 50s
Reflection-Religion and "Last Things"
Chapter 6: State Department-Round One
Chapter 7: The 60s
Chapter 8: J.T.S. II, Yale Years
Chapter 9: Romance, Marriage, and Military Service
Reflection-A Digression on "Sex"
Chapter 10: G.C.S. and Strategic Arms Limitations
Chapter 11: J.T.S. II, Initial Public Service
Reflection-A Digression by a Member of the First Nuclear
Weapons Generation
Chapter 12: J.T.S. II, Six Months of Justice
Reflection-A Digression on Drinking
Chapter 13: G.C.S. in the 1970s
Chapter 14: J.T.S. II 1973-1978
Reflection-A Digression on Family and Friends
Chapter 15: The 1980s-A Fraught Decade
Reflection-A Digression on My Mother
Chapter 16: Two Divorces and Three Weddings
Reflection-A Digression on Divorce
Chapter 17: My Father's Final Years
Reflection-A Digression on Reading
Chapter 18: Private Practice
Chapter 19: Final Days and Reflections
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index