Richard M. Pious

American national security : a presidential perspective

Part One: The meaning of national security. National security: basic concepts and principles. National security: the external environment. National security: the internal policy process. Part Two: The managmenet of national security policy making. Laying the foundations: the Truman administration and national security policy. The Eisenhower administration: the NSC and policy coordination. National security policy in the Johnson administration: the adviser as counselor. The Nixon administration: the national security adviser as agent. Disunity and disarray in national security policy making: the Carter and Reagan administrations. Part Three: Contemporary national security problems. The lessons of the Iran-Contra affair for national security policy making. National security policy in the post Cold War era: the challenge of the 1990s.

Managing the Presidency: Carter, Reagan and the Search for Executive Harmony.

Arguing that too many studies focus on presidents personalities, and not their relationships with advisers and the machinery of the office, Campbell describes the institutional development of the presidency and assesses the Carter and Regan administrations within a historical context. Interviews with senior members of the White House staff and other high-ranking officials add color and depth to his study.