Harry White and the American Creed

Book excerpt: The life of a major figure in twentieth‑century economic history whose impact has long been clouded by dubious allegations "Harry Dexter White has always been the mystery man at the center of America's international economic policy in the 1930s and 1940s. James Boughton helps demystify him in this rich, enlightening, and most interesting volume."--Douglas Irwin, author of Clashing over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy Although Harry Dexter White (1892-1948) was arguably the most important U.S. government economist of the twentieth century, he is remembered more for having been accused of being a Soviet agent. During the Second World War, he became chief advisor on international financial policy to Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, a role that would take him to Bretton Woods, where he would make a lasting impact on the architecture of postwar international finance. However, charges of espionage, followed by his dramatic testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee and death from a heart attack a few days later, obscured his importance in setting the terms for the modern global economy. In this book, James Boughton rehabilitates White, delving into his life and work and returning him to a central role as the architect of the world's financial system.