CCD is pleased to present the publication of two new books by two Board Members: An Architect of Democracy, written by CCD Vice President James R. Huntley, and A New Vision for America, written by President Emeritus John Richardson.

Click here for information on where to buy the books.

AN ARCHITECT OF DEMOCRACY: Building a Mosaic of Peace
James Robert Huntley
foreword by Brent Scowcroft
ADST Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series, forthcoming from New Academia Publishing, June 2006
Paperback, 600 pages (est.) 12 illustrations, index. $30.00.

A detailed chronicle of the working life of an idealistic, action-oriented World War II veteran’s lifelong search for peace through strengthening democracies and the international institutions that unite them.

“A personal story of our times, well told by a master practitioner.”
 – ROBERT HUNTER

“[A] book rich with wise insights.”
– LORD [CHRIS] PATTEN

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James Robert Huntley’s autobiography, AN ARCHITECT OF DEMOCRACY: BUILDING A MOSAIC OF PEACE (New Academia Publishing, June 2006), chronicles the working life of an idealistic, action-oriented World War II veteran’s lifelong search for peace through strengthening democracies and the international institutions that unite them. Brent Scowcroft has written the foreword to this sixth volume in ADST’s Memoirs and Occasional Papers Series.

Early praise for the book from those who knew and worked with Jim Huntley underline the high regard in which he and his quest are held. From former U.S. ambassador to NATO Robert Hunter: “Over half a century, James Huntley has played a major leadership role—in government and in the nonprofit and scholarly worlds—animating and strengthening bonds among democratic peoples and institutions, from the EU and NATO to the new intergovernmental Community of Democracies. This is a personal story of our times, well told by a master practitioner.”  From the Rt. Hon. Lord [Chris] Patten, former European commissioner for external relations and governor of Hong Kong: “James Huntley shares with us his incomparable experience of diplomacy and the organization of civil society in a book rich with his wise insights.” And from David Kilgour, Canadian member of Parliament: “Jim Huntley is both an extraordinary American and an advocate for multiparty democracies around the world. Every democrat anywhere should read this work.”

In Architect of Democracy, Huntley details his life story. He began a promising career in youth work and community planning in Washington State, but the Korean War set him off on his quest for world peace. He spent a decade in the Foreign Service, mostly in USIA, where, along with many others, he helped the Germans take their place among the democratic nations and later worked on the foundations of NATO and the European Union. He conceived of the private multinational Atlantic Institute, reluctantly leaving the diplomatic service to help world leaders spur creation of the Atlantic Institute of Paris, and later headed the Atlantic Council of the United States.

Huntley devoted his career to study and networking in foundations (he was a program executive at the Ford Foundation), research organizations (he was a Fellow of the Batelle Research Institute), and nonprofit groups that prod democracies to unite for peace. He is a founder and current vice president of the Council for a Community of Democracies and has helped form and animate a dozen nongovernmental organizations dealing with peace and democracy. His previous writings include Europe and America (1970), Uniting the Democracies (1980), and Pax Democratica (1998, 2001).

 

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A NEW VISION FOR AMERICA: Toward Human Solidarity Through Global Democracy – A Memoir
John Richardson
foreword by John C. Whitehead
ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series, forthcoming from Ruder Finn, paperback June 2006
250 pages (est.), illustrations, index. $25.00

A compelling memoir by one of America’s most accomplished and visionary political figures.

“John [Richardson] has written a great book and lived a great life, a first-class citizen, dedicated to peace and freedom.... [His] life is a model for young people everywhere who want to make a contribution to a cause that they believe in, who want to do something more with their lives than just make a lot of money."
– JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, former U.S. deputy secretary of state

The 27th series volume, John Richardson’s memoir A NEW VISION FOR AMERICA: TOWARD HUMAN SOLIDARITY THROUGH GLOBAL DEMOCRACY, published by Ruder Finn Press, presents the vision, values, and hopes of a senior public official during the Cold War chill. In the book’s foreword, former deputy secretary of state John C. Whitehead states: "John has written a great book and lived a great life, dedicated to peace and freedom.”

In a lively, personal style with self-deprecating humor, Richardson traces the evolution of his worldview from his elite prep school days and service as a World War II paratrooper through the years and into his eighties. After starting as a lawyer (Sullivan & Cromwell) and investment banker (Paine Webber), he moved on to public service. His book recounts his eight years as CEO of Radio Free Europe, touching on its ties to the CIA, and his later service as assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, CEO of Youth for Understanding, chair of the National Endowment for Democracy, and board member of numerous educational and service organizations. In between, other interests and sometimes self-assumed tasks focused on Poland and on refugees, initially sparked by his intense and energetic response to the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Throughout, his goal remained that of moving toward a better world, led by the example of the United States as an inevitably flawed but vibrant democracy. He is a cofounder of the Council for a Community of Democracies, as is James Huntley, with whom he will share a June 14 book launch at DACOR Bacon House.

Ambassador Brandon Grove characterized Richardson's book as “authoritative and informative in its narration of a life with an international purpose [that] combines his large and hopeful view of the world with the necessity of getting things done in ways that work.” The enduring value of A New Vision for America stems from the unique vantage points from which John Richardson shares his experiences in public affairs––failures as well as achievements––and the lessons he learned through softly conducted diplomacy.

 

Where to Buy?

John Richardson's A New Vision for America will be available in late fall 2006. James Huntley's An Architect of Democracy is now available.
© 2006 Council for a Community of Democracies - All Rights Reserved