Command of Office: How War, Secrecy, and Deception Transformed the Presidency, from Theodore Roosevelt to George W. Bush

Front Cover
Basic Books, Jan 16, 2006 - Biography & Autobiography - 744 pages
Command of Office reveals the remarkable-and dangerous-concentration of power in the American presidency over the course of the twentieth century, told through incisive analyses of the eighteen men who have held the office and the events that shaped their presidencies. Stephen Graubard tracks the steady expansion of secrecy as a tool of presidential authority, one that inevitably diminished the power of the other two branches of government. Widely esteemed by his fellow historians and with unique access to former members of both Republican and Democratic administrations, Graubard has written a masterful history of presidential power-essential reading for anyone concerned with American politics.

About the author (2006)

From 1961-1996, Stephen Graubard was the editor of Daedalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Brown University. His involvement in the national political scene dates back to 1945, when Eleanor Roosevelt invited him to her husband's wartime inauguration. He has studied at George Washington University and Harvard, and holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He is the author of several books, including Kissinger: Portrait of a Mind, and Mr. Bush's War: Adventures in the Politics of Illusion. He now lives in London.