The Eighth Case: Troubled Times at the United Nations Book

The author was one of eight Americans at UNESCO whom the U.S. Government in the mid-1950's requested the Director General of UNESCO to dismiss because there was "reasonable doubt" as to their loyalty to the United States. The Director General at the time, Dr. Luther Evans, a former Librarian of Congress, fired seven who had refused to summit to a "loyalty" investigation, but he declined to act in an "eighth case". Behrstock's was the "eighth case". The book recounts the history of actions taken by the United States regarding the fate of the seven Americans and the "eighth case". The author also seeks to convey more than merely the dilemma of one individual: it is intended to reflect the larger, generational characteristics shared by certain U.N. Americans of that period. Finally, the book takes a leap forward from the mid-'50's to the mid-'80's, and describes the present-day pressures on the United Nations system.

Author Biography: Julian Behrstock was a member of the UNESCO Secretariat from 1948 to 1976. Winner of the 1977 International Book Award for outstanding services to the cause of books, he is currently a European representative for several book publishers.