From Publishers Weekly
In l951, Major General Robert W. Grow (1895-1985), the senior U.S. military attache in Moscow, was accused of poor judgment in keeping a diary that contained sensitive information, portions of which came into Russian hands. Hofmann, lecturer in history at the University of Cincinnati, describes how the diary was exploited by the Soviets, then by the Western press, especially the Washington Post , which gave credence to the distorted Communist version. Amid the hysteria of the Cold War, Grow was court-martialed on charges of failing to safeguard classified information. He expected to be vindicated since the diary contained no classified material. Instead he received an official reprimand and was suspended from command; only in 1957 did he succeed in getting his sentence remitted. Although Hofmann scants biographical details about Grow in this academic case study, he explores Pentagon intrigue and the illegal ``command influence'' by which Gen. Maxwell Taylor effectively turned the Grow court-martial into a mockery of the newly instituted Uniform Code of Military Justice. Photos. Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Grow's court-martial, a vibrant cause celebre in 1952, is yet another relic of the Cold War that is fast becoming forgotten. Grow was a military attache in Moscow who had the misfortune of having his personal diary photographed by a spy and several inflammatory passages published by the Communist press. The disciplinary action taken against him showed the growing influence of McCarthy-era zealots and revealed the fecklessness of Army careerists. Author Hofmann, a historian and military writer, presents a balanced and detailed picture of the incident and its political context. This is an academic book, solid and dependable, yet written fluidly enough for the general adult reader. Recommended for academic and large public collections.- Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Los AngelesCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

New research data gathered through the Freedom of Information Act and the first use of the Grow files provide the framework for this absorbing account of the general court-martial of one of General George S. Patton's famous armored division commanders of World War II. The 1952 court-martial of Major General Robert W. Grow, senior U.S. military attache in Moscow during the Korean War era, involved a general officer who had used questionable judgment in recording impolitic statements in his personal diary, portions of which had been photocopied by an alleged Soviet agent in Frankfurt, West Germany. This era of Cold War tensions and McCarthyism, Western media sensationalism, and communist propaganda created a cause celebre and influenced the Army Staff in the Pentagon, led by Lieutenant General Maxwell D. Taylor, to exercise controversial command influence under the aegis of the new Uniform Code of Military Justice. While the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency recommended refuting the implications of the published diary the Army Staff decided to prosecute the unfortunate attache. Grow, a career soldier, welcomed a formal hearing in order to clear his name. The result became an exercise in army politics and an example of the corruption of the military justice system through managerial careerism and unlawful command influence. Through his analysis of the Grow incident, Hofmann traces the actual operation of military judicial process under the Uniform Code and examines the bureaucratic intrigues, influence of the media, Cold War propaganda, and resulting conflict between service and self-interest.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In l951, Major General Robert W. Grow (1895-1985), the senior U.S. military attache in Moscow, was accused of poor judgment in keeping a diary that contained sensitive information, portions of which came into Russian hands. Hofmann, lecturer in history at the University of Cincinnati, describes how the diary was exploited by the Soviets, then by the Western press, especially the Washington Post , which gave credence to the distorted Communist version. Amid the hysteria of the Cold War, Grow was court-martialed on charges of failing to safeguard classified information. He expected to be vindicated since the diary contained no classified material. Instead he received an official reprimand and was suspended from command; only in 1957 did he succeed in getting his sentence remitted. Although Hofmann scants biographical details about Grow in this academic case study, he explores Pentagon intrigue and the illegal ``command influence'' by which Gen. Maxwell Taylor effectively turned the Grow court-martial into a mockery of the newly instituted Uniform Code of Military Justice. Photos. (Feb.)

Library Journal