This story of The United States' Ambassador to Japan and his efforts to avoid war between our countries is illustrated well in this offering from Lew Paper. I found the diplomatic history to be compelling and fascinating. There is a wealth of well researched information contained within. I appreciated that the facts are presented dispassionately and that I as the reader am able to draw my own impressions and conclusion. In the Cauldron is a bit intimidating, as it contains so much information, I had to read it a bit at a time in order to digest it all. An excellent addition to any library. 3.5
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

My previous understanding of WWII's war in the Pacific started with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which is where many books more or less start. I had no idea that the U.S. ambassador knew where things were headed (at least to this degree) and had tried so hard to avert war.

I did my best with this book, but just couldn't see the story in it. In the end, I decided not to review it. Sorry!

Throughout my life, I traveled through life with only a cursory knowledge of what happened in 1941. This limited my understanding of why the Japanese provoked a war with the United States, and what actions by both countries may have led us to that fateful day. “In the Cauldron” sets the record straight.

Author Lew Paper does much more than embellish the main facts and build a book around them. His book is a massive construction of everything that happened before December 7, 1941. His well-researched history introduces everyone involved and goes into great detail to explain what led up to that fateful day. One of the main characters was Joseph Grew, who served as Ambassador to Japan. This book is the first to tell of Ambassador Grew’s efforts to prevent an armed conflict with Japan. His diary provides a solid foundation and we are privy not only to the facts but the inner workings of his mind. Despite the winds that circled around him, Joseph Grew believed it was his duty to preserve peace and persisted in his efforts to avoid war between Japan and America. Meanwhile, players on both sides of the eventual conflict were pushing in the opposite direction.

Although the book proceeds in a chronological fashion, Mr. Paper appears to have been conscious that releasing a flood of characters in a comprehensive book would have buried the reader in potential confusion. Instead, he introduces people as they become more important to the events, and includes back stories to help us understand the basis of their decisions. The easy conclusion of why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor becomes a cauldron of details that swirled and cooked until war between these two nations was all but inevitable. As with many conversations in contentious times, interpretations of what was said hardened into perceptions which set individuals on what each believed to be the correct paths.

In the Acknowledgements, Mr. Paper lists the people and libraries that assisted his search for additional documents and memoirs. His additional notes for each chapter are extensive. While there are times that individual stories cross and are repeated in later chapters, this can be forgiven due to the incredible details that fill the pages. This book follows the events leading to war, examining the actions, words, and thoughts of people that held similar and opposing views. This included not only those that contributed to the impasse between Japan and the United States, but also those within each government and country. Though it is not bluntly stated, this is a fascinating look at how personalities and misunderstandings can lead to events that affect the entire world. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Regnery History for an advance electronic copy of this book.

IN THE CAULDRON
By Lewis J. Paper

A Book Review
Lewis Paper’s stated objective in writing this book is to tell the story of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew’s attempts to prevent his country and Japan from slipping into a war which neither side ostensibly wanted. And the author does this very well, writing in a fluid, easy to read manner to relate Grew’s story from the early days of his career at the turn of the 20th century through the Pearl Harbor tragedy and afterward. Page is even-handed in his treatment of the many figures in this drama, save only for his obvious approval of Mr. Grew and his disdain for Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
As might be expected from the attorney and former law professor that he is, Mr. Page draws few, if any,
conclusions. Instead, he lets the reader determine from the facts presented the whichever conclusion he is led to draw. Some of the questions that arise are these: Did either the United States or Japan deliberately seek war with the other? Was President Franklyn Roosevelt anxious to leave no stone unturned to avoid a war? Did Japanese emperor Hirohito Michinomiya seek to incite war? Did Prime Minister Togo Shigenori, who was subsequently convicted of war crimes and executed, try to block negotiations? Was the Roosevelt Administration aware of Japan’s predilection for forceful surprise blows in war?
This book is primarily intended as a rendition of the story of a diligent, professional, and peace-loving diplomat. But it is also a must-read for those interested in the question of who knew what, who did what, and when, on the eve of Pearl Harbor.

Lew Paper's In the Cauldron is a compelling narrative of events leading up to Pearl Harbor. It is an intimate and frightening look at the events that lead up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and Ambassador Joe Grew’s valiant attempts to prevent it. Having lived and worked in Japan for over 10 years Grew understood the psyche and temperament of the Japanese people and offered many insightful recommendations to his government to try and avoid war. President Roosevelt and his administration chose to ignore these recommendations and the resulting actions resulted in attack on Pearl Harbor.

Based on Ambassador Joe Grew’s diaries, letters and telegrams to/from the State Department, Lew Paper presents a version of history that has been ignored and reveals the petty bickering, infighting and internal politics of the State Department under Cordell Hull. It definitely raises the question as to whether the Pearl Harbor attack should have ever happened.

I'm sorry. I just could not finish this book. Despite trying many times. I found it ponderous, too caught up in minor details, and to be blunt, boring. I will not be leaving this review on any of my normal review sites, as my inability to finish it should not be a negative reflection on the author's work.