As a high-ranking American diplomat during the Cold War, Martin J. Hillenbrand was witness to some of the most exciting moments in twentieth-century history.

After five years in Asia and Africa, Hillenbrand spent most of his diplomatic career dealing with Europe in the critical post-World War II and Cold War eras. He recounts with authority his experiences in postwar Germany as the U.S. political advisor to Berlin, his activities as the director of the Intergovernmental Berlin Task Force during the Berlin crisis of 1958-1963, and his appointment as minister and deputy chief of mission in Bonn.

He also details his involvement with the Cuban missile crisis and the Kennedy administration, his appointment as the first American ambassador to Hungary, his service as assistant secretary of state for European affairs during the first Nixon administration, and his posting in 1972 as Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany.