John Holmes (1910-1988) was a diplomat and scholar. He joined the Department of External Affairs and was there until 1960, when he left the public service to become President/Director General of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs till 1973. He was a Visiting Professor of International Relations at the University of Toronto from 1967 until his death.

'This is an immensely important and interesting book, and as a study of its subject it is unrivalled. Elegance, depth and care characterize every page.'

'likely to be for a long time the most comprehensive account of the work of what a British diplomat once called the most impressive team of foreign service officers of its day. A new breed of Canadian diplomats ... deliberately set out to try to reshape international relations to meet what they believed were the needs of a new age. Holmes argues persuasively that, although they were in some ways unduly idealistic, (they) did make it a significant contribution to the shaping of the peace.'

'Written with grace, with and perception by a distinguished Canadian diplomat-scholar. The subject is importance for its own sake and also for its comparative perspective on the ideas and policies of Americans. A major contribution to the growing literature of Canadian diplomatic history.'

J.L. Granatstein:

'John Holmes is without question one of the wisest commentators on Canadian foreign policy. (This volume presents) a thorough and detailed analysis of Canada's emergence from a timid colony in the 1930s into the aggressive and confident middle power of the war and immediate postwar years. Holmes looks at Canada's role in the making the peace, building the UN, and re-shaping the North Atlantic triangle. The result is a careful and wise book.'