Economic Policy Beyond the Headlines; A Time for Truth

Two former Secretaries of the Treasury could hardly have written more contrasting books. With his former government colleague Kenneth Dam, a Chicago law professor specializing in international economics, George Shultz has produced a solid contribution as to how the government works. Using a novel analytical framework, they look at a series of economic problems of continuing importance. William Simon's highly personal account is a lively indictment of government and a call for a crusade to restore liberty and a free economy. This requires a counterintelligentsia financed by business to challenge "the assumptions and goals presently underlying our political life." Simon has little to say about international affairs, but Shultz and Dam have two valuable chapters on the monetary and trade issues they faced.