Challenges; reflections of a lawyer-at-large

About this book

"Anyone who thinks of the practice of law as a musty succession of writs and torts, punctuated by dreary hours in court, will do well to come face to face with the prismatic career of James B. Donovan. A skilled advocate, he has effectively channeled his talents into many byways of contemporary life. After war duty as a line officer in the Navy and general counsel for the OSS, he served as associate prosecutor at the principal Nuremberg trial. In 1957 he represented Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, charged with espionage against the United States, and later negotiated Abel's release in exchange for Francis Gary Powers and Frederic L. Pryor. This entire story was told by Donovan in his noted book Strangers on a Bridge. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, he obtained the release of 9700 Cuban and American prisoners. Of his many civic achievements, his influence as President of the New York City School Board has been felt most keenly around the nation. This collection of Donovan's speeches, with introductory notes, provides dramatic sidelights on these assignments, along with other fascinating subjects, such as the privilege of defending unpopular persons and causes, the need for active economic development of Latin America rather than passive fear of communism, the problems of integrating our public schools, the strengthening of our intelligence system (including an impassioned defense of C.I.A. activities), and legal aspects of scientific experiments, including the use of human guinea pigs"--Unedited summary from book jacket.