Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. [Vol. 5.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 25)

Book reviews - András Tarnóc: The Return of the Holy Crown. (Giant Tibor: A Szent Korona amerikai kalandja 1945-1978. )

to use Neustadt's power to persuade, promoting the decision as a benefit to the American people. The return of the crown jewels paving the way for the acquisition of the Most Favored Nation status in trade relations was one of the greatest successes of the post1945 Hungarian diplomacy. The diplomatic maneuvermgs connoted a certain degree of freedom from Soviet control and signaled an effort at achieving a quasi-autonomous status within the Eastern Block. Giant's work painstakingly retracing the details of the removal and return of the Holy Crown is a welcome addition enriching both the scholarship on Hungarian history and the domestic achievements in American Studies. It is noteworthy that the author chose an event from the recent past on which the figurative dust has not yet settled, and whose participants are in most cases alive. This apparent lack of historical perspective, however, does not present an insurmountable obstacle for the author, as he is able to present the findings of his thorough and careful research in a remarkably objective manner. However, Tibor Giant's book is valuable for another reason. As it is often mentioned the average citizen is far removed from the workings of history, and he or she can gain an insight into the background of milestone events only after the respective period is viewed as one belonging to the distant past and its actors disappeared through the trapdoor of history. The present work, however, focusing on a relatively recent event breaks this imposed code of silence taking the reader on an unforgettable journey in the labyrinth of contemporary foreign policy decision making. WORKS CITED Neustadt, Richard, E. Presidential Power. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1980. 139