The Untold History of the United States

“Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick have done what many would consider impossible. They have written a political history of the United States in the 20th Century that tells us exactly how the United States became an empire through conscious decisions, and how the struggle to maintain that empire will go on despite which political party holds office. It is a brilliant survey of the untold story.”

(Lloyd C. Gardner, author of The Road to Tahrir Square)

“Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick provide a critical overview of US foreign policy during the past few decades. There is much here to reflect upon. Such a perspective is indispensable… At stake is whether the United States will choose to be the policeman of a “Pax Americana,” which is a recipe for disaster, or partner with other nations on the way to a safer, more just and sustainable future.”

(President Mikhail Gorbachev)

“A brave revisionist study which shatters many foreign policy myths… the Stone-Kuznick team grapples with the unsavory legacy of American militarism…. Make room on your book shelf for this compelling leftist primer.”

(Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Deluge)

“Howard [Zinn] would have loved this ‘people’s history’ of the American Empire. It’s compulsive reading: brilliant, a masterpiece!”

(Daniel Ellsberg, author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers)

“Finally, a book with the guts to challenge the accepted narrative of recent American history… This is the ‘Washington didn’t really chop down the cherry tree’ book for our last hundred years.”

(Bill Maher)

“Kuznick and Stones’ Untold History is the most important historical narrative of this century.”

(Martin Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of American Prometheus)

“By casting a spotlight on the shadier aspects of America’s past, as well as the humane alternatives, Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick provide a thought-provoking rebuttal to the nationalist myths that are far too often served up as history. They remind us that, until Americans have the courage to confront reality, they will remain trapped by their illusions.”

(Lawrence Wittner, author of One World or None: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement Through 1953)

“Stone and Kuznick provide a boldly critical view of the most painful aspects of American history. Their perspective on nuclear danger is especially illuminating. They make clear how close we have come to the ultimate human absurdity of annihilating ourselves as a species with our own technology. One thinks of the Enlightenment motto, ‘Dare to know!’ The knowledge we gain can be a source of powerful wisdom.”

(Robert Jay Lifton, author of Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism)

“We won’t be able to manage America’s future if we don’t know its past. In their Untold Story, Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick peel away layers of misleading myth about America in the 20th century. Some will be surprised, others angry. Most will understand their nation much better, especially the young. Then perhaps we can move forward in the new century.”

(Jeff Madrick, author of Taking America)