Includes bibliographical references (p. 367-387) and index.

I: Genesis: the Palestine conflict to 1945 -- Security and politics: the context of U.S. policy toward Palestine after 1945 -- Ambivalence: Truman's policy toward Palestine, 1945-1947 -- Diplomacy and conflict: the creation of Israel and the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949 -- II: Security commitments: U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East, 1949-1953 -- Presidential passivity: Truman and the peace process, 1949-1953 -- Repatriation versus resettlement: the Palestinian refugee crisis, 1949-1953 -- Holy places: the question of Jerusalem, 1949-1953 -- Tangled web: the U.S. failure to solve multiple controversies, 1949-1953 -- The impact of conflict: U.S. relations with Israel and the Arab states, 1949-1953 -- III: Cold War framework: U.S. perspectives on the Middle East, 1953-1957 -- Border wars: Eisenhower, Dulles, and Arab-Israeli frontiers, 1953-1955 -- Cornucopia of conflict: water, Jerusalem, refugees, and trade, 1953-1955 -- Stillborn: the U.S. peace process and the resumption of war, 1955-1956 -- Desperation diplomacy: U.S. policy during the Suez-Sinai war of 1956 -- Persistent conflict: the aftermath of the Suez-Sinai war -- IV: Security affirmed: U.S. regional considerations in the Middle East after the Suez-Sinai war -- Containing conflict: U.S. efforts to avert Arab-Israeli clashes, 1957-1961 -- Selective activism: U.S. efforts to solve Arab-Israeli disputes, 1957-1961 -- Cost of conflict: U.S. relations with Israel and the Arab states, 1953-1961 -- Caught in the Middle East.

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