Currently a board member of the Heritage Foundation and chair of the Defense Forum Foundation and the Committee for Monetary Research and Education, Middendorf enjoyed a successful career in investment banking before becoming actively involved in American politics starting in the 1960s. His memoir concentrates on the latter, tracing his participation in a number of capacities and under the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations, including the presidential campaign of Senator Barry Goldwater, and serving as the treasurer of the Republican National Committee, ambassador to the Netherlands, Under Secretary and then Secretary of the Navy, ambassador to the Organization of American States, and ambassador to the European Community. The book is illustrated with b&w photographs. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)