A worldly affair New York, the United Nations, and the story behind their unlikely bond

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Author

Hanlon, Pamela.

Title

A worldly affair [electronic resource] : New York, the United Nations, and the story behind their unlikely bond / Pamela Hanlon.

ISBN

0823277976

9780823277971

9780823277957 (hardback)

Edition

First edition.

Published

New York : Empire State Editions, an Imprint of Fordham University Press, 2017. (Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2015)

Physical Description

1 online resource (pages cm)

Local Notes

Access is available to the Yale community.

Notes

Description based on print version record.

Access and use

Access restricted by licensing agreement.

Summary

" For more than seven decades, New York City and the United Nations have shared the island of Manhattan, living and working together in a bond that has been likened to a long marriage-both tempestuous and supportive, quarrelsome and committed. A Worldly Affair tells the story of this hot and cold romance, from the 1940s when Mayor Fiorello La Guardia was doggedly determined to bring the new world body to New York, to the UN's flat rejection of the city's offer, then its abrupt change of course in the face of a Rockefeller gift, and on to some tense, troubling decades that followed. Racial prejudice and anti-Communist passions challenged the young international institution. Spies, scofflaw diplomats, provocative foreign visitors, and controversial UN-member policy positions tested New Yorkers' patience. And all the while, the UN's growth-from its original 51 member states to 193 by 2017-placed demands on the surrounding metropolis for everything from more office space, to more security, to better housing and schools for the international community's children. As the city worked to accommodate the world body's needs-often in the face of competition from other locales vying to host at least parts of the UN entity-New Yorkers at times grew to resent its encroachment on their neighborhoods, and at times even its very presence. It was a constituent sentiment that provoked more than one New York mayor to be less than hospitable in dealing with the city's international guests. Yet, as the UN moves into its eighth decade in New York-with its headquarters complex freshly renovated and the city proudly proclaiming that the organization adds nearly $4 billion to the New York economy each year-it seems clear the decades-old marriage will last. Whatever the inevitable spats and clashes along the way, the worldly affair is here to stay. "-- Provided by publisher.

"A Worldly Affair will look at the history of the city's often difficult relationship with the UN. Hanlon takes the reader from the days of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, dogged in his determination to bring the world capitol to his city; through the troubling decades when many questioned whether the UN would stay in New York; to recurring stories of spies, scofflaw diplomats, and controversial foreign guests that have kept New Yorkers on edge; to the most recent stage in the relationship, the UN's commitment to remain in the city"-- Provided by publisher.

Variant and related titles

Project MUSE - 2017 Complete.

UPCC book collections on Project MUSE.

Project MUSE - 2017 History.

Format

Books / Online

Language

English

Added to Catalog

September 12, 2017

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.