The Last of the Giants encountered by me were those two glorious and decidedly old-fashioned figures, Churchill and de Gaulle, one whose flame had almost failed, while the other's was about to blaze. Churchill had already slipped from the active scene and de Gaulle was in self-chosen political exile when this account begins. Yet, before its end, the General rose like a genie from the dark forest refuge and came to dominate Europe in a way yet to be achieved by any other postwar statesman. During the nine years covered (1954-1963), these two were the remaining monoliths, aging and impeccably courteous men who, in themselves, typified the best of theeir respective heritages. -- jacket flap.

Sequel to : A long row of candles. Includes index.

Many characters in search of a plot -- As others saw him -- The Kennedy memorandum -- De Gaulle on De Gaulle - Coup-making -- De Gaulle on De Gaulle - program -- The man behind the mask -- How to start a column -- Germany rearms -- Dulles on a-bombs in Asia -- In a Korean bathtub -- Churchill's last fight -- Nasser : "Fear Dominates the Area" -- De Gaulle : "This Regime Must Vanish" -- GUM for the people, boom for Beria -- Broth with homemade hooks -- Black-marketing Khrushchev -- Churchill on "Our Aristocratic Heritage" -- Ike says Khrushchev is like "A Drunken Raliway Hand" -- The biggest duffer of all -- "I Should Like To Wipe Every Tear From Every Eye" -- Neither dinosaur nor bee -- The rabbits of Quemoy -- How to get help from both sides -- Nasser : "My Intelligence Service Would Be Angry With Me" -- De Gaulle marches back -- Nixon : "Peace At Almost Any Price" -- Gaullism's D'Artagnan -- It's better to pray with bombs -- LBJ : "I Can Prove My Own IQ" -- Wingless eagles and wingless mosquitoes - -How Britain cooled off Joe Kennedy -- De Gaulle : "There Is NO Question We Can Solve With The Russians" -- Khrushchev is on the skids -- Arranging to be kidnapped in Algeria -- De Gaulle : "U.N. Is An Augmented Babel" -- An advisory role -- The Shah flirts with Russia -- Khrushchev on paradise -- This hurts me more than it hurts you -- De Gaulle : France could "Tear Off An Arm" of Russia -- Adenauer : Russia contradicts Marx -- MacMillan : "A Spirit Of The Dynasts Takes Control" -- Kennedy : Nixon has "A Split Personality" -- De Gaulle :"Europe Could Not Defend Itself Alone" -- "Three Things The Americans Can't Stand" -- Adenauer : "I Think Of Death With Equanimity" -- Nasser : "One Learns To Be More Patient" .