From Exile to Washington: A Memoir of Leadership in the Twentieth Century

The Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany jointly hosted the Honorable W. Michael Blumenthal, former US Secretary of the Treasury, for the release of his memoir, From Exile to Washington: A Memoir of Leadership in the Twentieth Century, on October 21, 2013. Stuart E. Eizenstat of Covington & Burling LLP provided commentary. Secretary Blumenthal's memoir blends a compelling personal narrative with some of the major events in the 20th century, including the rise of Hitler in Germany, Shanghai during World War II, and the global economic challenges faced by the Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter administrations.

W. Michael Blumenthal was the US Secretary of the Treasury in the Carter administration from 1977 to 1979.  Secretary Blumenthal served as Ambassador and Deputy Special Representative for trade negotiations under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bendix and Burroughs (later Unisys) Corporations.  His previous book, The Invisible Wall: Germans and Jews, was published in 1999.  He has been the founding director of the Jewish Museum Berlin since December 1997.  Born in Germany in 1926, Secretary Blumenthal moved to the United States in 1947.  Secretary Blumenthal received his PhD in economics from Princeton University.