In this uniquely insightful and informed account of Lester B. Pearson's foreign policy in the year 1948-1957, his son Geoffrey Pearson places the "Golden Age" of Canadian diplomacy in perspective. Holding the necessary balance between nationalism and realism in a particularly unstable time emerges as Pearson's overriding achievement as Secretary of State for External Affairs. It was a time when Canadian influence was felt around the world, and it culminated with a Nobel Peace Prize for Pearson. The author examines his father's politics in the context of Cold War stand-off, relations with the United States, the pressures for collective security, and the threat of nuclear war. Research into cabinet documents, combined with more personal sources, provides an especially strong picture of the Pearson legacy and its future implications for Canadian foreign policy.