The Selected Letters of John Kenneth Galbraith invites readers to join in conversations with presidents & first ladies diplomats & schoolchildren the Mc Carthy 'loyalty board' foreign heads of state & fellow economists & a host of other correspondents In his long & cosmopolitan life Galbraith wrote thousands of letters & Richard P F Holt has selected the most important of these from his archival research now available in print for the first time The letters provide an intimate account of the three main political goals to which Galbraith devoted his professional life ending war fighting poverty & improving quality of life by achieving a balance between private & public goods in an affluent capitalist society Showing his thoughtful insights & charming wit this collection confirms Galbraith as a man of broad learning superb literary skills & deeply held progressive ideals