"Robert Fuller's
The Struggle for Cooperation is an eye-opener for Americans whose often rosy picture of the liberation of France is that of enthusiastic French citizens. The reality, as Fuller makes clear in this fascinating book, was far more complex and messy. Replete with colorful accounts of hundreds of specific events, Fuller's book, based on archival research reaching far and wide, tells us much about how the liberators, though initially warmly welcomed by the crowds, left a mixed legacy that would affect future Franco-American relations."—Charles L. Robertson, author of
When Roosevelt Planned to Govern France"Robert Fuller's engaging account makes accessible the complex and evolving issues of American involvement in a war-damaged country. The Struggle for Cooperation shows that, while Americans at many levels of the military operated effectively and with good intent, the number of bad actors and bad actions must be acknowledged as an essential, though often neglected, part of the story of the liberation of France and the conclusion of the war."—Kathryn Ragsdale, University of California, Irvine
"I would recommend the book to anyone interested in civil-military relations during wartime. It is a must-read book for those in the military working with a civilian government in a war zone."—Charles H. Bogart, The Journal of America's Military Past
"Robert L. Fuller bridges the gap between Allied relations, policy, and their effects on French civilians in The Struggle for Cooperation: Liberated France and the American Military, 1944-1946. Fuller adds to the historiography by covering understudied portions of World War II in Europe, French daily life after liberation, and American soldiers away from the front lines. As a result, Fuller has produced a nuanced, complicated view of the priorities of both the French and Americans that adds to our understanding of the period."—H-Net Reviews
"The Struggle for Cooperation is important for its contribution to our understanding of postwar Europe."—Michigan War Studies Review