This study begins by looking at the American concept of neutrality in the 18th and 19th centuries. It goes on to discuss the question of what happened to that concept once America assumed world leadership, especially after Pearl Harbour. The work is based on primary documents, and traces in detail the American attitude towards neutrality from 1941 to the mid-fifties. Jurg Martin Gabriel's previous books include How Switzerland is Governed and Das politische System der Schweiz.