As you know if you have been following EpsteinReads for any length of time, I am in the process of reading all of John McPhee’s writings.  McPhee, now a 94 year old still living in Princeton, NJ, is one of the premier non-fiction writers of our time.  Beginning with a superb book about Bill Bradley’s basketball skills when he was a Princeton undergrad leading his team to the NCAA semi-finals and finishing with the 2023 collection, “Tabula Rasa”, McPhee has written 41 books on an almost unimaginable variety of topics.

His MO is to choose a topic of interest (think birch bark canoes, oranges, or the headmaster of a private school) and then spend an enormous amount of time investigating the topic often in the company of a fascinating character whom he has befriended.  This book about the Swiss Army written in 1984 is the 21st in the series, and to my eye, not one of his best.

One quibble which is not his fault is that the names of the valleys, mountains, villages, and the soldiers are mostly impossible to pronounce and totally impossible to remember, thus undercutting one of his great story telling talents.  Nonetheless, McPhee gives us a memorable look at one of those ‘who knew?’ topics he chooses.  Who knew the Swiss Army comprised most of the nation with men between 18 and their 50’s reporting for ‘refresher’ experiences for several weeks every year? Who knew that Switzerland as a confederation dated back to the 13th C and that the individual cantons have retained responsibility for their individual armies?  Who knew that behind or inside every mountain, glacier, or rock face sit jet planes, heavy artillery, and pilots and soldiers ready to scramble at a moment’s notice.

Perhaps the most fascinating element of this tale is the parallel hierarchy between the army and the world of business. While the soldiers are bakers, butchers, waiters, masons, plumbers, etc., the officers are drawn from the elite and the highest ranking officers are CEO’s of major banks and other businesses.  Imagine Larry Ellison or Elon Musk being the commanding officer of hundreds of soldiers!

Switzerland’s vow to remain neutral while also preventing any nation from crossing either its land or its air space allowed it to emerge from WWII without damage, and I’m assuming that 40 years after this book was written, they remain committed to that policy.  Unlike many of his topics, his description of the Cold War Switzerland may not be as accurate today, but I’m not going to do the legwork to figure that out.

Suffice it to say, that this book was vintage McPhee—detailed, filled with new and esoteric information, readable, and fascinating.  The winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 after three previous nominations, McPhee is a national treasure and I’m already looking forward to reading the next one on the list.