Despite the voluminous research published about World War II, there has remained a surprising gap; there is little, perhaps nothing, on the role of Switzerland. It was in the neutral Swiss oasis-where a perilous balancing act was required for survival-that a combination of determination and delicate negotiation continued to frustrate the Axis powers. Urs Schwarz cuts through the myths surrounding this period in a narrative based largely on his experiences as both participant and observer. He was a soldier, then a journalist in war-torn Berlin, and, beginning in 1942, foreign editor of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. These experiences, and subsequent extensive research, result here in a unique and discerning-and colorful-history.