Summary

This section encompasses the thirteenth through fifteenth chapters. Chapter 13, “Kilroy was Here,” marks the start of the book’s Part 2: The Pointillist Empire. In this chapter, Immerwahr describes how the U.S. became a “planetary presence” (220) after the end of World War Two. They built expansive roads and extended huge sums of money as aid to many countries. The United States was heavily involved in brokering the establishment of the United Nations. Moreover, due to territorial acquisitions during World War II, there were now more people living under U.S. jurisdiction overseas than there were in the mainland.

In Chapter 14, “Decolonizing the United States,” Immerwahr describes the many proposals for a new U.S. flag design after World War Two. He then shifts to the dramatic decline in the U.S. possession of overseas territories. Whereas in 1945, approximately “51 percent of the population of...