The Cold War, remember that? Yes, it was a post WW II period that featured a reshuffling of boundaries, the demise of colonial powers, and a surge of independence movements. Primarily, it was a period of high tension among world powers, especially the 2 largest: Russya and the United States. Gen. Eisenhower succeeded Harry Truman in 1952, defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson. The conquering hero was rewarded with the White House which he and his spouse Mamie, would occupy for the next 8 years before handing it over to a much younger WW II naval hero JF Kennedy.
Author Evan Thomas, noted biographer of Robert Kennedy and John Paul Jones is an acclaimed historian who conducts meticulous research into his subjects. here he makes extensive use of newly opened records of the Soviet period of modern Russya. He gives the reader an up close and personal look at Premier Khrushchev, one of the successors of Stalin.
For eight years, while the citizens of the USA were treated to a steady diet of press coverage of Ike on the golf course, which he loved, the behind the scenes activities of his administration was the exact opposite. High stakes negotiations, high stakes global moves were the order of the day. With the State Department guided by J. Foster Dulles and the C.I.A. directed by his brother, Allen Dulles, Ike was kept busy trying to rein in these two controversial department heads. The Dept. of Defense was run by the generals who knew Ike and helped him defeat the Nazis in Europe. Ike had to deal with the post war world as he helped make it. It wasn't easy.
During one period, Ike had to deal with the U-2 Incident. The U-2 was an ultra secret aircraft designed and built to fly at very high altitude and use high resolution cameras to photograph military sites from 70,000' and remain immune to interception by aircraft, antiaircraft fire, both conventional and missiles. Needless to say, eventually, one U-2 was brought down by a missile and the pilot was captured alive. The pilot, Gary Francis Powers, a civilian, was eventually returned to the US in an exchange of prisoners.
Early in his presidency, Ike had to deal with the French and IndoChina, the last bastion of the French colonial system that had existed for over 100 hundred years in SE Asia. The French asked for help, but Ike, although virulently anti-Communist, was reluctant to commit arms or troops. He did spend millions of dollars to finance the struggle until the French were defeated by the Communists at Dien Bien Phu.
The office of the President humbles its occupants, sooner or later. Ike's health deteriorated rapidly as the stress was unending, and tension only increased as his time in office continued. After a heart attack and a stroke, Ike had to reduce his work load, and directed and delegated more of his executive duties to department heads and staff. A much older man passed the baton to JFK in January, 1961, warning the new chief executive and the American people to be wary of the military/industrial complex that he witnessed as it grew in size and influence during his years in the oval office.
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