2 comments about Thomas Jefferson (The American Statesmen Series).

1. The narrative style of this work by famous founders' biographer John Morse is arrogant, flippant and frequently exaggerated. It carries the tone of the amateur Yankee historian on high, passing judgment on this Southern statesman who was neither from Boston nor a Harvard graduate. Perhaps considered penetrating for its day, it really represents nothing more than opinion today. The research is so thin that one must conclude that Morse wrote the entire manuscript essentially from memory, with little reference to the primary and secondary sources we expect of historians now. If it weren't for the fact that Morse wrote this piece 110 years ago, I'd have rated it only one star.



2. yeah this is an interesting, and staunchly Anti-Jeffersonian Biography from 1883. His vantage point makes this book a pretty groovy read, though maybe not the best for facts

4 comments about Sailor in the White House: The Seafaring Life of FDR.

1. I just finished reading "Sailor in the White House." Now, I finally understand what strongly influenced FDR throughout his entire government career. In his fresh and probing new biography, author Robert Cross opens up a whole new dimension in the life of our 32nd president.

   FDR used his expert sailing skills and instincts to guide America through the Great Depression and on to victory in World War II. He was always ready to compromise, change tack or revise his plans based on the changing political landscape...just as he did when he sailed the world's oceans. What an ingenious way to look at President Roosevelt! I thank the author for sharing his important insights with all of us. Great job!




2. This was an excellent view of another side of FDR that as a sailor of the same waters, I found exceptionally interesting.

   Not only was the book extremely well written but it was full of glimpses of this president which added a new perspective to my knowledge of his presidency.

   It is a wonderful experience to stumble across a biographical work about a man about whom so much has been written and yet find an entirely new and different view of the person's life.

   Bravo!!!




3. This is a book I could not "put down" once I started reading it. My problem is I get into the index which takes me every where in the book. However, when I finally got it all together I found it to be both historic and above all informative. I grew up in the Roosevelt era and this book has given me an entirely new insight of his time.
   Thank you Mr.Cross.



4. Franklin D. Roosevelt loved the sea, sailing and all things nautical. He was America's greatest seafaring president, spending more time sailing, fishing and swimming than any president in our nations's history. And this book tells very interesting minute of it.

   In Robert F. Cross' terrific new book, "Sailor in the White House: the Seafaring Life of FDR," the author offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Roosevelt's time on the sea. What makes this book such a treat, is that many of the stories are told through the voices of those who actually sailed with the president, and who shared their tales with the author for the first time.

   Through interviews with Secret Service agents, Roosevelt staff and family members, and contemporaries of the president, Cross exposes a whole new dimension of FDR's life, a dimension which-until this book-has never been explored in the countless biographies of the 32nd president; but it is a dimension which is key to understanding FDR's character and governing style.

   The author logs just about every minute FDR spent on the water, and lists all the vessels he was aboard during his entire lifetime-an extraordinary record for anyone, but particularly for one whose legs were paralyzed from polio. From canoes to lifeboats, schooners to destroyers, and battleships to submarienes, Roosevelt never passed up an opportunity to be on the water. The author meticulously records each vessel, noting the type of craft and the years Roosevelt was aboard. No such list existed until now.

   The never-before-told stories, including one in which FDR's life was threatened when a fire broke out aboard his schooner, and rare photographs shared with the author are laid out for us within the overall framework of two world wars and the Great Depression. A never-before-published photograph shows FDR seated in a wheelchair; this is only the third such photo known to exist in the more than 35,000 photographs of the president in the FDR library. And Cross has found it!

   As we tag along with Roosevelt on New York State's Barge Canal, the atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean, and witness his many antics and adventures, the author skillfully keeps the reader current on world and national affairs, allowing us to see behind the newspaper and newsreel footage, while weaving in the unfolding and perilous world
   history.

   The tales of FDR hiding from his Secret Service guards are amusing, providing a glimpse of a fearless president who valued his privacy and went to great lengths to protect it. FDR never permitted secret Service agents to travel aboard his small vessels; they had to travel behind on destroyers and Coast Guard cutters. He played "cat and mouse" with the agents, who really had their hands full protecting FDR. The author's interviews with FDR's Secret Service agents are priceless.

   Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., calls this book "delightful." It is that to be sure-but, it is much, much more. "Sailor in the White House" provides a new and valuable insight into the make-up and character of the only American president ever elected to four terms. FDR never passed up an opportunity to be on the water, a place where he felt most at home. A place which helped him to relax and gain perspective as he tackled the most difficult problems ever filled by an American President. I recommend this book highly.
   
   Martin Davis, Ph.D.

2 comments about Mamie Doud Eisenhower: The General's First Lady (Modern First Ladies).

1. 
   "Mamie Doud: The General's First Lady" by Marilyn Irvin Holt (an independent historian and PBS documentary consultant) is a 208-page biography of the wife of Dwight David Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Europe during World War II, who then went on to become president of the United States during the opening years of what was to be known as the Cold War. Enhanced with thirty black-and-white photographs, Holt draws upon original source material in the Eisenhower Library to provide the reader with an informed and informative description of Mamie Doud Eisenhower within the context of her time as an ideal First Lady, a stylish grandmother devoted to her family, and a key influence on her husband's success throughout their marriage. A work of seminal scholarship, informed and informative, "Mamie Doud" is an excellent and highly recommended biography showcasing a most remarkable woman who was considered by her peers to be the perfect example of what a President's wife should be.



2. I just finished this new biography and I was very impressed! Mamie Eisenhower often gets written off as just a housewife (most biographies are her are pretty worthless in my opinion), but this book really highlights her contributions and her perfect fit for the American people of the 1950s. It also discusses her early life as a military wife and how that prepared her for her role of First Lady.
   
   I especially liked how the author brought out the ways that Mamie is typically stereotyped and then talked about how she cultivated some of that image and what she was really doing in the background. Mamie was a huge influence on Ike, but she was a big believer in stepping back and staying in her own sphere, although she certainly had opinions and could often be very strong-willed! Mamie in the 50s was a huge change for the White House as entertainment had been very subdued under the Roosevelts and the Trumans (and it makes sense for subdued entertainments during depression and war). She went back to a full schedule of entertainment and strove to serve the people - to the extent that she responded to all letters to her personally (at least signing them herself although she wrote or dictated many personally as well).
   
   This book relies on almost all primary sources - the huge amount of letters that Mamie Eisenhower wrote over the years is the mainstay. The letters give this book a really personal feel of Mamie - you can really hear and see her in the pages. You can also really feel the devotion the Eisenhowers felt for each other throughout their marriage. I feel like I got to know Mamie as I read this book.
   
   I highly recommend the book - as a historian, as a teacher, as a researcher and as someone who just enjoys a well-written biography!

1 comments about The Courage And Character Of Theodore Roosevelt: A Hero Among Leaders.

1. Please be aware: This volume is a retitled reprint in paperback (at the same list price) of the hardcover Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt (Leaders in Action Series). Below is my review for that edition.
   
   An insatiable reader of books on TR, I was immediately drawn to Grant's TR book by its wealth of quotes from the President (something many authors neglect). Grant is unabashedly hero-worshipping here: no negatives are to be found. If one begins with this in mind it can be accepted and tolerated. Though it is often colored by Grant's conservative ideology (he tags turn of the 20th century politicians with turn of the 21st century labels - and greatly underrepresents some of TR's progressive leanings), it does reveal some facts about Roosevelt's religious convictions and church activities - something that is absolutely ignored in most modern biographies of historic figures. The book is not a chronological account but a look by turns at each facet of the multi-talented and constantly moving President.

5 comments about Napoleon's Road to Glory.

1. Napoleon's Road to Glory is a well-written and well-researched biography that could easily replace Felix Markham's classic biography of the French emperor to become the new standard biography of Napoleon I. One important way that David Markham, unlike the earlier Markham, improves upon the presentation of the older biography is by supplying numerous endnotes that provide readers with reference points for future research into certain key and fascinating aspects of Napoleon's compelling life. Moreover, David Markham's book does not suffer from the problems of obvious authorial bias that plague books such as Alan Schom's Napoleon Bonaparte.
   I am especially pleased to see that he included sections on Napoleon's religious policies and vision of European unity (highlighted even more in his Napoleon for Dummies), as well as comparisons of Napoleon to earlier leaders like Alexander the Great. David Markham provides an overview of Napoleon's settlement with the Catholic Church, including an overview of the background of the situation inherited by Napoleon before Markham addresses how Napoleon sought to resolve the religious divisions of the French Revolution. Moreover, Markham, who bases most of his material on Napoleon and the Jews from Ben Weider's work, explains that Napoleon's proclamation declaring Palestine an independent Jewish state even served as part of David Ben Gurion's argument that the United Nations should recognize Israel in 1947, roughly one hundred and fifty years after Napoleon planned to issue his proclamation! Markham reminds us that Napoleon was after many kinds of peace: domestic, foreign, and religious.
   Napoleon reopened the University of Pavia and granted its professors liberal stipends. In 1808, he created the Academic Palms as a reward for excellence in teaching. In Napoleon's Road to Glory, Markham describes Napoleon's improvements to Paris and other cities in France, Italy, and Switzerland as a parallel to the public works projects initiated by Julius Caesar. David Markham seconds Geoffrey Ellis's designation as the consular period as a Pax Napoleonica. As Markham puts it, if Napoleon "were Caesar, then the Consulate was his Pax Romana even in the years when there was no actual peace." Markham adds that some "consider the Consulate to have been something of a golden age of French culture . . ."
   The what if?'s of history also abound in this book, as does the logic behind Napoleon's foreign policy. Readers learn, for example, that a report published "by Colonel Sébastiani . . . suggested that France could easily retake Egypt" and Markham explains Napoleon`s desire to keep the Belgian departments, because much "of Belgium is French-speaking and had always been seen as a potential part of France." And imagine the consequences had Napoleon married a Russian bride and managed to avoid invading the Russian Empire in the year following the appearance of the above quotation! Instead, the Franco-Russian alliance rapidly collapsed in such an extreme fashion that in a proclamation to his troops in 1812, Tsar Alexander cited "difference of religion" as one of the reasons why Russian peasants now consider themselves as Napoleon's "irreconcilable enemies." What is more, the king of Naples turned on Napoleon following Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig in 1813, because Marshal Murat "feared that Napoleon had expressed a resolution to . . . incorporate Naples with the kingdom of Italy."
   I have graded many history assignments in my academic career at two universities and were I to assign a grade to this impressive volume, I would overwhelmingly give the book a solid A+!



2. I'm giving this book 4 stars (average of 5 stars for readibility and interest, 3 stars for critical reasoning). I can't agree more with the previous reviewer's comments; though an immensely enjoyable book to read, I was very disappointed with the lack of any serious or credible critique of the remarkable Napoleon. The book appears to be well researched, but I was left with nagging doubts over some conclusions and statements that -I believe -should have been examined more thoroughly or with a more critical analysis regarding Napoleon.
   
   David Markham clearly has a passion and love of things Napoleon. I'd most certainly recommend this book as a very good read and is very well written.



3. First let me concede some of the compliments other readers have paid this book. It is easy to read, concise, and thoroughly researched. Three stars: C level work. It is not, however, very strong history. That is not to say that I picked out anything that was incorrect or even misleading, but instead it seems that Markham's obvious infatuation with Napoleon leads him to be unable to ask hard questions about his hero. More demanding readers, much less those who are critical of Napoleon's legacy, will walk away from this book unsatisfied. This is a book written by a "Napoleonic Society of America" member for others of that same group.
   
   Napoleon was of course subject to horrible and fictitious slander. His position and long sustained success bred bitter enemies, and we shouldn't fall into the trap of believing their deionizations. Still, Markham comes dangerously close to going to the opposite extreme. He uniformly portrays Napoleon as peace loving and well intentioned. Criticisms of Napoleon are raised in as little as a sentence and dismissed just as quickly. The book never asks hard questions.
   
   Take, for example, Markham's explanation of why peace never managed to break out during Napoleon's time. It was always England that "wanted war." Wanting war! After WWI the terms of peace laid blame for the war at Germany's doorstep. These days we are more likely to say the great tragedy of that same war is that it seems none of Europe's leaders truly wanted it. Or how about the Cuban missile crisis? Over 13 days the world's greatest powers almost destroyed themselves. Which side wanted war? The US? The Soviets? Reducing wars of this magnitude to simple desire on the part of one side or the other is facile. There are deep personal, political, and strategic issues at work that must be understood.
   
   Markham makes little effort to contribute to that understanding. Instead he simply says that the English could not tolerate French possession of Antwerp. Very well, then if Napoleon is as committed to peace as Markham would have us believe, why did he not surrender the city or come to some other accord? Markham simply states that the French would not tolerate that. Little more is offered. "Why" plays a small part in the analysis. Still, it seems that Napoleon's ultimate downfall in great part hinged on this decision from both sides of the channel. Delving into this issue and others, at least for a page or two, would have been worth while.
   
   That lack of analysis makes Markham more of a reporter of old news than a historian. Moreover, his presentation of the facts becomes suspect because he is so clearly enamored with his subject.
   Read this book if want to feel good about Napoleon, but go elsewhere if you want to probe below the surface.



4. David Markham has written a wonderfully descriptive book that is great fun to read; I couldn't put it down. This fine work effortlessly interweaves Napoleon's life as a political figure/ruler with his adventures and conquests on the battlefield and in the bedroom. "Napoleon's Road to Glory," filled with unusual rare art, includes colorful revelations about his love for Empresses Josephine and Marie-Louise, as well as his relationships with a succession of mistresses. A terrific gift -- perfect for collectors as well as anyone interested in a clear, comprehensive overview of Napoleon's life and career. Includes exciting, vivid descriptions of the "little Corporal's" victories at Marengo, Austerlitz and other battles. Just don't start reading this at bedtime, like I did, if you expect to get any sleep.
   Diana Haig - author of "Walks Through Napoleon and Josephine's Paris"



5. Along with lots of publications on Napoleon and his time currently on the market, this is very good analysis and scientific approach to the subject. What is most important, the book is written in very easy language, and it is a pleasure to read. Mr. Markham has definitely done his homework; his source table is very extensive and useful for further references. More importantly, the author supplemented his research with actual documents and artifacts from his own collection, which is rare in this days and therefore more valid. I would like to recommend this book to anyone interested in Napoleon and his times - moreover it would be nice to bring it over to as many readers as possible and perhaps to translate it to other languages.
   This book should be at every Napoleonic scholar library!

5 comments about Ronald Reagan in Private: A Memoir of My Years in the White House.

1. This truly enjoyable book about Ronald Reagan is of the type, and should be considered a companion to, the late Mike Deaver's book, A Different Drummer (for which see my review). These books complement the scholarly tomes--important as those are--with honest appraisals of the humanity of our 40th president. Along the way, they also confirm what recent scholarship has discovered--that despite unfair portrayals by his enemies and the media, Reagan worked hard, hardly ever napped, was widely read, and was brilliant at processing and distilling information. Kuhn's book adds necessary color about the personalities in the Reagan White House, for which historians will be grateful. Highly recommended.



2. I've only made it to Chapter five and I have read nothing but politics, politics, politics. 'Hardly a word about the man Ronald Reagan, of whom the book is ostensibly about. James Kuhn seems to be too preoccupied about what HE has done on these campaigns and has hardly mentioned Ronald Reagan the man. Too boring for me. I can't read it anymore. I highly recommend Peggy Noonan's book "When Character was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan". It really does give you insight on the man.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a fair portrait of President Ronald Reagan as he was outside the public view. Written by Reagan's executive assistant, this book gives insight into behind the scenes at the White House, especially focusing on his interactions with staff, his wife and the American public. If you are a fan of Reagan the man and enjoy anecdotes about his time as president--this is the book for you. If you are looking for a strictly political or strictly biographical book, then it is not.



4. This book is well-written and gives a lot of insight on Reagan's campaigns for the presidency.
   Mr.Kuhn was involved in those campaigns dating back to the 1970's.
   The author covers Ronald Reagan's two terms in the White House very well.
   He also details the President's travels and some of the political strategies that came into play with Gorbachev in particular.
   If you are a Reagan fan this book is a great read.
   I would recommend this book over Peter Wallison's book.Mr.Kuhn was around Ronald Reagan a lot longer and covers a longer time period.



5. I loved this book. I almost could not put it down once I started. No spin in this book. No touting conservatism, or bashing liberals. What a remarkable insight into America's finest president.

3 comments about The Invention of George Washington.

1. Paul Longmore has written an excellent book for the serious George Washington scholar. George Washington is a difficult man to understand. After reading five books on the man, along with several published books and articles on the Revolutionary War, Federalist Period, and biographies of other people who were active in Washington's days, I still have a hard time grasping why such a diverse group of people universally looked up to and respected Washington. Edmund Morgan's book, "The Genius of George Washington" helped me to understand how Washington wielded power once it was attained, and this book helps to fill in the gaps as it describes how George Washington worked his way toward greatness.

   Longmore's argument in the book is that George Washington was FAR from a minor player in his rise to fame. It wasn't through a series of coincidences or through fate that Washington became the very embodiment of the American Revolution and Federalist Era. Longmore argues that Washington had, in his youth, an insatiable lust for power...but would only seek to achieve it through socially respectable means (highly developed interpersonal skills didn't hurt, either). It is through an examination of what constitutes "socially respectable," Washington's writings, and examining the change in his tone as he matures that Longmore bases his premise. In my opinion, he does a very good job of it. His arguments are strong and backed up in an extensive end-notes section. The only problem I have with his research is that I would have liked to see Longmore's view on two major incidences that happened in Washington's early life and how they affected his rise to fame: the death of his older brother/patron Lawrence; and his marriage to the filthy rich widow, Martha Custis. In all, Longmore has written an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who would like to begin a serious study of the early life of the "First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of his Countrymen."

   By the way, this is not a cradle-to-grave biography of Washington, but follows his life from birth until about the time he takes command of the Continental Army.




2. Paul Longmore's biography of George Washington is a superb book. It portrays Washington as a complex Virginian. Neither a stone-like figure nor an unread hero, Washington becomes an interesting and even vulnerable leader. Well written, Longmore's book is a must for people interested in Washington and in colonial history.



3. Paul Longmore's book, "The Invention of George Washington" is a wonderful book about the Washington that people have come to know over the years. Longmore looks at Washington's life chronologically and compares it with the image of Washington as the Father of Our Country. Longmore shows that one of the most important people in shaping this image was George Washington himself. Washington was constantly concerned with what others thought of him. He always lived his life as if he were on a stage with the whole world was watching. At many of these points, they were watching. Washington was setting the model for future leaders of the United States as Commander-in-Chief, and ultimately as President. Behind this image of a man doing the best for his country, however, is a man of ambition. Especially as a young man during his days commanding Virginia troops in the French and Indian war, Washington strived for recognition among his fellow colonists and from the British regulars that he was forced to serve under. As Washington matured, he was more successful at curbing this ambition. It was during these years that Washington built his reputation and became known as the Father of Our Country.

5 comments about Harry Truman and the Human Family.

1. Too often the political process is something that takes place far outside our own lives, which is why voters tend to be either emotional partisans of their celebrity heroes or apathetic or cynical. Frank Kelly's understanding of one very human and accessible man, Harry Truman, made me rethink what the American Presidency is about. By interweaving his own lifestory with the Truman presidency, Kelly creates an absorbing drama into which we are all swept. He sees politics not as a game, but as the means to realizing a nation's highest potential. Yes, he is an idealist, but we have too few of those. Kelly's vision of one president and his world-changing decisions is transferable to every presidency. As we prepare to elect a new man to that office, there's no more appropriate reading for us than Kelly's book.



2. This book is by an insider in the 1948 campaign that everyone thought that Truman would loose. Mr Kelly gained a lot of respect for Mr. Truman as an honest man in a flawed system. Truman didn't seek the presidency but was thrust into it by the death of Roosevelt. President Truman had a vision for America and America's position in the world. Special interests in Congress blocked many of Truman's dreams. Mr Kelly's later disallusionment with the Washington scene echoes the chaos we see today in Washington.

   Mr. Kelly sheds light on Truman's difficult decisions to use the atom bomb, the atmosphere around Jor Mc Carthy,the Berlin Airlift, the occupation of Japan, the Korean War and many less well known actions by President Truman. This was for me the most enjoyable bok on Truman since "Plain Speaking" by Merle Miller.




3. I found the book compelling. It is a warm, human book, capturing well what seems today as the innocence of an earlier time. With touching humility, Kelly brings to life Truman's humanity and the deep sense of responsibility he felt as president to help create a truly democractic society. Kelly's many personal anecdotes and reflections take the reader back into this simpler world and helps create hope for the future of real democracy.



4. In all of Frank K. Kelly's books, especially this one, he writes with the objectivity of a seasoned reporter and the heart of a compassionate observer.

   Truman's humanity is profoundly related to us in this carefully crafted work. We now know a softer and warmer side of Harry Truman because Kelly has been able to focus attention on a major aspect of a very complex man.

   This is a report of the observations of a man who had long-term personal contact with Truman and is uniquely qualified to present a perspective of him in context with the times.

   The book itself is a good read because of Kelly's story telling style and his organizational skills with regard to documenting historical information.




5. A local author known to me has written an engaging book. It is a beautiful testimony to the fact that politics can be about the pursuit of high ideals. Frank captures so well the interdependent dance between people, their leaders and their values. What I love most is how easily people of varying degrees of prominence move in and out of the story Frank weaves. He creates the proof that we are one wonderful human family - flaws and all!

No comments about Prelude to Leadership: The European Diary of John F. Kennedy : Summer 1945.

5 comments about The Hidden-Hand Presidency: Eisenhower As Leader.

1. Ordinary professorial elucidation of the obvious; the author seems surprised by the fact that Ike was smart and subtle. Worth reading if you are unfamilar with Ike's true nature.



2. This was a path-breaking book when it first appeared more than twenty years ago, reflecting a rehabilitation of Dwight D. Eisenhower as president. It is an example of "revisionist history," something that should not be considered a negative term. Greenstein argued that the image of Eisenhower as an amiable "do-nothing" president who smiled and played golf while crises threatened to destroy the nation was incorrect. He worked hard behind the scenes while giving the appearance of inaction, and in most instances his indirect approach to leadership was highly effective.
   
   I have found this study valuable in my own work on the history of the U.S. space program. While Greenstein did not spend much time exploring the history of the space program in this study his analysis can be extended to that arena. In the context of the Sputnik crisis of 1957 and the development of early U.S. space policy, Eisenhower was almost alone in concluding that the Soviet American competition in space was a non race. He didn't see the need to treat it as a crisis. And there is much to recommend this position. But if the former image of Eisenhower as a "do-nothing" president was inaccurate, the revisionist interpretation of Greenstein and others of him as a master of hidden-hand politics is somewhat wide of the mark. With American prestige clearly at stake in the Cold War, it is puzzling that the chief executive should have been so reluctant to recognize this fact of life.
   
   I found this an important statement of Eisenhower and his leadership style. It is a benchmark in the historiography of the subject. Enjoy!



3. In the preface to this landmark book on the Eisenhower presidency, Greenstein talks about how he had begun a project on presidential leadership, with a quick stop at the Eisenhower Library to get confirmation that Eisenhower was as hands-off as possible, a doddering old fool who let his underlings run the country whilst Ike played golf. But as Greenstein looked at the research in front of him, he discovered Eisenhower was much more of a hands-on president than most accepted. He worked behind the scenes, however, hence this "hidden-hand" description.

   Greenstein's book on Eisenhower is significant for all students of Eisenhower. Most revisionist scholars of Eisenhower were also Stevenson supporters in the '50s, and have come away with a better understanding of how Ike worked, and his handling of major crises. (Anyone who thinks the 1950s was "Leave it to Beaver" or "Happy Days" is poorly mis-informed and needs to take himself to the public library to look at all the brinksmanship reported in the newspapers and newsmagazines of the time.)

   In this book, Greenstein offers his argument, and then goes through a series of case-studies to look at how Eisenhower worked actively behind the scenes to accomplish his goals.

   This is indeed a landmark book for scholars. The general reader, however, may be overwhelmed by the academic use of language. For them, the two-volume book on Eisenhower by Ambrose may be a better book to read.




4. Greenstein was not the first but has certainly assembled the most coherent argument for a fundamental reassessment of Ike's presidency.

   Common wisdom held Ike to be a somewhat dodering, benevolent and detached president who routinely mangled english syntax in his press conferences. He is seen as surrounded by powerful men who ran government as THEY saw fit.

   Greenstein shows repeatedly that Ike was a deft behind-the-scenes mover and shaker who held all the reins of power in HIS hands. He consistently refused to engage in "personalities" and would deal with political challenges with tact and persuasion, often hidden from public light. His handling of McCarthy, often seen as a do-nothing approach, is re-examined in a new light. Eisenhower is seen pre-empting McCarthy consistently while also refusing to publicly engage him, which in Ike's mind, would have served to legitimize him (McCarthy) in many eyes.

   Finaly, Ike has been critized for relying too much on a rigid and formal system of staff and infomation processing. His background in the Army, many critics contend, made him a stickler for procedure. This much is true. However, he used his considerable charm and intellect to draw on a wide group of people (all white and male) to augment his formal structures. Many blame the dismantling of the fromal advising structure by Kennedy to his lack of information during the Bay of Pigs.

   A good book for Eisenhower specialists, policital scientists studying the organizational presidency, and presidential students of all stripes.




5. Well, if you want to read the experience from academia, go right ahead. For a better insight, see Michael Beschloss or Ike's own biographer, Stephen Ambrose. This book was a hit in the scholastic arena but never caught on in mainstream