A good policy history, one especially strong on foreign relations, for America in the 1950s and very early '60s as influenced or directed by Dwight Eisenhower. While Professor Hitchcock points out several flaws and failures in leadership (such as being weak on the moral issue of institutional racism or the errors in handling the U-2 spy plane crisis), Eisenhower is positively portrayed here as more active, thoughtful, and effective than often credited with at the time or over the decades immediately following his departure from the White House. He made many good calls and ran a fundamentally honest administration. Much happened in the time when Eisenhower was making the big decisions during the Cold War and the decolonization of the Third World; a book such as this helps one appreciate that it was not just TV westerns, lemonade, and baseball immediately prior to the agitated and rebellious 1960s.

Very readable, no confusion, doesn't get lost in dates and names, political opinions or policy commentary. I was surprised how much I didn't know or of which I had too simplified of knowledge. As a teenager this history was ongoing for me so it was not a part of my American history curriculum. I am much clearer on USA domestic and international history because of this book. It is a page turner, informs but doesn't dwell. The age of Eisenhower was not a bland, boring, did-nothing era - not the happy days that is the general description of those years between 1952-1960. Last chapter is interesting about the transition to JFK, from a 70 year old to a 43 year old. This book was not a biography or memoir, it was the historical events, backgrounds, actions, and consequences; at least to me a lot of inside or otherwise not generally disclosed information. After reading this book, you'll change your opinion that Eisenhower spent most of his time on the golf course or playing bridge. I would recommend to any history buff, it is not one-sided nor a propaganda piece. A lot of what occurred or was done/not done would have been more transparent and publicly debated in today's world. After WW2 people wanted peace and calm, but in fact that was not the case behind the scenes of this historical time.

I know that my title may seem a little disrespectful for a man who not only led American and Allied forces to victory in WWII, but also through a successful two term presidency. The 50s was the father knows best era, and Dwight D. Eisenhower led us safely through the reconstruction of Europe even after WWII and then America overwhelmingly desired his care over our nation. It was repeated over and over throughout this book that Eisenhower was a lonely man, for as much as he often sought the wise counsel of the people he chose for his cabinet, it was his own counsel he ultimately relied upon along with with prayer. Eisenhower was certainly everything America wanted in their heroes of the time, he was humble and yet as home in a fine club or ballroom as he was in stable or the barracks with recovering troops. He was plain spoken,meet well educated and had a thorough understanding of economics and the working of the government machine and how its wheels turned… to include who he needed to grease them. This was a fascinating biography, mostly of Eisenhower’s time in the White House and the challenges he faced there. Eisenhower wasn’t a big believer in showing all the workings of diplomacy and how the sausage was made so to speak, and allowed the American people to feel like government was primarily running smoothly with little or no intervention required. Of course, all the work Ike did in the background to make American’s safe was used against him by his replacement in years to come. J. F. Kennedy suggested that Eisenhower’s mode of governing was old and unengaged which couldn’t have been further from the truth. William I Hitchcock did a wonderful job of laying out the facts without bias, and this was certainly not a fan’s account of a presidency. There are both lauds and criticisms in relatively equal measure, but perhaps more criticism which makes the lauds mean more to me. A great deal happened in the eight years Eisenhower was president and it set us up for the intelligence apparatus we have today, and I believe it could be said that Eisenhower changed America for the good. This was Avery detailed, if anything too detailed biography that is both fascinating and perhaps important for scholars of American Civics. 4 1/2 stars and I only took of a half for excessive wordiness.