Character Above All Volume 3 Stephen Ambrose on Eisenhower

Ike is a good role model for Mr. Ambrose, or anyone else. Until recently there hasn't been a lot of good, unbiased information on the Eisenhower the man. Although this tape is informative & entertaining it doesn't give you that. He talks in glowing terms on the inner Ike, his integrity, respect for subordinates, sense of humor & decency. Ambrose says Ike was no paragon of virtue but he doesn't believe that. Ike was a segregationist & women's rights were foreign to him. These faults & others are passed over lightly. If your only source of information on Eisenhower was Steve Ambrose then you would think Eisenhower was a good & great man. By the way I think so too.

Ambrose edited the Eisenhower Papers project for many years and finally turned his talents on writing a large-scale biography of Ike. In this project Ambrose lectures for one hour on his favorite hstorical topic. The result are mixed.Ambrose has always been blatantly biased in Ike's favor and makes no bones about it. His first words are, 'Dwight Eisenhower was a great and a good man," which is undoubtedly true, but a biographer should take more pains to disguise their own feelings. There is very little criticism of Ike in Ambrose's work, which borders on the hagiography. Perhaps a bit more of Harry Truman's invective towards Eisenhower could have infused this tape.Still, Ambrose is a wonderful writer and his works are always fun to read and informative. This is interesting listening even if it is a completely uncritical examination.

This one hour lecture by Ambrose is excellent. It provides a brief overview of Eisenhower's outstanding character. Ambrose also deals effectively with some of Eisenhower's lapses in character and leadership. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Eisenhower.