Eisenhower

Like George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight David Eisenhower belongs to a select group of American presidents who became the nation's chief executive after a successful career in the military. Yet while there have been numerous books examining Eisenhower's life and career, many stop in 1945 with the end of the Second World War in Europe. As a result, his tenure as president has received far less attention than his time as a general, even though his two terms in the White House were no less important to American history. It is for this reason that Peter G. Boyle's study of Eisenhower is to be welcomed. An editor of the Churchill-Eisenhower correspondence, his short book focuses on Eisenhower's two terms as president, describing them in chapters which alternate between domestic affairs and foreign policy. Throughout them, Boyle challenges both the contemporary view of Eisenhower as a do-little president and the image of the "hidden-hand" presidency developed by Fred Greenstein in the 1980s, arguing instead that he was an engaged and informed leader throughout his time in office. Boyle's examination of his subject is rooted in an impressive mix of both the documentary record and the numerous studies of the events of the decade. While generally favorable, he includes criticisms of Eisenhower's record both on civil rights and as a political leader. The flaws that exist in his work are in his description of the political context, which seem rooted in a less-commanding grasp of the decade (his description of the Army-McCarthy showdown is confused, failing to distinguish what were two separate sets of hearings). Nevertheless, with a clear narrative and a thorough bibliography in the back, this is a useful introduction to Eisenhower's presidency, one refreshing for its focus on this often-overlooked portion of his career.