Eisenhower in War and Peace

I recently read this author’s biography of Franklin Roosevelt that clocked in at 880 pages. I made the observation that even though 880 pages is an awful lot, it really didn’t seem enough when covering such a figure such as FDR. Now that I’ve read Jean Edward Smith’s bio of Dwight Eisenhower that has 976 pages, I came away with the exact same conclusion. For someone such as myself who studies a lot of history, it seemed as though this book was missing a lot of key moments from Eisenhower’s history and should have been a bit longer. But 976 pages is an awful lot, and it’s actually a testament that the author must be doing a great job when he devotes so many pages to his subject, yet as a reader, I wanted much more.Although wanting more, I felt the author devoted an adequate amount of page space to the key parts of Ike’s life. There’s an acceptable time devoted to his early life, his life in the army (before and during WWII) and a very digestible synopsis of his eight years as President of the United States from 1952-1960. I’m not sure if it was the author’s intention, but “War and Peace” is actually a perfect title to describe Eisenhower. First, we all know of his service as General during World War II which would be the “war” part, but the “peace” probably alludes to his eight years as president. There are many that tend to look at Eisenhower’s tenure as president with slight skepticism stating that he never had to rule during times of extreme adversity (i.e. major war), yet Jean Edward Smith makes it very clear that it was Eisenhower and his governing policies that actually made this possible. There were MANY times during 1952-1960 when the U.S. could have easily entered into yet another global conflict, but Ike made it a high priority to keep the U.S. out of such wars. He avoids potential wars with China, Vietnam, and Egypt just to name a few. He’d been in a war. He saw what it was like. He made it a priority to keep his constituents out whenever and however possible. He always succeeded. We should be thankful.Fortunately, this book isn’t an instance of an author fawning over an idol. I was surprised to read about the many instances (most during World War II) where the author points out many poor decisions that Eisenhower makes and how it negatively impacted many of the major battles, and even possibly prolonged the European conflict. Smith reminds us that, ironically, Eisenhower never participated in an actual battle before he was made a general in 1942. This definitely hindered Ike in many instances. Eisenhower’s real strength, Smith tells us, is when Ike was a high-level commander. Such a position, even in the military, involves a lot of politics and a lot coddling. Eisenhower had the rare gift of getting all of the leaders from the different allied nations to play nicely with each other in the sandbox. Such cooperation is crucial during a world war.Such a leader is a perfect candidate to run a nation as Commander in Chief. Not surprisingly, both Democrats and Republicans want Ike to run in 1948; even current president Harry Truman who is up for re-election. (No one knew at the time whether Ike was a Republican or a Democrat.) The stars do align, though, in 1952, and Eisenhower begins an eight-year journey of quietly becoming one of the best presidents the U.S. has ever (or will ever have) seen. He’s incredibly smart, often made major speeches extemporaneously, never gave a rip what other politicians nor voters thought of him and was always quick to acknowledge whenever he was wrong about something. A president who admits his mistakes. What a concept.Although I’ve read many history books (including Stephen Ambrose’s bio of Ike), I really felt that I learned a lot of key things about Eisenhower that I had never been exposed to before. Events in Eisenhower’s life such as Operation TORCH, the Suez Canal crises, and the CIA initiated coups of Iran and Guatemala are just a few events that get an adequate amount of attention in this biography. The author has a very smooth delivery in his prose, and the reader never feels bored nor weighed down by useless statistics and inconsequential facts.I would conclude this review with a cautious observation that the best thing that Eisenhower brought to the White House was the fact that he was not a career politician. It’s nice to have such a high reputation that, as president, you could simply shrug your shoulders whenever high-profile members in congress disagree with you. There were many times where it seemed the Democrats liked him more than his fellow Republicans. Think about that for a minute. How often does that even happen? Such credentials of being a political outsider don’t always guarantee success, though. Herbert Hoover is a good example. So is Donald Trump. But let’s not go there.I thoroughly enjoyed this biography. I enjoyed it better than the Steven Ambrose volume, yet I really enjoyed that one as well. I love biographers that point out the good, bad, and ugly of their subject matter, and after reading two biographies of well-known U.S. presidents by this author, I can honestly and sincerely say that Jean Edward Smith is a great biographer.Side note: Jean Edward Smith also wrote a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, and Smith seems to have a peculiar infatuation with the Civil War hero. I’m willing to bet there were at least 100 (seriously) comparisons and references to Grant in this book. I haven’t read his bio of Grant yet, but I found it rather strange that the author would mention Grant as often as he did. I guess I need to read the Grant bio as well. One day….

I thought it was well written and comprehensive. Showed both good and bad characteristics of Eisenhower.

Dwight David Eisenhower began his storied life in Denison, Texas, in 1890. He was the third son of poor parents; all his brothers, and there were six of them, had successful lives but none had a life like Ike's. His story is one of the greatest in 20th century America and Jean Edward Smith, one of the country's most eminent biographers, tells it in an absorbing, page-turning book. This is the third door-stopper biography of Ike in the last decade and is by far the most complete and most knowledgeable.Ike succeeded through a magic combination of hard work, brains, great charm, perfect work ethic, common sense and luck. He needed all of these to rise from a middling career at West Point to one of only twelve four-star generals in the nation's history. He attained the rank of major in 1921 and then twenty years later was promoted to colonel, in March 1941. From there, Eisenhower's rise was extraordinary. He was made brigadier general in October 1941, major general only four months later, in February 1942, lieutenant general four months after that, in June 1942 and then full general in February 1943. In less than two years, Eisenhower rose from a colonel in the army to Supreme Commander of all Allied forces in the European theater.The war in Europe has been told many times by writers of great skill. Eisenhower in War and Peace keeps the lens directly on Eisenhower. Almost nothing is said about the exhausting war, mostly at sea, in the Pacific. Little is said about the great turning point of World War II, the destruction of the German army in the Eastern theater by the Russians in 1942. Germany still had great resources and amazing military capabilities even after the disastrous Russian campaign and it was against these forces that Eisenhower led the Allied forces to victory in the Western theater. The Allies squeezed the German armies first in North Africa, then Sicily, then up the Italian peninsula, and ultimately in the landing on the Normandy coast in June 1944. Eisenhower faced enormously complicated military issues. Jean Edward Smith does not flinch from the eventual judgment of Eisenhower as a military strategist. Ike had virtually no battlefield experience before he faced the German army in North Africa. Mistakes were made, including his failure to see for himself the character of the German army from the front line of battle. But Ike was a quick learner and he grew steadily as a military strategist.More than anything, Ike dealt with difficult political decisions. He kept firm command of the armies; he argued, successfully, with Churchill; he maneuvered his way through different opinions emanating from Washington, including those of President Roosevelt; he brought General de Gaulle into a position of leadership of the Free French forces; and, of course, he pushed the final button on the evening of June 5, 1941, releasing a million Allied soldiers to invade occupied France.This is a great story, full of big turning points, any one of which could have led Ike and the world in a different direction. It is the essential achievement of Smith's story that we live through these decisions made by one man, frequently alone, occasionally in spite of the condescension of his British allies, always under the utmost pressure.Amazingly, this is only half the Eisenhower story. The second half is equally as important in terms of Ike's service to his country. Eisenhower became the thirty-fourth president of the United States in 1952. His record was nothing short of amazing. He consistently had a massively favorable approval rating from the American public, unequaled by any president since World War II. He ended the war in Korea and, after that, no American died in military combat for the entire length of his eight-year term. He created the nation's Interstate Highway system and built the St. Lawrence Seaway, two enormously important additions to the infrastructure of the continent. His record in civil rights was exemplary. His foreign policies were fair and visionary. His domestic policies were sound and successful -- no deficits, very little inflation, substantial growth in the economy.Jean Edward Smith tells the story of Eisenhower in peacetime with the same focus and skill that he brings to the story of Eisenhower's war record. But, almost inevitably, there is a loss of power and excitement in the story of Ike as president. The nation, after all, has had forty-four presidents but only two or three military heroes on the scale of Ike.Every important aspect of Ike's life is here.This is a great biography of a great man.

Eisenhower - In War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith is a very good book examining the life of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe and, subsequently, 34th President of the United States. It is an informative, well-written and detailed work which provides an expert insight on a most extraordinary career.Dwight Eisenhower was in many respects an unlikely choice as respectively the head of the invasions of North Africa, Italy and Western Europe. He had not been to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, had very little experience in command of troops - having served as a staff officer in both Washington and the Philippines - and was not regarded as especially adept in the field of military strategy in comparison to some of his erstwhile colleagues. He did, however, possess unique abilities which allowed him to oversee the largest amphibious assault in history, whilst holding together a diverse coalition of Allies and dealing with a multitude of difficulties.Although Eisenhower rightly deserves plaudits for his role in winning the Second World War, his political career has often been overlooked or unfairly criticized. In spite of the fact that he was not an ideologue and allowed his Cabinet Secretaries a great deal of autonomy, Eisenhower was not a figurehead President. He supported many aspects of the New Deal Settlement, he kept the United States engaged with the world, took action to enforce Civil Rights legislation, spoke out against the pernicious influence of Joseph McCarthy, balanced the budget and - his probably most tangible achievement - helped to create the Interstate Highway System. Further, as President, Eisenhower - unlike some of the other individuals who have resided in the White House - was willing to work with politicians of all stripes to create a consensus on many of the big issues facing the United States.Overall, an excellent biography.

Eisenhower's was a life that touched and was touched by history, deserving an accomplished biographer. Smith seeks the deep character of his subject, for Eisenhower's story is of crucial strengths and human blemishes. The shortcomings and episodes that reveal them are indispensable to the picture, but Smith's admiration for Eisenhower is obvious, and it is no less than fair and justified.Ike was not the master military strategist, but he was unequalled at keeping a cast of quarrelsome egos to their mission, victory in Europe. The life-long military man could use friendships to advance himself, and become a politician, could dissemble and procrastinate with aplomb. As a President in the rise of the cold war, his leadership seems now, in retrospect, a vision for a greater good. Here is an imperfect man with a sense of principle, decisive and willing to shoulder responsibility, confident in the post of Commander in Chief.Smith's excellent biography has an engaging writing style. It embraces the wider historical contexts, and they are wide indeed. His prose flows from the individual to the protagonists to the strategic picture adroitly, without breaking the thread of the story.Smith admits that Ike is a difficult man to know to the full. Between lucidity and secretiveness, Ike kept part of himself behind a mask, but this book tells a seminal story well and argues convincingly for his place amongst the greats.

800 odd pages but I swept through it at a very fast rate. Mainly because it is so well written, which personally I find as important in a biography as its subject! It also gave me (1) the feeling that I was "there" with Eisenhower as his life unfolded and (2) a broader overview of the events of the time. It effortlessly switches between the two perspectives, which is no mean feat for a biographer. I therefore intend to read Mr Smith's other books, because I found his writing style so accessible and interesting.

Makes a good case for Eisenhower as part of a lost moderate humane tradition within US republican party. Worth five stars if not for the suspicion that the author maybe was a little favouring of their subject.

Almost as good as McCullough's book on Harry S Truman, it has to be the best biography of Ike and superbly well written. An invaluable contribution to understanding post-war America and Europe.