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Buy the Book
An American Hero Remembered
David Eisenhower’s excellent and incisive memoir of his grandfather.
(Page 2 of 2)
IN 1961, SPEAKING OF “the virtue of avoiding hysteria in governmental matters” and “the crisis rhetoric of the Kennedy administration,” Eisenhower declared: “We should plan our security, defend our rights, and live with the situation in the world — no Napoleonic brooding, or impulse. Panicky policies condemn people to live in apprehension, not serenity, as is their birthright.”
Later in the decade, in 1968, against the backdrop of the panicky politics of the Kennedy/Johnson administrations and nationwide unrest, “the Gallup poll would once again name Dwight Eisenhower the man most admired by the American people” — a somewhat surprising choice for a man who “had spent the 1960s in the relative obscurity of retirement.” But he did give speeches and wrote articles focusing on “patriotism, family, common sense,” delivering messages from what Time magazine called, condescendingly, “the remote past.”
“But somehow Eisenhower’s basic optimism and his confidence in the future as America’s leading ‘soldier of democracy’ was appreciated that troubled December, and Americans were beginning to look back on the peace and prosperity of the 1950s with nostalgia.”
We may never replicate those years, but there’s no doubt they’ll continue to serve as a model for the best that America could be. And interestingly, as the distance increases and today’s national leaders lose stature, Dwight Eisenhower’s reputation continues to grow.
In 1961, a New York Times Magazine article by Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. ranked presidents in order of greatness. “Eisenhower stood twenty-eighth on the list out of thirty-three.” That poll was hardly objective, conducted as it was by the father of Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a devoted courtier at Kennedy’s Camelot, who would later take over his father’s presidential ranking business.
Lately, however, the Schlesinger monopoly is being broken by scholars like Alvin S. Felzenberg, who moves Eisenhower up to fifth place, one ahead of FDR. And Robert W. Merry, working on a book on presidential ratings, also believes the Schlesinger ratings reflected partisan bias among the respondents, and notes that in the 2005 Wall Street Journal poll, Eisenhower was ranked eighth.
But whatever the ratings, writes his grandson, his self-assessment stood: “He had understood his responsibility in the White House to be, in addition to making correct decisions and administering the government, one of defusing the atmosphere of crisis that had pervaded national politics since 1932. He felt strongly he had been successful.”
DURING THOSE LAST YEARS, Eisenhower brought his grandson along like the brightest and most favored of his junior officers, but was always careful not to show favoritism or the affection he obviously felt. Twelve years old when his grandfather left the White House, David Eisenhower worked at assigned chores on the Gettysburg farm, was rewarded for school grades — $5 for As, $3 for Bs and a $1 fine for Cs (during his last year, Dwight offered David $100 to cut his hair before his marriage to Julie, but refused to pay when the cut didn’t meet GI standards) — and spent much of his spare time in the company of his grandfather.
Much of this book’s interest lies in his description of those idiosyncrasies that show us his grandfather as a man — and very much the quintessential retired military man. When he gets a driver’s license, his sharp corner turns produce “the squeal of rubber against concrete [that] never ceased to surprise him.… Every bump and lurch elicited a faint, ‘Damnation.’”
He is a dedicated bridge player, but others are reluctant to join him because each game is waged like a military campaign, with no blunders allowed. The same is true of his approach to golf. He likes to read Westerns, preferably with no romance, doesn’t suffer fools gladly, dislikes casual conversation, and no matter the guests or occasion, goes to bed promptly at 10.
A man of his times, Eisenhower was not given to displays of affection. But he was also a grandfather. When he learned from Mamie that David and Julie Nixon were engaged (during a visit, David had been too nervous to break the news), he sent this letter to his grandson:
For many years, I have been struck by the virtual impossibility of men of the Nordic strain to express, in a face-to-face meeting, their affection, even when of the same family and when the ties of sentiment are strong indeed.… I sometimes envy the Latins, who do not seem to be prey to these particular inhibitions.… Because of ties of love and respect for your mind and character, I value every contact I have with you… if at any time you think I might be helpful to you, during whatever years may be left to me, it would be a great privilege to me if you would let me know.…
Even if I could do nothing, it would not be for lack of trying. This I mean very sincerely. I’m not only proud that you are my grandson, but my friend as well — to whom I give my deepest affection.
As for the engagement, he wrote: “Mamie told me of your telephonic report of the joy you and Julie felt on her acceptance of your great grandmother’s ring. I am more than delighted that the two of you feel such a deep mutual affection. You are both the kind of people who will, throughout your lives, enrich America.” And with their three children, their quiet but productive lives — with books like this — that’s exactly what they’ve done.
WRITERS TEND TO BE CYNICS, and the writers on the Nixon staff during those last long Watergate-drenched days felt they had plenty to be cynical about, with one notable exception — the Nixon family, to whom Ben Stein was our unofficial ambassador, and especially the president’s youngest daughter, Julie, whose fierce loyalty to her father and concern for the well-being of his staff exempted her from all criticism.
As Aram Bakshian recently wrote, “Julie was a good egg.” And still is.
And as this memoir demonstrates, so is her husband, David Eisenhower.
About the Author
John R. Coyne, Jr. a former White House speech-writer, is co-author with Linda Bridges of Strictly Right: William F. Buckley Jr. and the American Conservative Movement (Wiley).
Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
More Articles by John R. Coyne, Jr.
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http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/02/an-american-hero-remembered
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Kodos| 2.2.11 @ 8:19AM
We STILL like Ike.
Alan Brooks| 2.2.11 @ 6:02PM
Ike and Reagan were 16 out of all the other postwar years.
16 years out of almost 66 years since 1945-- 50 years you WASTED! a half-century wasted by a party that calls itself conservative and conserves NOTHING.
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.2.11 @ 8:37AM
I recall WEB Griffin's description of Ike in one of his novels...words to the effect: Never has a President exercised power so skillfully as to make him invisible.
Evidently, most people never felt his guiding hand, but it was an absolutely firm hand behind the scenes, and behind his smile.
skip| 2.2.11 @ 9:43AM
W.E.B. Griffin's 'Brotherhood Of War' and 'The Corps' series should be required reading before anyone opines on the U.S. military.
Ken (Old Texican)| 2.2.11 @ 1:11PM
Skip,
agreed! Not only that. His characters have become some of my best friends.
I can now open any of those books, to any page, and enjoy the 'visit' with my 'friends'.
Alan Brooks| 2.2.11 @ 6:10PM
I wont read it. If Robert E. Lee's son had written a book on the Civil War, "pass" would be the response as well. But read what you want; there are billions of books if you count web-books.
Read them all and tell us what you think--
we'll be sitting in front of the computers waiting.
And tell David's son to write a book about Nixon.
skip| 2.3.11 @ 11:59AM
Hey 'Brook no intelligent or honest thought',
If you were a character in one of W.E.B.'s books you would be Macklin.
Appleby| 2.2.11 @ 8:37AM
Ike was Daddys favourite General (he served in World War II in the Weather unit, at one time attached to Pattons 8th Army, but had no use for Patton) and he always had great respect for him as President too. All those who came after him did not fare so well in his opinion!
Howard| 2.2.11 @ 9:35AM
I remember how the cynical liberals made so much fun of the old "fuddy duddy", Ike. He was so 19th century. Well, let's see:
1. Balanced budgets
2. American strength
3. Strong families and communities
Sure, there were real problems as well; civil rights, crime, etc. But, Ike was a solid man who performed a solid job. RIP.
daddio| 2.2.11 @ 6:02PM
Our last great president (until Reagan).
Alan Brooks| 2.2.11 @ 6:16PM
"Sure, there were real problems as well; civil" rights [snip]"
if it were up to you, Obama wouldn't be president.
Make up your mind, Howard. If you want a black POTUS you could say "black conservative in 2012". But that isn't quite what you have in mind.
You don't have to agree, but you have to someday make up your mind-- do you like blacks or not?
Dai Alanye | 2.2.11 @ 9:48AM
One of, if not *the* biggest blot on Eisenhower's record is his mishandling of Patton during WW II, partly due, in my opinion, to the neophyte warrior's envy for the hardened and successful, but flamboyant, older soldier.
I could go on, but two words tell much of the story: Falaise Gap.
Alan Brooks| 2.2.11 @ 6:18PM
Monty was too cautious; his soldiers had to be saved many times by America's forces.
Dai Alanye | 2.3.11 @ 7:34PM
Monty was a great general... for the First World War.
Herb| 2.2.11 @ 11:18AM
What a remarkable contrast to today's top military brass who are more concerned with promoting sexual misfits and physically incapable females.
Amor de Cosmos| 2.2.11 @ 11:48AM
Contrast Ike's experience with the Community Organizer and part-time law lecturer. Who do you think has the better temperament, judgment and vision? Not even close.
Alan Brooks| 2.2.11 @ 6:22PM
Blacks were not allowed to be Supreme Commanders, much less presidents, in the '40s.
I thought perhaps most cons weren't racists, but might have been mistaken; maybe they are racists after all. How many black generals were there in the Big One?
Not a whole lot.
bookworm| 2.4.11 @ 12:42AM
How stupid can you get?
W| 2.2.11 @ 1:09PM
As soon as JFK replaced Ike, the Russians built the Berlin Wall and then installed nukes in Cuba. That conduct speaks more clearly than words on how the Russians regarded IKE and JFK
maxumumrandb| 2.2.11 @ 2:27PM
That he preferred to be called "General" as opposed to Mr. President" impresses me.
chris haynes| 2.2.11 @ 5:36PM
The biggest blot on Eisenhower's record, wasnt his "handling of Patton". It was his war crimes. He played significant roles in two American sponsored attrocities: Operation Keelhaul and the Morgenthau Plan.
bookworm| 2.4.11 @ 12:44AM
Well, Chris, next time there's a world war, we'll just put YOU in charge.
FREE tea| 2.2.11 @ 10:05PM
We MUST take into account the truly MASSIVE infiltrations of Soviet sympathizers, enablers, Globalist-eugenicists and banksters throughout our establishment begining with WW I---
STILL we have to admit Eisenhower
in the European theater viz a viz Soviet intentions
was a chump
(though here again he was probably just following Globalist agendas from the State Department)
---and, though again, he MASSIVELY misread
the long-term implications of REFUSING to
liberate North Korea from the RED Chinese
military takeover (again probably misdirected
and misinformed by the likes of Globalists
Dulles and Acheson, Harriman at al--who were
fresh off betraying China into the warm
'social eugenics agendas' of Mao Tse Tung
---and this after, in key family histories, having
betrayed Old China, TRUE China itself to the opium scourge thereby reaping VAST wealth,
power and, through Yale, Harvard and Princeton
which they OWNED ---influence)
--AND
though he failed to follow through and get to the bottom of the urgently REAL matter of Communist/Globalist infiltration of policy making, 'culture creation' and media
(CHECK OUT the declassified KGB documents
on the period if you already haven't. They
CONFIRM everything McCarthy was talking about ---AND MORE)
---HE was a genuine leader, a sane leader, a sober
leader on many other fronts and certainly
more solid than ANYTHING that's come our
way since.
He even had a moment or two of genuine awakeness.
-----------AGAIN, one really MUST go back
to Coolidge for a fully-functional American
citizen president.
Jerry Jones| 2.14.11 @ 12:06PM
Dwight Eisenhower was reared as a Jehovah's Witness. Ike's parents BOTH converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses when Ike was only 5 years old, and Ike's father became a JW Pastor. The Eisenhower home doubled as Abilene's Kingdom Hall throughout Ike's formative years, and for four years after Ike left home to attend West Point.
Mark Tooley's article attempts to perpetuate one of the biggest frauds perpetuated on the American public in the 20th century. Any 10 year-old with a computer now knows that President Eisenhower was not reared in the River Brethren religion.
To read the most brief and most comprehensive source of factual info on this topic simply google the phrase PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES REARED AS JEHOVAH'S WITNESS.
Bob K.| 2.14.11 @ 12:58PM
There are responses to this comment which Mr. Jones originally posted in Mark Tooley's article on this biography in today's (2/14/2011) American Spectator.
العاب بنات | 4.11.12 @ 4:11PM
I could go on, but two words tell much of the story
thanx