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A review by mdrfromga
Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World by Evan Thomas
5.0
"Ike's Bluff" was the first biography of President Eisenhower I've read. Not knowing much about him, I had formed the impression that his military background may not have carried over with him into the White House.
He seemed nice, but probably not the tactician and strategist other presidents had been. I found, to the contrary, that he was indeed a master strategist when the stakes (the looming prospect of global thermonuclear annihilation) couldn't have been higher. He cultivated the impression that he was sometimes confused or unsure of details, all the while he was seeing many moves ahead of his opponents. He certainly wasn't perfect. He gave his subordinates and the CIA too much reign. But on the whole, the way he maneuvered the United States out of harm's way should place him among the top tier of presidents.
He seemed nice, but probably not the tactician and strategist other presidents had been. I found, to the contrary, that he was indeed a master strategist when the stakes (the looming prospect of global thermonuclear annihilation) couldn't have been higher. He cultivated the impression that he was sometimes confused or unsure of details, all the while he was seeing many moves ahead of his opponents. He certainly wasn't perfect. He gave his subordinates and the CIA too much reign. But on the whole, the way he maneuvered the United States out of harm's way should place him among the top tier of presidents.