IKE’S BLUFF: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World by Evan Thomas shows that while he seemed warm and was widely trusted by the American people, Eisenhower was a cold-blooded genius at manipulating others from behind the scenes.  Eisenhower’s cultural insight, achieved by a study of military history and his own role as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe in World War II, was that wars have lives of their own--they are mutating monsters that often destroy the leaders and peoples who start them.  Politicians may believe that wars can be limited and controlled, but, as president, Eisenhower maneuvered tirelessly and often alone to avoid any war, particularly conflict that might bring nuclear war with the Soviet Union.  A brilliant card player, Eisenhower bluffed with nuclear weapons, a high risk but ultimately successful strategy that averted Armageddon in the dangerous early days of the Cold War.  Through a heart attack, a stroke, and intestinal surgery, Eisenhower struggled to control his own massive temper and the loneliness he felt as the first human being with the power to destroy civilization.  

Using diaries (including a daily record kept by Eisenhower’s doctor) and newly declassified papers, Evan Thomas has written a fast-paced and highly human drama of a man and a decade that seems calm today only because Eisenhower’s bluff worked.  

Evan Thomas is the author of several bestselling works of history and biography, including The War Lovers and Sea of Thunder.  He was a writer and editor at Time and Newsweek for more than 30 years, and he is frequently a commentator on television and radio.  

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The Filson Historical Society

ATTN GPB Lecture

1310 S. 3rd St

Lousiville, KY 40208