Talk:Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower/Archive 1

Archive 1

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Do you think it should be mentioned that Eisenhower was the first US President to use/have flown on Air Force One? 24.162.228.153 (talk) 01:48, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

Eisenhower Jewish?

A sentence had been added with mention of the belief by "some" that Eisenhower was Jewish and hid it. A World Book article was recently given as a supportive source; it is accessible by subscription only, however, hindering verification. In 1966, Time Magazine included an article stating that Gerald L. K. Smith, who made such bigoted claims in 1952, appealed "only to a lunatic fringe". As there remain no readily verifiable and reliable sources to support Eisenhower's being Jewish, the associated sentence is removed. —Adavidb 05:32, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, Another Source Has Been Added

After realizing that World Book Online requires a subscription (I had "Remember Password" checked so long I forgot it wasn't free), I have added another source to it. Not Something and Not Someone (talk) 16:47, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Taxes

3 recessions and no mention of his 91% tax rates? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.152.34.84 (talk) 07:19, 5 October 2010 (UTC)

Eisenhower did not accept containment, instead he was basically the first president to accept Rollback as a major policy regarding the US-Soviet relationship. Rollback was cheaper because he was able to determine where and when a confrontation happened, all of his covert ops fall under rollback as a policy.

Brinkmanship needs to be mentioned somewhere. His secretary of state, John Foster Fulles coined the idea during the presidency. This led to the build up of nuclear weapons and was another large part of Eisenhower's foreign policy. Brinkmanship was cheaper than fighting conventional wars.

• Some of us need this article, dumbass.

TERM PAPER. X.x

if his military career is a seperate article why not his presidency?

I think separate will be better. The BIO article should focus on Ike himself, and this can discuss many different policies that he did not directly handle. Rjensen 02:16, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

"During his campaign, Eisenhower had promised to end the stalemate Korean War. He threatened to use nuclear weapons and a cease-fire was signed in July 1953." Is this correct. Wasn't it McArthur that wanted to use nuclear weapons?

When Eiesenhower was president, hadn't Truman already fired MacArthur?

the statement is correct. It was Truman who publicly threatened to use nuclear weapons, not MacArthur. Rjensen 06:55, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

I haven't seen anything in this article, not in the "main" article, about Eisenhower's health during his presidency—did I miss it, or is it not there? And wasn't his health a big issue … heart attack, stroke, etc.? KevinWho 13:57, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Removed an unverifiable report of Eisenhower meeting with space aliens. --74.33.25.102 18:55, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

These two sentences seem to contradict each other

"Eisenhower was a conservative whose policy views were close to Taft; they agreed that a free enterprise economy should run itself.[10] He did not attempt to roll back the New Deal--he expanded Social Security." How could he be both a free-marketeer and New Dealer?--Johnny 42 (talk) 16:46, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

He did not have the votes to roll back the New Deal. Instead he neutralized Democratic attacks on the GOP by expanding social security (which was not controversial at this point) and taking the credit. Rjensen (talk) 17:18, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

So he was against the New Deal, but kept it to prevent criticism?--Johnny 42 (talk) 02:27, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

yes. Rjensen (talk) 20:20, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

Eisenhower, propaganda, Sputnik and the Cold War

'...Drawing on recently declassified documents that record U.S. psychological operations in some three dozen countries, he tells how U. S. propaganda agencies presented everyday life in America to the world: its citizens living full, happy lives in a classless society where economic bounty was shared by all. Osgood further investigates the ways in which superpower disarmament negotiations were used as propaganda maneuvers in the battle for international public opinion. He also re-examines the early years of the space race, focusing especially on the challenge to American propagandists posed by the Soviet launch of Sputnik. Perhaps most telling, Osgood takes a new look at President Eisenhower's leadership. Believing that psychological warfare was a potent weapon in America's arsenal, Ike appears in these pages not as a disinterested figurehead, as he's often been portrayed, but as an activist president who left a profound mark on national security affairs. Osgood's distinctive interpretation places Cold War propaganda campaigns in the context of an international arena drastically changed by the communications revolution and the age of mass politics and total war. It provides a new perspective on the conduct of public diplomacy, even as Americans today continue to grapple with the challenges of winning other hearts and minds in another global struggle.' Total Cold War: Eisenhower's Secret Propaganda Battle at Home and Abroad. Kenneth Osgood

Could this book, plus the telling information contained within, be used as part of a sub-section?

yes. Eisenhower authorized it and had some talks with Jackson on the matter. However it was a very small part of his presidency and deserved one paragraph here. It ought to be treated in other articles. -- it especially belongs in Psychological warfare which ignores the entire Cold War except for Vietnam. and Psychological Operations (United States) which misses the big picture, in my opinion Rjensen (talk) 21:34, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

False statement re 1953

Banned editor HarveyCarter

One new editor wants to assert: Eisenhower helped Churchill overthrow Cheddi Jagan, the democratically elected leader of British Guiana on October 9, 1953.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/26/mi5-files-coup-british-guiana." No. the source explictly says not so: it says "After the party won a huge majority in British Guiana's 1953 election, making Cheddi Jagan prime minister, Churchill decided to act. "We ought surely to get American support in doing all that we can to break the communist teeth in British Guiana," he wrote to his colonial secretary. In the end, Britain acted alone, mounting a military operation codenamed Operation Windsor. Churchill dispatched a warship, HMS Superb, and brought hundreds of troops by air and sea to secure key sites. On 9 October, Britain suspended British Guiana's constitution, fired its legislators and arrested the Jagans." Churchill indeed is quoted ahead of time that he surely hoped for American support -- but the article says: In the end, Britain acted alone. No American source says the US helped in 1953. Rjensen (talk) 13:46, 28 December 2016 (UTC) Britain was an American satellite after World War II and could no longer act alone, as the Suez Crisis showed. (81.132.49.250 (talk) 14:06, 28 December 2016 (UTC)) you are arguing with your own source which says 'In the end, Britain acted alone.' Rjensen (talk) 14:33, 28 December 2016 (UTC) From a military POV Churchill may have acted alone, but Britain followed orders from Washington in everything after 1945. Are you suggesting Eisenhower wanted Jagan in power? (81.132.49.250 (talk) 14:39, 28 December 2016 (UTC)) If you think the source is wrong then don't use it. that leaves you with zero support. There is no evidence for the claim that Ike was involved. Rjensen (talk) 17:13, 29 December 2016 (UTC) The Eisenhower administration put pressure on Churchill to overthrow Jagan in 1953. (AndyTyner (talk) 17:16, 31 December 2016 (UTC)) source please? the RS all say Churchill was VERY eager to stop Jagan. Rjensen (talk) 09:49, 3 January 2017 (UTC) Britain could only act with US support after World War II, as the 1953 Iranian coup d'etat and the Suez Crisis showed. Churchill had suffered a severe stroke in June 1953 and was incapable of taking any action over the summer and autumn. It must have been Eden who was responsible for carrying out the actual coup. (AndyTyner (talk) 12:07, 3 January 2017 (UTC)) you're making that up--it's not true re Asia & Africa. Rjensen (talk) 16:45, 3 January 2017 (UTC) The US put pressure on the UK to give up its colonies in Asia and Africa after World War II, beginning with India. Britain was an American satellite after 1945. (AndyTyner (talk) 14:10, 4 January 2017 (UTC)) you need to read some reliable sources or you will fall prey to myths. try Eisenhower and Churchill: The Partnership That Saved the World by James C. Humes (2010) at https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0307555860 Rjensen (talk) 14:18, 4 January 2017 (UTC) That sounds like revisionism. Churchill considered Eisenhower both weak and stupid, according to his secretary. (AndyTyner (talk) 10:38, 5 January 2017 (UTC)) Please note that "AndyTyner" is actually banned editor "HarveyCarter", who is not allowed to edit here. Beyond My Ken (talk) 23:40, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

Health issues -- which article do they best fit into?

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Here is the text that I dropped--it is simply a duplicate of the bio article, and i think that is where it belongs. Only a couple sentences--which I kept--deal with the presidency -- esp 1956 heart attack and fitness for 2nd term. I see no use in keeping all the rest; we need the space for dozens of presidential administration topics. Rjensen (talk) 15:59, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

I think it's mostly good now, except there should be one or two sentences devoted to his health from 1956-1961. As it is, the ending is rather abrupt. Orser67 (talk) 06:39, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

thanks, I added a sort sentence based on Newton: His health was generally good in his second term. (Newton, Eisenhower pp 296, 309.) Rjensen (talk) 06:59, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Cool, works for me Orser67 (talk) 08:29, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Old version:

Eisenhower began smoking cigarettes at West Point, often two or three packs a day. Eisenhower stated that he "gave [himself] an order" to stop cold turkey in March 1949 while at Columbia. He was probably the first president to release information about his health and medical records while in office. On September 24, 1955, while vacationing in Colorado, he had a serious heart attack that required six weeks' hospitalization, during which time Nixon, Dulles, and Sherman Adams assumed administrative duties and provided communication with the President. He was treated by Dr. Paul Dudley White, a cardiologist with a national reputation, who regularly informed the press of the President's progress. Instead of eliminating him as a candidate for a second term as President, his physician recommended a second term as essential to his recoveray.

As a consequence of his heart attack, Eisenhower developed a left ventricular aneurysm, which was in turn the cause of a mild stroke on November 25, 1957. This incident occurred during a cabinet meeting when Eisenhower suddenly found himself unable to speak or move his right hand. The stroke had caused an aphasia. The president also suffered from Crohn's disease, chronic inflammatory condition of the intestine, which necessitated surgery for a bowel obstruction on June 9, 1956. To treat the intestinal block, surgeons bypassed about ten inches of his small intestine.

His scheduled meeting with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was postponed so he could recover from surgery at his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was still recovering from this operation during the Suez Crisis.Eisenhower's health issues forced him to give up smoking and make some changes to his dietary habits, but he still indulged in alcohol. During a visit to England he complained of dizziness and had to have his blood pressure checked on August 29, 1959; however, before dinner at Chequers on the next day his doctor General Howard Snyder recalled Eisenhower "drank several gin-and-tonics, and one or two gins on the rocks ... three or four wines with the dinner".

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Right wing bias

Alan Dulles was a board member of the United Fruit Company. This is an incontrovertible fact. I would love to see Streeter's evidence that the CIA wasn't working at the behest of American firms when they overthrew Arbenz. That omission is extremely questionable. You are doing a disservice to the public by citing one right wing historian and calling it a day. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.178.90.219 (talk) 19:41, 27 May 2020 (UTC)