Dwight D. Eisenhower: References & Edit History
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Additional Reading
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s papers are collected in Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., and Louis Galambos (eds.), The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower (1970– ).
Eisenhower’s entire career is presented in Marquis William Childs, Eisenhower: Captive Hero (1958), a convincing interpretation; Stephen E. Ambrose, Eisenhower, 2 vol. (1983–84); Robert F. Burk, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hero and Politician (1986); and Michael R. Beschloss and Vincent Virga, Eisenhower: A Centennial Life (1990), which is extensively illustrated. Treatments of Eisenhower during World War II include Stephen E. Ambrose, The Supreme Commander (1970); David Eisenhower, Eisenhower at War, 1943–1945 (1986– ), by his grandson; and Norman Gelb, Ike and Monty: Generals at War (1994), which deals with Eisenhower as the supreme Allied commander and Bernard Law Montgomery, the British commander.
Eisenhower’s presidency is examined in Emmet John Hughes, The Ordeal of Power (1963, reissued 1975), a brilliant critique of the first term; Dean Albertson (ed.), Eisenhower as President (1963), containing first-rate assessments; Herbert S. Parmet, Eisenhower and the American Crusades (1972); Charles C. Alexander, Holding the Line: The Eisenhower Era, 1952–1961 (1975); William Bragg Ewald, Jr., Eisenhower the President: Crucial Days, 1951–1960 (1981), written by a White House staff member during Eisenhower’s presidency; Fred I. Greenstein, The Hidden-Hand Presidency: Eisenhower as Leader (1982, reissued 1994), which argues that Eisenhower was a politically strong leader, not weak as thought by many; and Chester J. Pach, Jr., and Elmo Richardson, The Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower (rev. ed., 1991).
Works dealing with foreign relations during Eisenhower’s presidency include John P. Burke, et al., How Presidents Test Reality: Decisions on Vietnam, 1954 and 1965 (1989), which analyzes Eisenhower’s nonintervention at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 in comparison with Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 intervention; David W. Lesch, Syria and the United States: Eisenhower’s Cold War in the Middle East (1992); and Isaac Alteras, Eisenhower and Israel: U.S.-Israeli Relations, 1953–1960 (1993). Jeff Broadwater, Eisenhower & the Anti-Communist Crusade (1992), examines Eisenhower’s handling of the U.S. communist issue, from the beginning of the Cold War through his presidency. Eisenhower’s reaction to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first artificial Earth satellite is assessed in Robert A. Divine, The Sputnik Challenge (1993). Craig Allen, Eisenhower and the Mass Media: Peace, Prosperity & Prime-Time TV (1993), discusses Eisenhower’s use of television to shape public opinion throughout his presidency. Günter Bischof and Stephen E. Ambrose (eds.), Eisenhower: A Centenary Assessment (1995), collects essays by revisionist and postrevisionist scholars.
Biographical studies of Eisenhower’s wife, Mamie Doud Eisenhower, include Dorothy Brandon, Mamie Doud Eisenhower: A Portrait of a First Lady (1954); Alden Hatch, Red Carpet for Mamie (1954); and Lester David and Irene David, Ike and Mamie: The Story of the General and His Lady (1981).
Researcher's Note
Most published sources refer to Dwight D. Eisenhower’s birth name as David Dwight Eisenhower, though sources vary widely as to when his name was changed, who changed it, and under what circumstances. Two of the best-known full-length biographies of Eisenhower, however, agree that his first and middle names were reversed by his mother shortly after his birth. In Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952 (1983), Stephen Ambrose wrote of Eisenhower’s mother that on October 14, 1890, she “gave birth to her third son, named David Dwight Eisenhower. Later, she reversed the names, partly because she did not like nicknames and thought that Dwight could never be shortened, partly because it was confusing to have two Davids in the family.” (Eisenhower’s father also was named David.) In Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life (2002), Carlo D’Este stated that Eisenhower’s mother “abhorred the notion that her third son would undoubtedly be referred to as David Eisenhower, Jr., or nicknamed ‘Dave,’ and soon reversed his names.…No birth certificate was ever officially recorded for Eisenhower, and the transposition of his two first names was strictly at his mother’s whim. Nonetheless, his name appears in the family Bible as ‘David Dwight Eisenhower.’ ”
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Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invalidated site: History Facts - 8 U.S. Presidents Who Struggled in School. | Oct 11, 2026 | ||
| Anniversary information added. | Oct 10, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: History Facts - 8 U.S. Presidents Who Struggled in School. | Aug 05, 2026 | ||
| Anniversary information added. | Mar 24, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: United States Government - Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic - President Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Mar 20, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: Eisenhower Foundation - Ike's Life. | Feb 06, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: ABC listen - Late Night Live - Eisenhower: War and Peace. | Dec 30, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Museum of the United States Army - Dwight David Eisenhower. | Nov 21, 2025 | ||
| Questions and answers added. | Feb 18, 2025 | ||
| Added an interactive timeline of the Eisenhower presidency. | Aug 05, 2024 | ||
| First paragraph modernization. | Feb 29, 2024 | ||
| Link added. | Oct 12, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Texas State Historical Association - The Handbook of Texas - Biography of Dwight David Eisenhower. | Sep 04, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: United States Army - Dwight D. Eisenhower and the birth of the Interstate Highway System. | May 25, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: White House Historical Association - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | May 15, 2023 | ||
| Link added. | Feb 23, 2023 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Sep 10, 2020 | ||
| Removed cross-reference and tables. | Apr 17, 2020 | ||
| Added a quotation from Eisenhower regarding the U-2 Incident. | Jan 13, 2020 | ||
| Added an overview video of his presidency. | Oct 12, 2018 | ||
| Add new Web site: Strategic Studies Institute - Eisenhower as Strategist: The Coherent Use of Military Power in War and Peace. | Apr 16, 2018 | ||
| Changed "left active duty the most popular" to "left active duty as the most popular." | Nov 03, 2017 | ||
| Media added. | Sep 22, 2017 | ||
| Add new Web site: Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Dec 13, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: World Golf Hall of Fame - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Dec 13, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: HistoryNet - Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Jul 22, 2016 | ||
| Revised to reflect that Eisenhower visited Korea before his inauguration as president, not after. |
|
Mar 24, 2016 | |
| Add new Web site: USA 4 Kids - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Aug 25, 2014 | ||
| Add new Web site: Maps of World - Biography of Dwight Eisenhower. | Aug 01, 2014 | ||
| Added Researcher's Note on Eisenhower's birth name. |
|
Jun 25, 2014 | |
| Media added. | Mar 26, 2014 | ||
| Add new Web site: United States History - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Jan 10, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Public Broadcasting Service - American Experience - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Aug 10, 2011 | ||
| Add new Web site: The White House - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Aug 10, 2011 | ||
| Add new Web site: Central Intelligence Agency - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Aug 10, 2011 | ||
| Added timeline. | Apr 14, 2011 | ||
| Added map of Dwight D. Eisenhower's world travels during his two presidential terms. | Mar 30, 2011 | ||
| Media added. | Jan 07, 2009 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Aug 04, 2008 | ||
| Media added. | May 16, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Spectrum Biographies - Biography of Dwight Eisenhower. | Feb 22, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: British Broadcasting Corporation - Biography of Dwight Eisenhower. |
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May 03, 2007 | |
| Added new Web site: Official Site of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum. | Jan 25, 2007 | ||
| Added new Web site: Official Site of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum. | Jan 25, 2007 | ||
| Added new Web site: The White House - Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower. | Nov 03, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: AmericanPresident.org - Dwight D. Eisenhower - A Life in Brief. | Jun 21, 2006 | ||
| Added new Web site: Official Site of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Foundation. | May 10, 2006 | ||
| Article revised. | Apr 07, 2005 | ||
| Article revised. | Jun 10, 2004 | ||
| Article revised. | Dec 11, 2002 | ||
| Article revised. | Feb 10, 2000 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jul 28, 1999 |