W illiam I. H itchcock . The Age of Eisenhower

William I. Hitchcock’s new book is a biographical study of Dwight D. Eisenhower during his presidency. Hitchcock sees Eisenhower as the most representative American from 1945 through 1963, thus justifying the author’s use of the title The Age of Eisenhower to characterize that period. Hitchcock is a specialist in modern European history, more specifically the history of the Cold War, and it is that expertise that helps make this book an important one. Eisenhower was that rarest of American presidents: one who had met (and impressed) most major world leaders before he was elected to that office. Ike’s most valuable credential in getting him there was his vast knowledge of national security matters, which had become much more important to a successful presidency than had been true earlier in the nation’s history. Although much of the story that Hitchcock tells is familiar, his version makes some new and intriguing arguments. In contrast to historians of the Cold War era who argue that the Truman presidency marked the emergence of the permanently big American national security state, Hitchcock contends that wasn’t a sure thing until after the Korean War ended. He rightly points out that after every previous major American war, the size of the American military establishment shrank a lot, but not so after Korea. Military spending as a share of GDP did come down somewhat after the Korean armistice was signed in July 1953, but, Hitchcock argues persuasively, overall military spending remained very high by historical standards. In addition, he notes, Eisenhower as president chose to increase the strength of the American national security state by expanding into missile development, hydrogen bomb production, a continental early warning radar system, an expanded CIA, and so on. While the size of the army shrank somewhat during Eisenhower’s presidency, even it remained very large by American peacetime standards.

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