In 1938 he was a lieutenant colonel stationed in the Philippines; by 1945 the world proclaimed him its savior. From leading the forces of liberal democracy against history’s most evil tyrant to the presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower fought for and kept the peace during the most dangerous era in history.
The Eisenhower Chronicles dramatizes Ike’s life, portraying his epic journey from unknown soldier to global hero as only a novel could. He is shown working with icons such as FDR, Winston Churchill, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and confronting challenges like D-Day, the Little Rock Crisis, and Sputnik.
Eisenhower’s legacy is grounded in defending the world from fascism, communism, and nuclear weapons. This novel shows how he accomplished it all and takes readers into his mind and soul, grounding the history in the man who made it.
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Extract
“Gentlemen, the President!” Cutler’s Boston Brahmin accent cut through the air. The entire National Security Council stood as Ike entered the Cabinet Room.
“Be seated,” Ike muttered curtly. His advisors sat down and noticed Ike’s brown plaid suit. That suit was a terrifying sight in the Eisenhower White House. It was the President’s signal that he was angry and not to be trifled with. Ike sat at the head of the table.
“I want to start with what we discussed in last week’s meeting. The issue of the Soviet H-bomb and the likelihood that they’ll hit us with it in the near future.”
“I fully believe this prediction will come to pass. It’s why we need to roll back communism. Or contain it at the very least,” Nixon interjected, determined to assert himself as a competent foreign policy thinker among the older, more experienced statesmen.
“It’s too expensive, Mr. Vice President,” Humphrey replied. “The Treasury Department’s analysis shows that NSC 68 will lead to a debt crisis by the decade’s end. We’ve avoided one already only because we ended the war in Korea and Truman’s wage and price controls.”
“Can we review what NSC 68 entails?” Ike asked. “We should be on the same page with what we’re dealing with here.” He turned to Cutler. “Robert, do you mind?”
“Of course, Mr. President,” Cutler replied as he glanced at his notes. “NSC 68 marked the final culmination of the Truman administration’s Cold War strategy. The document was written by Paul Nitze in 1950 and predicted that the Soviets would launch a nuclear strike on the US homeland in 1954 and that the US needed huge conventional forces to carry on the fight against communism after the Soviet strike. President Truman implemented the document after North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, legitimizing Nitze’s predictions of a global communist conspiracy for world domination. This authorization quadrupled military spending to around sixty billion dollars by 1953. That dwarfs the annual level of defense spending during World War II.”
“And it will bankrupt the country if we maintain that level of spending for much longer,” Humphrey stated, slowly emphasizing each word and moving his thumb and index finger together as one unit. “We need to change the way we think about this situation. Opposing communism abroad and our finances at home are part of the same challenge. We need to think of the national debt as a greater threat to national security than the Soviet Union.”
“That’s absurd,” Admiral Radford replied. Radford was the architect of the US Navy’s aviation program during World War II and had recently succeeded Omar Bradley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The Reds are a bigger threat to the Free World than the Axis ever was. They threaten our security more than Robert E. Lee did 90 years ago. No amount of spending is too much in crushing them and their mission of world-wide tyranny.”
“I agree with George,” Ike responded. “We can’t afford to bankrupt ourselves in search of security. We’ll lose our freedoms and everything we’re trying to defend from the communists if we do.”
“I respectfully disagree, Mr. President,” Radford replied.
Thank you
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About the Author
M. B. Zucker has been interested in storytelling for as long as he can remember. He discovered his love of history at fifteen and studied Dwight Eisenhower for over ten years. Mr. Zucker earned his B.A. at Occidental College and his J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He lives in Virginia with his wife.
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Author Links
Website: https://www.michaelbzucker.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBZuckerBooks and https://twitter.com/michaelzucker1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100061516155957
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/M-B-Zucker/e/B09JM74HMF
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21882348.M_B_Zucker
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Book Link
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bp8VVE
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B for Bookreview 
Thank you so much for hosting today’s tour stop for The Eisenhower Chronicles.
All the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club
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You are welcome 🙂
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