Dwight Eisenhower

By Adam Krynicki

Now lets explore his early life

General Eisenhower

Speaking to D-Day troops

Early Command Positions

Click for after WWII

Early Life

• Eisenhower was born David Dwight Eisenhower on October 14, 1890.

• He attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas and graduated with the class of 1909.

• A West Point Cadet, Eisenhower finished high in his class.

Early Life – West Point

• Kansas Senator Joseph L. Bristow recommended Dwight for an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1911.

• Eisenhower enrolled there in June 1911, graduated in 1915.

WWII – North Africa 1942

• In 1942, Eisenhower was appointed Commanding General of the European Theater of Operations.

• In February 1943, his authority was included the British 8th Army.

• Eisenhower gained his fourth star and gave up command of North Africa to be commander of the overall European operation.

• Afterwards, he oversaw the invasion of Sicily and Italy.

Following North Africa

WWII – Supreme Commander 1943

• In December 1943, Eisenhower became Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

• In this position he was charged with planning and carrying out the Allied assault on the coast of Normandy in June 1944, code named Operation Overlord.

Eisenhower speaks with U.S. paratroopers on the evening of June 5, 1944.

Because of the success of Operation Overlord..

WWII – General of the Army 1944• Eisenhower served as Chief of Staff of the U.S.

Army from 1945 to 1948.• Became Military Governor of the U.S.

Occupation Zone after Germany’s surrender.• Changed German POWs in U.S. custody to

Disarmed Enemy Forces, no longer protected by the Geneva Convention.

Eisenhower as General of Allied Forces

Aftermath of WWII

• Became President of Columbia University for a short time.

• Assumed supreme command over the new NATO forces being assembled in 1951.

• "Draft Eisenhower“ persuaded him to run 1952.• Promised to go to Korea himself and end the if

elected. • Strong NATO commitment against Communism

and a corruption-free frugal government.

Aftermath of WWII

• He and VP Richard Nixon defeated Democrats Adlai Stevenson and John Sparkman in a landslide.

• First Republican return to the White House in 20 years.

• At 62 he was the oldest man to be elected President since James Buchanan.

• Eisenhower was the only general to serve as President in the 20th century.

Click here to learn more

Presidency 1953–1961

• Continued all the major New Deal programs, especially Social Security.

• Landslide victory for his second term in 1956 with 457 of 531 votes in the Electoral College, and more than half of the popular vote.

Interstate Highway System

• Signed the bill that authorized the Interstate Highway System in 1956 through the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956

• Thought it essential to American security during the Cold War.

Check out some of his foreign policies

Foreign Policy

• After the Suez Crisis, the U.S. is protector of most of the Middle East.

• "Eisenhower Doctrine" in January 1957.• “Prepared to use armed force to combat aggression from

any country controlled by international communism.“• On July 15, 1958, he sent just under 15,000 soldiers to

Lebanon• Operation Blue Bat; a non-combat peace keeping mission

to stabilize the pro-Western government.• They left in October of the same year.

Foreign Policy

• Eisenhower also explored the option of supporting the French colonial forces in Vietnam.

• Lt. General John W. "Iron Mike" O'Daniel was sent to Vietnam to study the French there.

• In late 1954, he offered military and economic aid to the new nation of South Vietnam.

More aspects of his time in office.

Civil Rights and Natl. Security

• In October 1952, the Eisenhower administration declared racial discrimination a national security issue.

• “White supremacy” too hard to stop.• Tried to ease Cold War tensions by negotiating military

strength.• Truce signed in 1953 negotiated the border of S. Korea.• Both Russia and the United States had developed

hydrogen bombs.• The U.S., G.B. France and Russia met at Geneva in July

1955.Looking back on it all…

Legacy

• Eisenhower concentrated on maintaining world peace.• “Atoms for peace“: the loan of American uranium to "have not"

nations for peaceful purposes.• Before he left office in January 1961, from his farm in

Gettysburg, he urged the necessity of maintaining an adequate military strength

• Cautioned that too much military emphasis could “breed potential dangers to our way of life.”

• He concluded his farewell address with a prayer for peace "in the goodness of time”

• After a long illness, on March 28, 1969 President Dwight D Eisenhower passed away.

Works Cited• "Dwight D. Eisenhower |." The White House. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.

<http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/DwightDEisenhower>.• "Dwight D. Eisenhower -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower>.• "Biocrawler." Biology, Biotechnology, Biotech-Companies onBiocrawler.com. Web.

25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.biocrawler.com/w/images/index.php?dir=7%2F7c%2F>.• "File:Eisenhower d-day.jpg -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eisenhower_d-day.jpg>.• "Motivational Speaker, Illusionist & Master Magician - Seminars on Leadership

Development, Team Building and Sales Training." Motivational Speaker, Illusionist and Master Magician - for College and Corporate Events. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.motivationalmagic.com/speeches.php>.

• "Quote Of The Day: Dwight Eisenhower." THE B.S. REPORT. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://thebsreport.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/quote-of-the-day-dwight-eisenhower/>.