Eisenhower (72 page)

72
over the breast pocket:
John Eisenhower,
Strictly Personal
, p. 183.

73
played on a phonograph in his room:
John Eisenhower, interview with author, Oct. 7, 2010.

74
“a wonderful patient”:
Memo of Nov. 2, 1955, trip to Denver, Aide-Mémoire folder, box 1, Cutler Papers.

75
“I was tired and annoyed”:
DDE,
Mandate for Change
, p. 544.

76
“Every one of us took a deep breath”:
Sherman Adams, unpublished MS, p. 711, Adams Papers.

77
“more than any other possible development”:
Robinson to Snyder, Oct. 18, 1955, Eisenhower Oct. 1955 folder, box 3, Robinson Papers.

78
“it may henceforth be a place”:
Susan Eisenhower,
Mrs. Ike
, p. 290.

79
lost weight and color:
Adams, unpublished MS, p. 712.

80
“I am to avoid all situations”:
DDE to Hazlett, Jan. 23, 1956, Swede Hazlett Jan. 1956–Nov. 1958 (2) folder, box 18, Name Series, Whitman File.

81
Blake arrested Parks:
Taylor Branch,
Parting the Waters
, pp. 128–29.

82
built up his workday:
Presidential schedules for Dec. 1955, DDEPL.

83
city’s notorious newspaper:
Phone Calls Jan.–July 1955, Feb. 8, 1955, conversation between Eisenhower and Len Hall, box 9, DDE Diary Series, Whitman File. 203
badly split the party:
Hagerty, Dec. 13, 1955, entry in
Diary
, p. 241.

84
better suited to the Court:
Dec. 14, 1955, entry in ibid., p. 245.

85
“On the whole, he felt”:
Adams, unpublished MS, p. 751.

86
convinced that Nixon was unelectable:
John Eisenhower, exchange with author, Sept. 2010.

87
New Year’s Eve:
Jan. 29–31, 1955, Presidential Appointment Books.

CHAPTER
11:
CRISIS AND REVIVAL

  
1
“idleness would be fatal”:
Susan Eisenhower,
Mrs. Ike
, p. 294.

  
2
“After a close brush with death”:
Adams,
Firsthand Report
, p. 222.

  
3
progress was evident:
Remarks on the State of the Union Message, Jan. 5, 1956, APP.

  
4
“the full duties of the presidency”:
Jan. 8, 1956, news conference in Key West, APP.

  
5
preparing the place cards himself:
Susan Eisenhower,
Mrs. Ike
, p. 295.

  
6
second-floor sitting room:
Memorandum of Conversation, Jan. 13, 1956, Very Private Memos of Conversations with the President and Vice President 1956–58, box 1, White House Memoranda Series, Dulles Papers.

  
7
“As I saw the situation”:
Ibid.

  
8
“you ought to make up your mind”:
Hagerty, oral history interview, p. 310.

  
9
urged his brother to retire:
Sherman Adams, unpublished MS, p. 748, Adams Papers.

10
“fearful of the strain”:
Milton Eisenhower, oral history interview, p. 35.

11
The others followed:
Hagerty, oral history interview, p. 310.

12
“in order that I may reach”:
Jan. 19, 1956, news conference, APP.

13
implications for the rest of his administration:
John Eisenhower points out that even the selection of guests for the Jan. 13 meeting suggested which way his father was leaning. “What else would he expect from the ‘fine group of subordinates’ themselves,” he asked of their advice (
Strictly Personal
, p. 185).

14
they had yet to discuss it:
Jan. 25, 1956, news conference, APP.

15
bipartisan ticket for 1956:
Ewald,
Eisenhower the President
, p. 184.

16
“If we can count on me”:
Ann Whitman, Feb. 9, 1956, entry, Feb. 1956 folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

17
whatever Eisenhower asked him to:
Ibid.

18
“very, very gentle”:
Ibid.

19
“radiant spirits”:
Whitman, Feb. 13, 1956, entry, Feb. 1956 folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

20
he would vote for him:
DDE,
Mandate for Change
, p. 572.

21
“a normal risk to accept”:
Dulles to file, memo, Feb. 29, 1956 (although filed on Feb. 29, the memo records a meeting of Feb. 27), Very Private Memos of Conversations with the President and Vice President 1956–58, box 1, White House Memoranda Series, Dulles Papers.

22
“was leaving the room”:
Ibid.

23
“My next announcement”:
Feb. 29, 1956, news conference, APP.

24
“I will say nothing more”:
Ibid.

25
“If we are ever to solve”:
DDE, State of the Union Address, Jan. 5, 1956, APP.

26
the Clay Committee’s recommendations:
Whitman, Jan. 11, 1955, entry, Jan. 1955 folder (4), box 4, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

27
state and territory of the United States:
Weeks testimony of July 11, 1956, Highway Program 1956 folder, box 37, Weeks Papers.

28
“six sidewalks to the moon”:
DDE,
Mandate for Change
, p. 548.

29
“I wanted the job done”:
Ibid., pp. 548–49.

30
at Walter Reed for a checkup:
Highway Program 1956 folder, box 37, Weeks Papers.

31
started just weeks later:
Ibid.

32
launched projects in anticipation of it:
Statement by Weeks, released with president’s signature of bill, Highway Program 1956 folder, box 37, Weeks Papers.

33
“More than any single action”:
DDE,
Mandate for Change
, pp. 548–49.

34
“He has his own way to make”:
Whitman, March 13, 1956, entry, March 1956 folder (2), box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

35
they were uniformly opposed:
Whitman, March 19, 1956, entry, March 1956 folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

36
“Well, he hasn’t reported back”:
April 25, 1956, news conference, APP. 212
“delighted to hear”:
Adams,
Firsthand Report
, p. 234.

37
“For increasing millions of Americans”:
DDE,
Mandate for Change
, p. 550.

38
was not pictured:
Taubman,
Khrushchev
, p. 270.

39
“a grave abuse of power”:
Copies of the speech are widely available, though often abridged. A copy of the full text may be found at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian
/2007/apr/26/greatspeeches1
.

40
an internal analysis prepared in 1956 and not released until 1999:
“The 20th CPSU Congress in Retrospect,” June 1956, CIA/SRS-1, in Haines and Leggett,
CIA’s Analysis of the Soviet Union
, p. 54.

41
“many communists throughout the world”:
Ibid., pp. 57 and 59.

42
disapproved of his performance as president:
Poll data courtesy of APP.

43
“I never have thought”:
Edgar to DDE, April 30, 1956, Edgar Eisenhower 1956 (2) folder, box 11, Whitman File.

44
“You cannot return”:
DDE to Edgar, May 2, 1956, Edgar Eisenhower 1956 (2) folder, box 11, Whitman File.

45
“everyone and his uncle” attended:
June 7, 1956, entry, Diary for 1956, box 59, Weeks Papers.

46
received the news as routine:
June 8, 1956, entry, Diary for 1956, box 59, Weeks Papers.

47
ambulance to Walter Reed:
Whitman, June 9–11, 1956, entries, June 1956 folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File. See also Draft of DDE’s Ileitis Operation, June 1956, Howard Snyder Papers, 1881–1976, DDEPL.

48
wheeled into the operating room at 2:07 a.m.:
Snyder notes, DDE Medical Records 1956 (2), box 3, Snyder papers.

49
“Well,” he said, “let’s go”:
Whitman, June 9–11, 1956, entries, June 1956 folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

50
“I doubted seriously”:
DDE to Paul Hoy Helms, June 15, 1956, doc. 1894, HP.

51
“slowly but steadily”:
DDE to Milton, July 9, 1956, doc. 1905, HP.

52
the president was well:
Whitman, Aug. 15, 1956, entry, Aug. 1956 folder (1), box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

53
Ike listened in silence:
Whitman, July 20, 1956, entry, July 1956 folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

54
Stassen went on leave:
Hagerty, oral history interview, pp. 513–14.

55
“The Republican campaign”: New York Times
, Nov. 4, 1956.

56
not as Eisenhower’s singular choice:
Whitman, Aug. 19, 1956, entry, Aug. 1956 (1) folder, box 8, ACW Diary Series, Whitman File.

57
“took a stand in the matter”:
Ibid.

58
“as a lawyer”:
Ibid.

59
refuse to attend the convention:
Ibid.

60
“his face ruddy”: Time
, Sept. 3, 1956. See also
New York Times
, Aug. 22, 1956.

61
“I suddenly discovered”: Time
, Sept. 3, 1956.

62
“We Love the Sunshine of His Smile”: New York Times
, Aug. 21, 1956.

63
the Gang stayed at the nearby Fairmont:
Slater,
The Ike I Knew
, p. 133.

64
“are now addicted”: New York Times
, Aug. 21, 1956.

65
“Whoever let him say that?”:
Adams,
Firsthand Report
, p. 244.