DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER, PRESIDENT

A warm, laudatory biography that emphasizes Eisenhower's years as a military hero. Eisenhower, whose mother was a pacifist, is portrayed as ""serious, patriotic, and modest,"" one who ""coached his commanders as if he were coaching a football team."" World War II, accordingly, is seen as an exercise in strategy, with a superb, unusually clear recounting of the invasion of Normandy. Adroit at public relations and administration, Eisenhower always was an extraordinarily hard worker. When preparing to encircle the Ruhr, he found time to read Hannibal on ""the encirclement of the Romans."" Though it is known that Eisenhower felt it his obligation to view a concentration camp at liberation, the Holocaust only gets a single line here. The book details the exciting life of an Army officer, with less information on its difficulties and complexities. Of 12 chapters, only two deal with the Presidential years. Briefly mentioned are his presidency of Columbia University, his lack of action toward Senator McCarthy, his life with his wife and son. Eisenhower is Shown as a charming and straightforward American leader. Especially good for readers who have some knowledge of WW II. Photographs, bibliography, index.