European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Al v general facts and debate Over Eisenhower by John o Connor the new York times Hilary Genius or Bland humbler a hero of our time or old Bubble head when he left the White House in 1961, his crusade for peace in Tat ters Dwight Eisenhower was ranked by a Survey of historians As being in the Bottom third of american presidents below Chester Arthur. Dur ing the 1980s, the same Survey ranked him near the top.-. Eisenhower continuing a series of in depth Politi Cal portraits the Kennedy lbs Nixon finds its subject More Complex and More interesting though not always More admirable than the Public image the Ivi pcs documentary has two sections. In Soldier written and produced by Adriana Bosch Eisenhower is followed from his spirit edly rebellious youth in Abilene kan., to world renown As supreme commander of the Allied forces in world War ii. His career in the military was hardly orthodox. At West Point his poker playing was More distinguished than his grades. By age 49 he was an obscure lieutenant colonel who had never seen combat. But As he told a confidant in an emergency any thing can  the War began and Eisenhower whose Mother was a pacifist Jehovah s witness began his ascent. But even his War record has shaded patches. He was initially Defeated in North Africa by German Field marshal Erwin Rommel. And he faced Post War criticism for deciding to leave the capture of Berlin to the soviet allies. He did come to one significant conclusion it is critical in a leadership role to exude optimism a cheerful certainty. The famous Eisenhower Grin would serve him Well his relationship with Kay Summersby his Driver and Secretary is touched on gingerly and i conclusively in the second Section statesman written and produced by Austin Hoyt Eisenhower resigns from the army at 61 to seek the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1952. He trounces the party s isolationist Wing led by sen. Robert Taft. He stumbles badly in dealing with sen. Joseph Mccarthy whose thug like commie bait ing has even targeted Gen. George Marshall. In Wisconsin Mccarthy s Home state Eisenhower decides to placate the senator by deleting a defense of Marshall from a speech. He is widely perceived As having betrayed his Mentor. The revisionist approach to the Eisenhower administration maintains that the president was Active primarily behind the scenes guiding events with a hidden hand. So instead of confronting Mccarthy directly he let him hang himself publicly. Some Histo rians agree. Arthur Schlesinger or. Docs not saying i Don t see How Eisenhower can get any credit for Mccarthy s downfall. The second Eisenhower administration complicated by his unstable health ran into even bigger problems notably the civil rights movement which forced a reluctant president to Call out troops to protect Black children going to school and the Downing of a u-2 spy plane in the soviet Union in 1960, just before Eisenhower was to leave for a Long planned Summit conference with Nikita Khrushchev in Paris. Unknown to Eisenhower the Pilot was captured the president was caught lying to the world and the Summit conference went Down in flames. As this documentary observes it was a terrible Way to end his  Gen. Dwight Eisenhower supreme Allied commander Europe reacts to news of president Truman s firing Gen. Douglas Macarthur in 1951 in this award winning photo by the stars and Spe red Randy from this distance Eisenhower is indeed More fascinating than he appeared at the time. This celebrated Man of the people we Are told was most comfortable in the company of men especially self made  this heroic Soldier and Warrior hated War and did not Trust the military Industrial Complex sanctimonious hypocritical bastards he called them at one Point. If his administrations were noticeably lacking in the moral leadership of say a Franklin Roosevelt they did manage to avoid new wars and Foster Prosperity while keeping military budgets rigorously Incheck. Not so incidentally this balanced perceptive por trait of the Man the last american president born in the 19th Century superbly brings to life a huge can Vas of this Century s history. Page 22 sunday january 23, 1994