Eisenhower's Presidency

As Truman’s approval rating sank lower and lower toward the end of his presidency, the Republican and Democratic parties sought a new candidate to run in the 1952 election. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a WWII General who had become the Supreme Commander of NATO, was a prospective candidate for both parties. Although initially reluctant to pursue the presidency, Eisenhower eventually favored the Republican Party, since he believed the Democrats were placing too much emphasis on a centralized government. Eisenhower ran with Nixon as his vice-president, and won the popular vote.

As Coldwar tensions increased, Eisenhower’s foreign policy continued to put pressure on the Soviet Union. John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower’s secretary of state, developed a policy of brinkmanship – threatening to use nuclear force against the Soviet Union and any other aggressor nations who continued to spread communism. In addition, Eisenhower also began using the CIA to carry out covert operations against the Soviet Union, such as helping the pro-American Shah of Iran return to power, and toppling the suspected communist government of Guatemala. In 1957, Eisenhower issued the Eisenhower Doctrine, stating that the United States would defend the Middle East against attack from the Soviet Union. This was intended to counter the Soviet Union’s influence in the Middle East, since they had defended Egypt during the Suez War, and had gained popularity with Middle Eastern countries.

In spite of this, after Stalin’s death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev, the new leader of the Soviet Union, favored a more peaceful policy where the United States and Soviet Union remained on generally fair terms with each other. Still, since 1955, the CIA had been spying by sending flights over Soviet territory, and the U-2 plane was used during these missions. By 1960, although Eisenhower wanted these flights discontinued, one last flight took place on May 1, the plane was shot down, and pilot Francis Powers was captured. When confronted by Khrushchev, Eisenhower denied the U-2 had been spying, but eventually he was forced to admit it. However, Eisenhower refused to apologize, and Khruschev called off a summit that would have been held between the United States and the Soviet Union, souring relations between the two powers.



written by: Derek O'Connor