Fall from Grace
By Paul Bacon

In the 1950s, President Dwight Eisenhower symbolized America's manifest destiny as the world's peacekeeper and moral compass. Having led the Allied forces to a hard-won victory against fascism in World War II, the clean-cut, affable, and unaffected former Kansas farmboy represented the nation's wholesome, if slightly naive, self-image.

As president, Eisenhower became known for his elusive public persona. Ever wary that taking a controversial position could jeopardize his immense popularity, he avoided politically dangerous issues such as racial injustice and Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist trials. His detachment was merely an appearance, however, as he was involved in every important decision of his administration.

One of his most notorious decisions resulted in a major setback on the road to peace with the Soviet Union. While he steadily worked to bring the Soviets to disarmament talks, Eisenhower was simultaneously dispatching U-2 spy planes on missions to gather information about their nuclear arms capabilities. After one of those spy planes was shot down during a mission, in Soviet airspace, Premier Nikita Khrushchev walked out of the critical Paris Peace Summit of 1960. The president lost much of his reputation as a man of his word, but history has favored his record as a brilliant war strategist and stalwart guard against Communist expansion.