"In this extraordinary volume, Jean Edward Smith presents a portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower that is as full, rich, and revealing as anything ever written about America's thirty-fourth president. Here is Eisenhower the young dreamer, charting a course from Abilene, Kansas, to West Point and beyond. Drawing on a wealth of untapped primary sources, Smith provides new insight into Ike's maddening apprenticeship under Douglas MacArthur. Then the whole panorama of World War II unfolds, with Eisenhower's superlative generalship forging the Allied path to victory. Smith also gives us an intriguing examination of Ike's finances, details his wartime affair with Kay Summersby, and reveals the inside story of the 1952 Republican convention that catapulted him to the White House. Smith's chronicle of Eisenhower's presidential years is as compelling as it is comprehensive. Derided by his detractors as a somnambulant caretaker, Eisenhower emerges in Smith's perceptive retelling as both a canny politician and a skillful, decisive leader. He managed not only to keep the peace, but also to enhance America's prestige in the Middle East and throughout the world. Unmatched in insight, Eisenhower in War and Peace at last gives us an Eisenhower for our time -- and for the ages."--Back cover.;Preface -- Just folks -- The Great War -- The peacetime army -- With Pershing in Paris -- With MacArthur in Washington -- Manila -- Louisiana maneuvers -- With Marshall in Washington -- TORCH -- Baptism by fire -- Sicily -- Supreme Commander -- D-Day -- The liberation of France -- Germany -- Chief of staff -- Columbia -- "I like Ike" -- The Great Crusade -- Eight millionaires and a plumber -- First off the tee -- Dien Bien Phu -- New look -- Heart attack -- Suez -- Little Rock -- Military-industrial complex -- Taps -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Illustration credits -- Index.