Evening star., 1952-01-27
Two Greet American Generals
Pose for Their Portraits
EISENHOWER
BY John Gunther. (Harper &
Bros. $2.50.)

BY John Gunther. (Harper &
Bros; $780,
Reviewed by Mory McGrory
Given the eminence Of the
author and the aptness of its
timing, this sketch of Eisen-
hover will probably serve as q
campaign biography until some
thing better comes along. It is
friendly, boyish. and a bit hasty
qualities which Mr.. Gunther
also attributes to the general.
What Mr.. Gunther's brief
and on the whole admiring pro-
file brings home most forcibly
land perhaps unintentionally)
is that while Eisenhower is a
remarkable general he is not a
particularly remarkable man.
Qualities that make him enor-
mously popular and refreshing
as a military leader-his forth
rightness, candor, dislike OF
paper work and gobbledy ook-
are not especially striking in a
civilian. They would be adj
mirable in a President, without
question, although their chances
of hourishing might be some
what lessened in q political
rather than a military atmos-
phere.
Good White House Routine.
Always good on details, Mr..
Gunther gives an interesting
picture Of the generals day at
SHAPE, which provides intrigu-
ing, material for speculation on
how he might operate at the
White House. He arrives at his
Office at $3.50, sees a wide variety
of callers-he prefers them to
be unaccompanied by their
Ladies. kit is interesting to note.
One Office rule is that all docu-
mentS must be reduced to a
single page. With the press
(whose representatives he sees
rarely these days. he is superb,
according to MFR. Gunther, vino
at his first Eisenhower brief1ng
during the war, was stunned.
stupened and amazed" at the
generals directness and mod
esty. Spurning ghosts. the
general composes all of his
own, characteristically vigorous
speeches. The Eisennowers go
out not at all in France, enter
tain infrequently. For relaxa-
ton, the general loves bridge,
golf. painting and Western
pulps.
The generals biography. culled
mostly from secondary sources,
emphasizes his early poverty, his
successful service under Mac
Arthur (who may be a bitter po-
litical foe), the pedestrian pace
of his Army career, until his SEN
sational jump from lieutenant
colonel to full general within %
months. Mr.. Gunther comedies
that the generals one civilian
assignment. the presidency of
Columbia, was not an unquali-
fed success. Although in chap
tiers relating to the generals
wartime career, Gunther speaks
Of his talent as a conciliator, he
gives as one of the reasons for
inadequacy at Columbia the fact
that Eisenhower had to per
suade" rather than Command"
Distinctly Conservative.
Mr.. Gunther adds little to our
knowledge Of the generals polit-
ical views. which he considers to
be distinctly conservative" and
middle of -the-road. Readable,
like all Of the INSIDE" authors
books, Eisenhower is not at all
profound. Neither, he says, is
the general, whom he describes
as having little capacity for alb
stract thought. II might be
worth mentioning that Senator
Margaret Chase Smith. whom
Mr.. Gunther lists as one of the
generals supporters, has never
declared herself.
He does make an excellent
case for. his contention that
Eisenhower is IAN obvious ideal
ist" and % markedly decent
human being"