The Eisenhower Presidency

Event Details

Arthur Larson, former Dean of the University of Pittsburg Law School and International Law Scholar at Duke University and he worked in the Labor Department before joining the Eisenhower administration. Larson describes President Eisenhower as a man of principles, who was not guided by political motivations yet had far better political judgment than many practical politicians of his era. Throughout his presentation, Larson comments on the revised assessment of Eisenhower by scholars, who view him more favorably today, as well as Eisenhower's decision not to become involved in Vietnam, his inability to rebuild the Republican Party into a majority party despite winning landslide elections, his concept of military strength and power, his support for shared economics and foreign aid, and his strong belief in reducing the military budget if it threatened the economy by claiming that a "weak economy was a weak defense." In the question and answer section, Larson compares Eisenhower with President Reagan, mentions Eisenhower's concept of the presidency, his relation with the Communist world and Secretary of State Dulles, and refutes implications of Eisenhower's involvement in Vietnam and Bay of Pigs.