Organized chronologically by president, The Cold War Presidency brings the tension and the drama of the Cold War to life from the perspective of the men who occupied the Oval Office. Inside this comprehensive single volume, students and readers will discover an extensive collection of primary source documents alongside original, analytical essays on the U.S. presidents and their roles during the Cold War. The pairing together of these useful materials allows researchers to learn comprehensively or selectively about the interdependence of the presidency and the Cold War.

1. Origins : a different kind of war -- 2. Harry Truman : the president decides on war -- 3. Dwight Eisenhower : defense within limits -- 4. John F. Kennedy : taking the fight to the enemy -- 5. Lyndon Johnson : the credibility gap -- 6. Richard Nixon : détente and the China card -- 7. Gerald Ford : the caretaker president -- 8. Jimmy Carter : human rights and a midcourse reversal -- 9. Ronald Reagan : reviving the Cold War and the presidency -- 10. George Bush : caution in the face of victory -- 11. Aftermath : the legacies of a fifty-year war -- Appendix A. Notable figures of the Cold War -- Appendix B. Key events in the Cold War.