"Dwight David Eisenhower proudly claimed that he 'came from the very heart of America.' From his humble youth in Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower rose to the supreme command of the Allied armies that helped destroy Adolf Hitler's Nazi war machine and to the presidency of the United States. Douglas Kinnard's penetrating look at this great military leader and commander in chief serves as an introduction to Eisenhower's life and provides a concise account of the momentous military and political events of the first half of the twentieth century"--P. [4] of cover.

Abilene and West Point -- Brown shoe army -- General Ike -- The great crusade -- Road to the White House -- Mr. President -- Waging peace -- Afterward and legacies.