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Eisenhower
With Carlo D'Este
Author
Thursday, May 30, 2002; 2 p.m. EDT

In his new book "Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life" author Carlo D'Este follows the life of the famed military general from his humble beginnings in rural Kansas to the end of World War II.

D'Estes was online online to take questions and comments on Eisenhower, his new book and his career.

D'Este is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who has been awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal and Commendation Medal. He is the author of "Patton: A Genius for War," "Decision in Normandy" " Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943" "World War II in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945" and "Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome."

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Carlo D'Este: Eisenhower was a logical follow-up to my book on Patton published in 1995. It has been a thrill to write about a figure like Eisenhower. It's been a wonderful five years doing this book, both writing and researching it.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (originally from Abilene, Kan.): Is it true that President Eisenhower grew up on the "wrong side of the tracks" in a religous community known for its pacifist views? What exactly was his religious background, and the background of his community? Were eiter of them known for its pacifist views?

How did the religous views of his own family and his neighborhood influence his views and actions in the military.

Thank you.

Carlo D'Este: Basically yes, he did grow up in the poorer section on Abilene back when it was a notorious western cow town. He grew up in a house where his parents -- particularly his mother -- took religion very seriously. There is no indication that Ike and his brothers did more then they were told. He never manifested any real religious preference as a young man. As Eisenhower became famous, certainly he turned to God a lot. You see frequent references to prayer and divine intervention in his writings and actions during and after World War II. It is very clear in his later career that religion played a major influence in his life.

Parsippany, N.J.: I often hear about the "stubborn" or "irreverent" qualities of Eisenhower, Patton, Macarthur, Montgomery etc. when there is a biography written about them. Is the truth really that they all had clashing egos and strong opinions? If so,do you think that's a common quality for a great general?

Carlo D'Este: Certainly Eisenhower had strong opinions. He could be extremely stubborn. It may or may not be a quality of a great general but it certainly one that is common, although Eisenhower hid his ego very well in the interest of Allied unity. That is one of reasons I think he was such a good supreme commander. He was a great unifier.

Framingham, Mass.: As a retired army lietenant, were you granted more access to info than a non-armed forces author might have been?

Carlo D'Este: Not at all. I was granted no special privileges.

L.A., Calif.: Does your experience in the military give you a better understanding and ability to write about it?

Carlo D'Este: Without question. It allowed me to understand the military environment and how things are done. I consider it a great benefit to the work I am doing. No question about that.

Englewood, Fla.: The relief of MG Terry de la Mesa Allen in Sicily is a blurred story. Both Bradley and Patton claim in their respective books to have accomplished that task. In his letters to his wife General Allen tells her he is being sent back to the states to prepare another unit(104th Div) for "the big push." Was he ever told he was relieved for cause? Did Eisenhower ever upbraid Allen to his face for the Oran controversy? Has Terry Allen ever received the recognition he deserves for leading the 1st Division in combat during those trying early years? Was he treated fairly by Eisenhower?

Carlo D'Este: No. He was not relieved for cause, although there was a serious personality clash between Omar Bradley and Allen. Terry Allen was one of the great combat commanders in World War II. I wrote about the extensively in an earlier book called "Bitter Victory."

Bowie, Md.: I had read in a trivia collection book, that there was no record of Eisenhower ever voting in any election before he ran for president in 1952. Is this true?

Carlo D'Este: As far as I know it is true. There is certainly no record of him voting during the period I covered. Like most of the military he was apolitical and he had actually a great contempt for politicians like most of the career officers did.

Harrisburg, Pa.: How you ever joined in the speculations of the possibilities if the Normandy invasion had been delayed? Eisenhower's advisors were so split on when to invade. What do you think was the ultimate reason Eisenhower chose when to invade?

Carlo D'Este: This entire question is thoroughly discussed in the book.

The decision to launch the invasion was solely predicated on the weather and the fact that they had a very narrow window of time in which to launch the invasion. There were very limited options. The ultimate decision to invade on June 6th was the weather. It was actually scheduled on June 5th and they couldn't bring it off. Eisenhower's decision was one of the most courageous and difficult made by a military commander in a time of war.

New York, N.Y.: Can you compare Eisenhower's relationship with Roosevelt and Truman and what he felt about both men?

Carlo D'Este: Eisenhower respected Roosevelt even though he had reservations during the war about some of his positions -- particularly the French and de Gaulle. FDR's frosty relationship with de Gaulle and the French seriously complicated Eisehower's job as supreme commander. He generally liked FDR. During the period of my book he didn't even meet Truman so he didn't know much of anything about him. About all they knew was that he was a Senator from Missouri, so there really wasn't a connection.

Alexandria, Va.: The Allies treated General De Gaulle as if he were an important figure. Did Free French forces play any meaningful military role in the war? Was equipping and feeding De Gaulle's troops even worth the expense of doing so? Was General Eisenhower simply humoring De Gaulle?

Carlo D'Este: The Free French did play an important role, in particular during the North African campaign and a major contribution during the Italian campaign. No Eisenhower was not humoring de Gaulle at all. He respected him as a soldier and that was the basis of their relationship. De Gaulle was difficult to deal with but Eisenhower understood better than most where he was coming from. I don't know that there was any logistic burden to equip the French forces at all.

Billings, Mont.: What is one misconception you think most people have about Eisenhower?

Carlo D'Este: One misconceptions is that Eisenhower fostered was just a country boy from Kansas and nothing could be farther from the truth. He was shrewd, possessed a find mind and concealed his abilities behind that famous smile. He often concealed an intelligence as sharp and icy as anyone.

Papillion, Neb.: I have always been a little in awe of how a staff officer, hidden away at the War Department could so quickly move-up the chain of command -- even at a time of war. Was it all due to Eisenhower's skill as an officer and efficient planner? Or, in your opinion, was it solely based on his relationship with Marshall and the standard "Elite Officers' Country Club" mentality of the military (past and present)?

Carlo D'Este: It was based on all three, but Eisenhower's rapid rise was not due to the good 'ole boy's network, but based on his performance. It was ability combined with the fact that very early in his career that in Eisenhower had shown that he was an officer of rare ability. Eisenhower was a do-er.

Alexandria, Va.: Is it true that Columbia University hired General Eisenhower to be its president by mistake?

I read that a Columbia official was told to offer the job to Milton Eisenhower, the General's brother and a noted scholar, but the official got mixed up and offered the job to the wrong brother.

Carlo D'Este: I have heard the same thing, but I can't verify it.

Tacoma, Wash.: More of a request than a question: Your earlier books on Anzio and Sicily were superb histories of two largely US Army campaigns that opened the way for a better understanding of the dynamics of Normandy, which you also covered in gret detail. Your biographies of Patton and Eisenhower were insightful but frankly, have been done before. For your next work, I'd ask you to consider a history of the Aleutian Campaign of 1943-1944 and or a biography of LTG Simon Buckner, who commanded Army units in the Aleutians and was the overall commander on Okinawa. I think that both the Aleutians and Buckner are worthy of your approach to military history and are stories worth telling.

Carlo D'Este: Both are potentially viable subjects that I will consider.

Chantilly, Va.: I enjoyed your bio of Patton very much. Quite amusing to learn that he had a high squeaky voice. Most of us know only the George C. Scott version of Patton.

I haven't gotten to your book on Ike yet, so can you give us one similar interesting/amusing fact about him that is not well known?

Also, who is your next subject? McArthur would be a natural for you!

Carlo D'Este:
Ike had a life long sibling rivalry with his older brother Edgar with produced a number of amusing incidents both in his youth and as an adult.

My next topic is a biography of Winston Churchill as war leader during the Second World War.

Englewood, Fla.: Was General Eisenhower ever in close combat? Had he ever seen comrades killed around him? Had he experienced being shot at? Did he ever fight with weapons?

Carlo D'Este: No. He missed World War I . He was scheduled to deploy in 1918 with the new tank corps but the war ended.

There were times when the Germans tried to do him in during World War II, but he was never under fire like most soldiers. This is not to say that he did not see war first hand, even as supreme commander. Had Eisenhower been able to do so, he probably would have gone into combat if it wasn't for his superiors.

During the campaign in Tunisia Eisenhower said "Sometimes I get so impatient that I want to … grab a rifle myself and start fighting Germans." He was a soldier at heart but was forbidden by virtue of his high position from being the combat soldier that he wanted to be. He always wanted to prove his metal in battle.

Falls Church, Va.: To what extent do you think Eisenhower's experience in WWII -- both in directing massive conventional assaults resulting in heavy casualties and in witnessing the results of the Holocaust -- led him to later support nuclear deterrence at the expense of the postwar army?

Carlo D'Este: I would say that his experience played large in shaping his future actions as a politician.

Alexandria, Va.: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial has inscribed on its wall a quotation from General Eisenhower. In it he states that he had sent U.S. troops to visit the concentration camps in order to make it more difficult for anyone ever to deny that such places existed.

Are you familiar with this quote? What was the context within which it was made?

I certainly approve of it and I believe that General Eisenhower did indeed make it more difficult for Holocaust deniers to engage in their nonsense.

Carlo D'Este: Yes. The reference is to Eisenhower's visit to the concentration camp Ohrdruf Nord on April 12, 1945. He was appaulled by what he saw. He never forgot what he saw.

"We are told the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least he will know what he is fighting against."

His enlisted aide had never seen his boss so furious. His face was "black" and "he looked sick and very angry."

Annandale, Va.: The recent push to create a monument in honor of Ronald Reagan is, in my opinion, being grossly unfair to the memory of Dwight Eisenhower, who after all, was an actual war hero as well as President. I personally feel that President Eisenhower is much more deserving of a monument. What is your opinion?

Carlo D'Este: He is certainly deserving of recognition.

Paramus, N.J.: Why intrigued you the most about Eisenhower inspiring you to write a book about him?

Carlo D'Este: Eisenhower is a fascinating figure to write about. I consider him an ideal subject of great importance. There is still a great deal to be written about. There is considerable new material about him that has become available. He is a subject that has not had much written about him and is an important topic for new generations of Americans who may not know much about him.

Carlo D'Este: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time and trouble to come online today. The questions were very interesting and thoughtful and I am extremely sorry that we don't have more time, but I am deeply appreciative of your interest in Eisenhower.

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