<--PREV Doc #1716  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  First Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1718 Document #1717; January 24, 1956 Diaries Series To John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower Series: EM, AWF, DDE The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XVI - The Presidency: The Middle Way Part IX: "Concerning my political intentions"; December 1955 to April 1956 Chapter 18: On "an almost normal schedule"   Dear John: I intended on Sunday to call you on the phone and have a talk with you about your letter to me.1 But I learned from Mamie that you and Barbie had been up quite late and were doing a lot of heavy sleeping, so I decided to postpone the conversation which I look forward to having with you one of these days. This note is just to tell you how much I appreciate the time and effort you took to organize your thoughts and put them down for me. Next I want to say that rarely have I seen any complex subject so simply analyzed and put forward in such a solid way. As I saw it, the only difficulty was when you got down to the end, you had to admit that if the assumptions on which you started were correct, then the issues presented were so close that a toss of the coin was practically as logical a way of settling it as to bother one's head further.2 I got your letter just as I was driving to the farm on Saturday; George Allen rode up with me. I was so struck by its logic, as well as its atmosphere of friendly understanding, that I had George read it. He practically raved, but he ended up with the observation, "Tell John I wish that I could have sense enough to organize my thoughts as well as he did; that I could have written them down as well as he did; and finally, that I agree with every word that he says--including his recommendation."3 One or two friends have suggested a possible third line of action. Their idea would be to state that I will not refuse a nomination or decline to serve if elected, but that I will not make a single move either to be nominated or to be elected. This idea, appealing as it is at first glance, seems to me to be somewhat unrealistic. If any man actually accepts the responsibility of leadership of one of our great political parties, I feel that it is up to him to present the case for that party earnestly and energetically. In fact, I feel this so strongly that this chore is one of the prospects that make me feel that the thing would be really too much. Anyhow, I assure you that I not only value your thoughts but I am grateful to you for furnishing them to me in such fashion.4 Just after lunch today David and Anne arrived at the White House for a second.5 I saw David but missed Anne, who was in the dispensary. I must say he looked fine and I was sorry he could not stay for a while and take a swim. Give my love to Barbie and the children, and my warm greetings to Mary.6 Devotedly 1 In a letter of January 19 sent from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, John Eisenhower had analyzed the decision his father had made about running for a second term (AWF/M: Official Files). John explained that he had the advantage of their "close and affectionate relationship" and their "similar training in the matter of duty." He had the disadvantage, he said, of being "incapable of understanding the burdens of the presidency" and of lacking "intimate knowledge of the intricacies of politics." 2 Under the heading of "Assumptions" John had observed (1) that if he chose not to run, Eisenhower could arrange for the nomination of a man he could "support with a clear conscience"; (2) that the Democrats would nominate Adlai Stevenson; (3) that should he choose to run, Eisenhower's chances of winning would be "about 75%"; (4) that Eisenhower would prove that he can "do the job"; (5) that the "adverse effects of the office" on Eisenhower's health could be "minimized" and would not "materially affect [his] life expectancy"; and (6) that a "competent, experienced working government" with a capable vice-president, would "more than overbalance the risk of changing presidents in mid-term." Under the heading "Facts" John had listed his father's "unparalleled" reputation. He added that the "25% risk" in running and losing the election would have only a "slightly adverse effect" on Eisenhower's "long-term reputation." "Your usefulness is not done when you leave office," John wrote. ". . . your position as an elder statesman would be strong." Under a "Summary" heading John observed that the advantages seemed to lie in the "unselfish course of action for the benefit of the US and the Free World." The disadvantages, he thought, seemed to lie in the direction of "playing it cool." On balance, he said, "this is an extremely close decision." For developments see no. 1757. 3 John's recommendation was simply: "Don't run." "The edge," he advised, "goes to finding some other line of work." 4 In his memoir, Strictly Personal, John discussed his letter to his father; see pp. 183-90. See also ibid., pp. 386-88, for the full text of John's letter. 5 David and Anne were the children of John and Barbara Eisenhower. 6 Mary Jean was John and Barbara's infant daughter. Bibliographic reference to this document: Eisenhower, Dwight D. Diaries Series To John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower, 24 January 1956. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1717. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/1717.cfm <--PREV Doc #1716  |  Memorial Commission Home Page  |  First Term Table of Contents  |  Presidential Papers Home Page  |  Doc#  |  NEXT--> Doc #1718

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