Book Club: "Ike's Bluff"

“Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World”

By Evan Thomas

Evan Thomas's startling account of how the underrated Dwight Eisenhower saved the world from nuclear holocaust. Upon assuming the presidency in 1953, Dwight Eisenhower set about to make good on his campaign promise to end the Korean War. Yet while Eisenhower was quickly viewed by many as a doddering lightweight, behind the bland smile and simple speech was a master tactician. To end the hostilities, Eisenhower would take a colossal risk by bluffing that he might use nuclear weapons against the Communist Chinese, while at the same time restraining his generals and advisors who favored the strikes. Ike's gamble was of such magnitude that there could be but two outcomes: thousands of lives saved, or millions of lives lost.

Published 2012 by Little, Brown & Company. 484 pages

Where can I find the book?

You can purchase a copy through Friends of the Library’s store on bookshop.org. A substantial portion of each sale benefits Friends of the Library Montgomery County in support of Montgomery County Public Libraries. There are also three copies available in the MCPL system, along with the e-book and Audio Book.