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The President and the Apprentice: Eisenhower and Nixon, 1952-1961 Hardcover – July 28, 2015
byIrwin F. Gellman(Author)
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Based on twenty years of research, a book that rewrites the history of the Eisenhower presidency
“Irwin Gellman has emerged from years in the archives to tell the fascinating story of President Dwight Eisenhower and his relationship with his vice president, Richard Nixon. Gellman dispels the fog that has long enveloped this subject and casts new light on a critical Cold War presidency. Masterfully written,The President and the Apprentice is a must-read for anyone who, like me, loves good political history.”—Allen Matusow, author ofThe Unraveling of America
More than half a century after Eisenhower left office, the history of his presidency is so clouded by myth, partisanship, and outright fraud that most people have little understanding of how Ike’s administration worked or what it accomplished. We know—or think we know—that Eisenhower distrusted his vice president, Richard Nixon, and kept him at arm’s length; that he did little to advance civil rights; that he sat by as Joseph McCarthy’s reckless anticommunist campaign threatened to wreck his administration; and that he planned the disastrous 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. None of this is true.
The President and the Apprentice reveals a different Eisenhower, and a different Nixon. Ike trusted and relied on Nixon, sending him on many sensitive overseas missions. Eisenhower, not Truman, completed the desegregation of the military. Eisenhower and Nixon, not Lyndon Johnson, pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 through the Senate. Eisenhower was determined to bring down McCarthy and did so. Nixon never, contrary to recent accounts, saw a psychotherapist, but while Ike was recovering from his heart attack in 1955, Nixon was overworked, overanxious, overmedicated, and at the limits of his ability to function.
Based on twenty years of research in numerous archives, many previously untouched, this book offers a fresh and surprising account of the Eisenhower presidency.
“Irwin Gellman’s superb research and plausible reconstruction of the Eisenhower-Nixon relationship may well revolutionize the meaning of historical revisionism.The President and the Apprentice is an unsettling tour de force.”—David Levering Lewis, author ofKing: A Biography andW.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography
“Irwin Gellman has emerged from years in the archives to tell the fascinating story of President Dwight Eisenhower and his relationship with his vice president, Richard Nixon. Gellman dispels the fog that has long enveloped this subject and casts new light on a critical Cold War presidency. Masterfully written,The President and the Apprentice is a must-read for anyone who, like me, loves good political history.”—Allen Matusow, author ofThe Unraveling of America
More than half a century after Eisenhower left office, the history of his presidency is so clouded by myth, partisanship, and outright fraud that most people have little understanding of how Ike’s administration worked or what it accomplished. We know—or think we know—that Eisenhower distrusted his vice president, Richard Nixon, and kept him at arm’s length; that he did little to advance civil rights; that he sat by as Joseph McCarthy’s reckless anticommunist campaign threatened to wreck his administration; and that he planned the disastrous 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. None of this is true.
The President and the Apprentice reveals a different Eisenhower, and a different Nixon. Ike trusted and relied on Nixon, sending him on many sensitive overseas missions. Eisenhower, not Truman, completed the desegregation of the military. Eisenhower and Nixon, not Lyndon Johnson, pushed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 through the Senate. Eisenhower was determined to bring down McCarthy and did so. Nixon never, contrary to recent accounts, saw a psychotherapist, but while Ike was recovering from his heart attack in 1955, Nixon was overworked, overanxious, overmedicated, and at the limits of his ability to function.
Based on twenty years of research in numerous archives, many previously untouched, this book offers a fresh and surprising account of the Eisenhower presidency.
“Irwin Gellman’s superb research and plausible reconstruction of the Eisenhower-Nixon relationship may well revolutionize the meaning of historical revisionism.The President and the Apprentice is an unsettling tour de force.”—David Levering Lewis, author ofKing: A Biography andW.E.B. Du Bois: A Biography, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography
- Print length816 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherYale University Press
- Publication dateJuly 28, 2015
- Dimensions9.4 x 6.4 x 2 inches
- ISBN-100300181051
- ISBN-13978-0300181050
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Gellman is a prodigious researcher . . . in a fascinating chapter on Nixon’s health, Gellman breaks new ground in understanding the man."—Timothy Naftali,New York Times Book Review
"Gellman . . . is a prodigious researcher. His new book can be mined for many gems about the American presidency, US policies in the 1950s, and the evolution of the cold after Stalin’s death.He also charts the tides, tensions and treacheries of American politics. . . . Future scholars will need to take account of his evidence…. Gellman’s decades of parsing written records earn him the right to remind other writers that “they are supposed to think critically about their sources."—Robert Zoellick,Financial Times
"An important work, and one sure to cause controversy."—Publishers Weekly
"No recent work better delineates the dynamics of the Eisenhower presidency. . . . This is the best-documented, most persuasive account now available of the Eisenhower-Nixon relationship. . . . Essential."—Choice
"Eisenhower’s reputation has recently received more positive reviews, even from liberals, who praise his restraint in foreign policy and, of course, his warnings about the 'military-industrial complex.' His vice president, Nixon, has received no such rehabilitation. . . . Gellman, an independent scholar and writer of four previous books on American presidents, strives mightily here to balance the scales. . . . Although he doesn’t discount Nixon’s character flaws, Gellman asserts that Eisenhower respected Nixon and valued his views on a variety of issues. . . . A worthy effort at reappraisal."—Jay Freeman,Booklist
"Gellman’s take on Nixon restores real balance to the study of the man, and his important role in American politics. This is a deeply researched book using archival and published material. It shows just how intimate [Eisenhower’s and Nixon’s] relationship was, how much Nixon did for Ike, and indeed how Nixon shaped the modern GOP as Ike’s vice president. . . . Nixon, in short, was central to Ike’s widely respected presidency."—Geoffrey Wawro,History Book Club
"Historian Irwin Gellman has a new book out on Ike and Dick. . . . The lessons it offers for 2016 are many and obvious, especially when it comes to running campaigns."—Hugh Hewitt,The Hugh Hewitt Show
"Received orthodoxies are as boring in history as they are in any other field of constant inquiry. . . No matter what the received orthodoxy. . . the field of history only benefits from dissenters consulting the records, marshaling their facts, and making a concerted assault on the ramparts. The process keeps academics on their toes, keeps interpretation from calcifying into cant, and not the smallest thing, very often makes for great reading . . . Irwin Gellman’s new book is as a perfect a case-in-point as the current season is likely to provide."—Steve Donoghue,Open Letters Monthly
"Thanks to this . . . tightly written and magnificently researched volume by Irwin F. Gellman, 20 years in the making . . . Richard Nixon’s eight years as Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president are up for reexamination."—John R. Coyne Jr.,Washington Times
"[An] illuminating new book."—Jacob Heilbrunn,The National Interest
"Introduces the reader to a Nixon few knew about. . . . A truly unique work of history. . . . An unforgettable read."—John Gizzi,Newsmax
"Readable and extensively researched. . . .The President and the Apprentice should shift the historical assessment of Nixon’s vice presidency considerably. . . . A welcome addition to the scholarship [that] should drive the historiography of Richard Nixon . . . back toward true historical analysis."—Kyle Sammin,The Federalist
“[Gellman] writes with authority. . . . His tome is a monument of scrupulous scholarship.”—Daniel P. Murphy, Journal of American Culture
“The President and the Apprenticedoes make an important contribution to how scholars understand Nixon and Eisenhower’s relationship. It should encourage more research and analysis of Nixon’s choices as vice president and how he shaped the institution of the vice presidency. It also gives insight into Eisenhower’s priorities and ideas about leadership.”—Zachary Matusheski,H-Net Reviews
Finalist for the 2016 Plutarch Award given by the Biographers International Organization
"The conclusions and research are irrefutable. Gellman is spot-on about Ike’s management style, his and Nixon’s working relationship, his strengths as a bureaucratic leader, his civil rights record, his handling with Nixon of McCarthy, his impact on domestic policy, his handling of the Sputnik episode, and his dominance of and leadership in foreign policy. Overall, a wonderfully succinct summary of very complex stuff. This will be, hands down, the most important book ever written on Nixon’s vice presidency and his relationship to the president."—David A. Nichols, author ofA Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution
"Irwin Gellman, the world's premier Nixon scholar, breaks new ground with his fascinating portrayal of Nixon's unprecedented and still unacknowledged activist vice-presidency and his complicated relationship with a brilliant President Eisenhower. Gellman's narrative is based on his unsurpassed knowledge of a vast array of valuable but often underused source materials."—Melvin Small, author ofThe Presidency of Richard Nixon
"Irv Gellman gives us a clear and carefully researched look at Ike as a leader and mentor of Richard Nixon. He provides plenty of new material that provides a fresh look at this important relationship."—George P. Shultz, author ofTurmoil and Triumph: My Years as Secretary of State
"The President and the Apprentice fulfills its ambitions so successfully that no future study of the Eisenhower-Nixon years can afford to ignore what Gellman has accomplished. His insights illuminate every significant issue from Ike's election in 1952 to the rise of Nixon as his successor, all with awesome scholarship. This is a major work of history and biography."—Herbert S. Parmet, author of Richard Nixon and His America
"The President and the Apprentice is an important, illuminating book. There has been a great deal written about Eisenhower and Nixon in recent years, but none of us has done the archival work done by Irv Gellman, or even close."—Evan Thomas, author ofIke's Bluff
"Gellman . . . is a prodigious researcher. His new book can be mined for many gems about the American presidency, US policies in the 1950s, and the evolution of the cold after Stalin’s death.He also charts the tides, tensions and treacheries of American politics. . . . Future scholars will need to take account of his evidence…. Gellman’s decades of parsing written records earn him the right to remind other writers that “they are supposed to think critically about their sources."—Robert Zoellick,Financial Times
"An important work, and one sure to cause controversy."—Publishers Weekly
"No recent work better delineates the dynamics of the Eisenhower presidency. . . . This is the best-documented, most persuasive account now available of the Eisenhower-Nixon relationship. . . . Essential."—Choice
"Eisenhower’s reputation has recently received more positive reviews, even from liberals, who praise his restraint in foreign policy and, of course, his warnings about the 'military-industrial complex.' His vice president, Nixon, has received no such rehabilitation. . . . Gellman, an independent scholar and writer of four previous books on American presidents, strives mightily here to balance the scales. . . . Although he doesn’t discount Nixon’s character flaws, Gellman asserts that Eisenhower respected Nixon and valued his views on a variety of issues. . . . A worthy effort at reappraisal."—Jay Freeman,Booklist
"Gellman’s take on Nixon restores real balance to the study of the man, and his important role in American politics. This is a deeply researched book using archival and published material. It shows just how intimate [Eisenhower’s and Nixon’s] relationship was, how much Nixon did for Ike, and indeed how Nixon shaped the modern GOP as Ike’s vice president. . . . Nixon, in short, was central to Ike’s widely respected presidency."—Geoffrey Wawro,History Book Club
"Historian Irwin Gellman has a new book out on Ike and Dick. . . . The lessons it offers for 2016 are many and obvious, especially when it comes to running campaigns."—Hugh Hewitt,The Hugh Hewitt Show
"Received orthodoxies are as boring in history as they are in any other field of constant inquiry. . . No matter what the received orthodoxy. . . the field of history only benefits from dissenters consulting the records, marshaling their facts, and making a concerted assault on the ramparts. The process keeps academics on their toes, keeps interpretation from calcifying into cant, and not the smallest thing, very often makes for great reading . . . Irwin Gellman’s new book is as a perfect a case-in-point as the current season is likely to provide."—Steve Donoghue,Open Letters Monthly
"Thanks to this . . . tightly written and magnificently researched volume by Irwin F. Gellman, 20 years in the making . . . Richard Nixon’s eight years as Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president are up for reexamination."—John R. Coyne Jr.,Washington Times
"[An] illuminating new book."—Jacob Heilbrunn,The National Interest
"Introduces the reader to a Nixon few knew about. . . . A truly unique work of history. . . . An unforgettable read."—John Gizzi,Newsmax
"Readable and extensively researched. . . .The President and the Apprentice should shift the historical assessment of Nixon’s vice presidency considerably. . . . A welcome addition to the scholarship [that] should drive the historiography of Richard Nixon . . . back toward true historical analysis."—Kyle Sammin,The Federalist
“[Gellman] writes with authority. . . . His tome is a monument of scrupulous scholarship.”—Daniel P. Murphy, Journal of American Culture
“The President and the Apprenticedoes make an important contribution to how scholars understand Nixon and Eisenhower’s relationship. It should encourage more research and analysis of Nixon’s choices as vice president and how he shaped the institution of the vice presidency. It also gives insight into Eisenhower’s priorities and ideas about leadership.”—Zachary Matusheski,H-Net Reviews
Finalist for the 2016 Plutarch Award given by the Biographers International Organization
"The conclusions and research are irrefutable. Gellman is spot-on about Ike’s management style, his and Nixon’s working relationship, his strengths as a bureaucratic leader, his civil rights record, his handling with Nixon of McCarthy, his impact on domestic policy, his handling of the Sputnik episode, and his dominance of and leadership in foreign policy. Overall, a wonderfully succinct summary of very complex stuff. This will be, hands down, the most important book ever written on Nixon’s vice presidency and his relationship to the president."—David A. Nichols, author ofA Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution
"Irwin Gellman, the world's premier Nixon scholar, breaks new ground with his fascinating portrayal of Nixon's unprecedented and still unacknowledged activist vice-presidency and his complicated relationship with a brilliant President Eisenhower. Gellman's narrative is based on his unsurpassed knowledge of a vast array of valuable but often underused source materials."—Melvin Small, author ofThe Presidency of Richard Nixon
"Irv Gellman gives us a clear and carefully researched look at Ike as a leader and mentor of Richard Nixon. He provides plenty of new material that provides a fresh look at this important relationship."—George P. Shultz, author ofTurmoil and Triumph: My Years as Secretary of State
"The President and the Apprentice fulfills its ambitions so successfully that no future study of the Eisenhower-Nixon years can afford to ignore what Gellman has accomplished. His insights illuminate every significant issue from Ike's election in 1952 to the rise of Nixon as his successor, all with awesome scholarship. This is a major work of history and biography."—Herbert S. Parmet, author of Richard Nixon and His America
"The President and the Apprentice is an important, illuminating book. There has been a great deal written about Eisenhower and Nixon in recent years, but none of us has done the archival work done by Irv Gellman, or even close."—Evan Thomas, author ofIke's Bluff
About the Author
Irwin F. Gellman is an independent scholar. His books includeThe Contender,an account of Richard Nixon’s time in Congress.
Product details
- Publisher : Yale University Press
- Publication date : July 28, 2015
- Language : English
- Print length : 816 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0300181051
- ISBN-13 : 978-0300181050
- Item Weight : 2.85 pounds
- Dimensions : 9.4 x 6.4 x 2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,919,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,255 inUnited States Executive Government
- #1,772 inUS Presidents
- #47,889 inUnited States History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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4.2 out of 5 stars
64 global ratings
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Customers praise the book's meticulous research, with one noting it took 20 years to complete. They find the content interesting and consider it well worth their time.
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6 customers mention "Research quality"6 positive0 negative
Customers praise the book's meticulous research, with one customer noting it took 20 years to complete.
"...Thisbook took 20 years to research and you can tell the time was well spent...."Read more
"...a bit childish, but believe that he provides new insight andfacts that were not commonly known...."Read more
"Gellman does an incredible job. This is aMUCH needed truth serum for generations raised on myths and partisan distortions about Ike and to a..."Read more
"...Covers an obscure area that others have ignored.Meticulously researched. Debunks some myths from other, lazier writers...."Read more
5 customers mention "Value for time"5 positive0 negative
Customers find the book worth their time, with one noting it is pretty lengthy.
"...This book took 20 years to research and you can tell thetime was well spent...."Read more
"...Agreat book."Read more
"...Debunks some myths from other, lazier writers.Well worth reading."Read more
"...Also, as this is apretty lengthy book about the eight years Nixon spent as Eisenhower's VP, it gets into some lengthy discussions about policy and..."Read more
3 customers mention "Interest"3 positive0 negative
Customers find the book interesting.
"Great opportunity for more than a narrative of diaries. The overly biased attempt to bolster the image of a discredited politician falls flat...."Read more
"Interesting, but pro-Nixon bias unbalances it."Read more
"Fascinating book!"Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2023This is the second book in the series about Richard Nixon’s political career; the first one was called The Contender. This book took 20 years to research and you can tell the time was well spent. These books are essential to understanding Nixon’s pre presidential career and give a clear understanding of what motivated his rationale for braking into the Watergate Hotel as president.
These books are to Nixon as Taylor Branches were to the Civil Rights Movement and Robert Cairos were to trying to understand LBJ.
The thing that separates these books are the research not only does the author point out other writers misunderstood theories but why they were historically wrong based on his research.
Here are a couple of quick examples; his issue with Hellen Douglass as a supposed communist or the pink lady as he called her and the impact it had in the race. It was definitely over the top but the bigger issue was Nixon was much better financed and she ran a very lazy campaign.
The issue that Nixon saw a psychiatrist during his early campaign and as VP. This doctor was not a psychiatrist but more like a snake oil salesman who prescribed questionable drugs for Nixon’s insomnia and anxiety.
Finally the issue that Nixon didn’t play a big part in Eisenhowers foreign policy decisions. He probably visited more countries than any previous VP
and when Dulles dies of cancer Nixon became the expert. I also believe he played a much bigger role in the Bay of Pigs than he wanted anyone to know.
I believe RN s motivation for Watergate was he believed the Democrats had a classified file that exposed his true role in the Bay of Pigs. Just about everyone connected to the break in had a role in the Bay of Pigs. This is a must read - Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2017The author spent 20 years researching the Eisenhower/Nixon Administration from 1952 until 1960. His premise is that historians have been unfair to both Eisenhower and Nixon as to their accomplishments as President and Vice President. Concerning Eisenhower, books written over the past few years are starting to promote the idea that he was more successful than past historians have given him credit. The author further argues that the relationship between the two men was closer than previously thought and that Nixon played the most significant Vice Presidential role up to that point.
The author has convinced me that he is correct about these premises. But, the author feels compelled to take on and do intellectual battle with previous historians. He particularly is harsh concerning Steven Ambrose. The author claims that Ambrose lied about what he wrote about Eisenhower and invented sources (especially about interviewing Eisenhower). This is a position that Jean Edward Smith took in his recent book on Eisenhower. I am convinced that Ambrose did lie about interviews and information that he provided about Eisenhower, especially concerning civil rights. But that does not mean that all other historians have done the same.
Author goes too far in citing and battling other authors. He attacks articles and books that do not agree that the Eisenhower /Nixon was not one of the best and most successful administrations. Some of his attacks are well reasoned, others are weak. He attacks a significant and famous statement from Earl Warren's book about a conversation that he had with Eisenhower prior to the Brown v. Board of Education on the grounds that Warren's book was published after he died and that Warren did not like Eisenhower. Warren is considered by many to be a significant figure in 20th century politics and judicial circles. He has been treated by historians as ethical but flawed. To claim that he lied because of a personal feeling towards Eisenhower is ludicrous.
The author glosses over shortcomings of the Eisenhower administration (such as American Foreign Policy concerning the overthrow of the Shah of Iran). The Author feels the need to attack Truman in order to promote Eisenhower.
With the above being said, he has provided a new look at the relationship between Ike and Dick and his coverage of Nixon's role as Vice President is very impressive. I disagree with some of his points and find his attacks on other Historians a bit childish, but believe that he provides new insight and facts that were not commonly known. For that reason, I recommend this book for students of American Presidents. - Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2016Gellman does an incredible job. This is a MUCH needed truth serum for generations raised on myths and partisan distortions about Ike and to a greater extent- Nixon. Gellman shows how many "historians" and "journalists" simply cannibalize the works of one another and this is how myths- distortions and outright lies perpetuate over time. Gellman has done the most extensive look EVER at the ACTUAL documents to dispel the myths, distortions and lies. Please notice this as you read.
There is a STRONG lobby out there to deny Ike and to a greater extent - NIXON- the credit they deserve. You will never read history the same again. The average reader does not have time to check footnotes. They rely on media and books- thinking they are accurate. As an historian I can tell you- a lot of it is a game. This book does not play the game. I only hope Mr. Gellman will write a similar book on Nixon as President. If he does- we will learn that Nixon achieved more than all but one President in the 20th century- FDR.
The writing is clear and easy to read. It really transports you back to the time period. An argument can me made that Nixon is the most consequential VP ever- since we finally have a study that uses the actual documents of many people. I require this as reading for how to do history! - Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016Excellent portrayal of the Eisenhower years and Nixon's contributions. Difficult to understand Nixon's 1950's political profile as compared to his White House years. Makes you wonder how he would have evolved had he won the 1960 election. Loss then and the 1962 California race appears to have deeply changed him. Today he would be considered a flaming liberal. Eisenhower was a canny leader who knew how to maneuver in Washington and used his VP to great advantage. A great book.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2015Great opportunity for more than a narrative of diaries. The overly biased attempt to bolster the image of a discredited politician falls flat. Boring in execution, apologetic in support of Nixon.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2015Well written. Covers an obscure area that others have ignored. Meticulously researched. Debunks some myths from other, lazier writers.
Well worth reading. - Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2015Interesting, but pro-Nixon bias unbalances it.
Top reviews from other countries
- disgusted of dagenhamReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2016
3.0 out of 5 starsApologia for Tricky Dicky?
Some good detail and overview about the relationship between Nixon and Eisenhower is somewhat spoiled by the hagiographic nature of the coverage of Nixon in particular and hid boss. Their attitude to "communism" is never justifed becasue the writer , like them, seems to think that opposing communism as a political force as opposed to the USSR as a brutal rival is "natural" . Well it isn't. The Guatamalan coup is justified whereas the Hungarian supression is not. Why? Both were comitted by brutal regimes intent on protecting "their" place in the world.
We see flashes of "tricky" Dicky in some very sophistic arguments by him but not enough.
He appears to have been a dedicated and courageous pulbic servant but his flaw was power-hunger. Eisenhower appeared to be above that but both of them certainly needed extensive education in economics.
