Eisenhower Presidential Years

Dwight David Eisenhower was considered a popular President throughout his two terms in office, and his moderate Republican policies secured him numerous victories in the Democratic majority Congress (Dwight pp). He strengthened established programs, such as Social Security, and launched new ones, such as the Interstate Highway System, which was the single largest public works program in the nation's history (Dwight pp).

During this Cold War era, Eisenhower often relied on covert action in an effort to avoid taking public responsibility for controversial interventions (Dwight pp). He believed that the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, was a particularly effective tool to counter Communist expansion and assist friendly governments (Dwight pp). Although he authorized the CIA's use of unsavory tactics, such as assassination and bribes, he maintained denial and carefully concealed all evidence of U.S. involvement (Dwight pp).

Within six months of taking office, Eisenhower agreed to an armistice...
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