Eisenhower: Evaluation In all, Eisenhower had a far more successful foreign policy than most people realize.  He forced the Chinese and Soviets to back down repeatedly during his first term, and avoided a general war over the Suez crisis.  Yet his last years in the White House were marred by a string of disappointments, including Khruschev’s refusal to back American arms limitation plans and the U-2 incident.  Part of Eisenhower’s problem in foreign affairs was that he, like most American leaders, believed the Cold War was caused by Soviet misapprehension over American intentions.  He therefore spent a good deal of time reassuring the Soviets that the United States desired peace.  Yet the Soviets acted out of a desire protect and advance their national interest.  This fundamental misunderstanding hampered Eisenhower’s efforts and crushed his peaceful overtures.       T. Roosevelt           Wilson       F. Roosevelt          Truman             Eisenhower          Philosophy          Incidents          Advisers          Evaluation          Citations        Kennedy        Johnson        Nixon        Carter        Reagan        Bush

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