Dr. Steven M. Gillon on How World War II Shaped Seven U.S. Presidents

We have a really powerful conversation today from a second time guest—Dr. Steven M. Gillon is back to talk to us about the U.S. presidents who served in World War II (there are seven of them!) and what that service meant to their lives. The last time Steven was here, we were talking about his friend JFK Jr.; today we’re talking about Eisenhower, JFK, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush 41 and how their service in World War II impacted them not just personally, but as president. If you do the math, Eisenhower took office in 1953 and George H.W. Bush left office in 1993, so that’s 40 years of the presidency shaped by this war. Today on the show Steven talks about the long shadow of World War II; which president’s war experience most stood out to him; how the men’s experiences in war differed, from Eisenhower as a general down to a teenage Bush; the power of service, either in war or in political office; how the war shaped them as men and as leaders; how their experience in war would later affect their foreign policy when president; the bond that serving in the war brought about amongst these men, even if they were political opponents; and so much more. Steven’s book, called Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK Through Reagan and Bush, is out February 18, just in time for President’s Day the day prior. Steven is professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma and a senior fellow at the Miller Center for the Study of the Presidency at the University of Virginia. He spent over two decades as scholar-in-residence at The History Channel, where he hosted shows, produced primetime documentaries, and consulted on projects. He is a New York Times bestselling author who has written more than a dozen books about modern American political and cultural history, including the bestsellers America’s Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr. and The Pact: Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and the Rivalry That Defined a Generation. I am so excited to have him back with us. 

Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK Through Reagan and Bushby Dr. Steven M. Gillon