Eisenhower, Macmillan Salvaged American-British Relations

Newswise — Two Ball State University historians suggest correspondence between British and American political leaders in the late 1950s helped salvage the relationship between the nations.

History professors Bruce Geelhoed and Tony Edmonds uncovered evidence of major policy decisions while researching more than 400 letters between U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

Palgrade Press recently published their "Eisenhower, Macmillan and Allied Unity, 1957-61."

"Eisenhower and Macmillan agreed to write each other after a disagreement in 1956 that nearly damaged the 'special relationship' between Britain and America," Geelhoed said. "They didn't want any miscommunications to upset American-British relations and decided to regularly write each other to discuss policy decisions.

"We argue that they restored that strong relationship between America and Britain," he said. "They also managed to strengthen the core of the NATO partnership at a time when the Cold War was heating up."

Eisenhower was America's 34th president, serving from 1953 to 1961, and died in 1969. Macmillan was British Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963 and died in 1986. The two future world leaders met in North Africa during World War II.

Edmonds and Geelhoed have been working on their research for more than 15 years. They credit Ball State's international faculty development program for funding the project. Each taught at British colleges with Geelhoed at Westminster College in 1987 and Edmonds at Keele University in 2001.

Both professors agreed that the partnership between Eisenhower and Macmillan was similar to others between American and British political leaders over the last 70 years.

U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt worked closely with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II. In the 1980s, President Reagan met regularly with Britain's Margaret Thatcher.

Today, President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have acted together in a number of ventures, including the military campaign in Iraq.

"It is obvious both Eisenhower and Macmillan put a great deal of effort into the correspondence," said Geelhoed, director of Ball State's Center for Middletown Studies. "Eisenhower would read the letter from Macmillan and then pen a reply on the back. He would write several drafts before it was ready.

"Bush and Blair are in the tradition of Eisenhower and Macmillan by cultivating a personal friendship, holding consultations in advance of making major foreign policy decisions and cooperating in the sphere of defense," he said.

Edmonds believes the partnership between Eisenhower and Macmillan rested on three elements: a long-standing friendship, the system of bilateral consultations and program of defense cooperation.

"As a historian, it was exciting to read the letters to see the policies being discussed for the Cold War, the occupation of Berlin and other issues," said Edmonds, the author of "Joe Louis," and "The War in Vietnam." He and Geelhoed co-authored "Ball State University: An Interpretive History."

"Their relationship evolved into a close working partnership," he said. "Over the years the letters became more and more personal. They kept writing to each other after leaving office with Eisenhower starting the letters with 'Dear Harold' and Macmillan writing 'Dear Ike.'"

Edmonds and Geelhoed are currently co-editing the cables, letters, telephone message transcripts and other correspondence between the two political leaders. "Harold and Ike: The Macmillan-Eisenhower Correspondence, 1957-63" will be published by Palgrave Press in 2004.

Marc Ransford