Chapter 14
Eisenhower’s Strategic Misstep on the Global Stage

IV. Ballots Above All: The Worst Option

In the United States, peace has always been a winning campaign theme. There is a telling contrast in the records of the Democratic and Republican parties. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson won re-election by promising to keep America out of the war; the following year, the U.S. entered the conflict. In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt won with the same promise — only to lead the nation into war as well. Both of these so-called “great men” died with no glory.

In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson won the election with a peace-based platform, campaigning against the “war-mongering” Republicans. Yet he, too, quickly escalated the Vietnam conflict into a major war.

In the long run, the real loser of the Suez Canal Crisis was the United States. Eisenhower helped prepare a powerful whip — one that would lash America’s own back. That whip was the propagandistic concept of “international public opinion,” clearly expressed for the first time at the Bandung Conference, and later, thanks to Eisenhower’s own actions, handed over to the United Nations.

The true hatred of Tunisia’s National Liberation Front (FLN) was directed not at the French, but at the peacemakers on their own side. In the first 25 years of the war, they killed only 1,035 Europeans — but they killed 6,352 Arabs. In fact, the FLN’s strategy was to trap the Muslim masses in a state of terror. On one hand, FLN assassins eliminated moderate voices; on the other, their atrocities aimed to provoke brutal French reprisals, thereby pushing the Muslim population into the arms of extremism.

Roosevelt, Eisenhower’s former boss, made his gravest mistake by failing to recognize the danger of communism and trusting Stalin — resulting in disastrous decisions. Particularly in regard to Northeast China, military necessity should not have been used as an excuse to abandon key principles. In reality, Japan’s surrender had little to do with Soviet entry into the war in Manchuria. Eisenhower handed over Eastern Europe to the Soviets and still managed to be elected president — absurd moves like this are the true chronic disease plaguing America.

Zhong Wen remarked: In retrospect, Hitler had on multiple occasions sent peace signals to Roosevelt, hoping for an alliance against Stalin. Roosevelt ignored them all. Most historians have covered up these overtures to protect Roosevelt’s legacy. It’s worth noting that Roosevelt was effectively in bed with Stalin for about a year and a half — between the Tehran Conference in November 1943 and the Yalta Conference in February 1945. During this time, he gifted Stalin 15,000 aircraft, 7,500 tanks …… via five relentless supply convoys.

Because history has not held him accountable, Roosevelt is still regarded as a World War II hero. As long as presidential elections depend solely on voter support — and voters care only about short-term interests — Roosevelt’s sins remain unpunished. The calamity of communism in the 20th century will continue for another 80 years.