The Political Thought of Dwight Eisenhower
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2017 American Crusade: The olitP ical Thought of Dwight Eisenhower John Kitch Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Kitch, John, "American Crusade: The oP litical Thought of Dwight Eisenhower" (2017). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 4461. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/4461 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. AMERICAN CRUSADE: THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF DWIGHT EISENHOWER A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by John William Kitch II B.A., Baylor University, 2010 M.A., University of Oklahoma, 2012 May 2017 ©Copyright 2017 John William Kitch II All rights reserved ii I would like to dedicate this dissertation to two people who have been on my mind and in my heart during the past few months. These two never met, but their lives have each served as an inspiration for me as I’ve completed this dissertation and, with it, my graduate school career. Dustin Howes was a professor, a mentor, a dear friend, and will always remain an example of greatness of soul matched with humility. Dustin was a professional whose teaching and scholarship were marked by a passion for the truth, a compassion for those in his life, and a mind for unique insights, which were based on an exacting analysis of reality. His life was marked by grace, candor, and beauty. I will always be grateful for his thorough comments on my writing, his encouragement of my ideas, and his willingness to give his time to think with me. Even more importantly, I will always be thankful to Dustin for an unflinching example of how to live and how to die. I miss him deeply and remember him fondly. Cecilia Joy was born 7 weeks ago on a snowy morning to bewildered parents. Cecilia- you are beautiful, hilarious, and already spirited. I can’t wait to see how you grow in the years to come and I will always cherish these first weeks we had together, in the cold and without sleep. In you, I see your mom’s gentle fire, my strange looking toes, and a personality that is all your own. Thanks for joining us on this adventure. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to James Stoner, whose direction on this project kept it on schedule and whose meticulous attention to detail guided a fledging idea a few years ago into the manuscript this project has become. From the moment I asked professor Stoner to chair my committee he has been a tireless and selfless mentor who always pushes me to improve. More importantly, he is a fine man whose sense of humor and commitment to his convictions leaves on impression on people far and wide. He is a magnanimous professional, a trustworthy advisor, and I am proud to call him a friend. Thanks to Cecil Eubanks whose imagination, uncompromising humanity, scholarly excellence, unending patience, and recipe ideas kept me afloat during these past few years. Having an office next to Dr. Eubanks, having him read in our wedding, and running important life decisions through his filter of wisdom have been touching and wonderful experiences that have reminded me always of the importance of keeping the goodness of the world at the forefront of my mind during times of duress. Thank you, especially, for joining me in an intense love of the world’s most perfect game. It is no accident that the world could use more men of your character and more love of baseball. Professor Eubanks is to LSU political science what Ernie Banks was to the Cubs: a rare combination of professional greatness with an unconquerable and contagious joy. Thank you for playing catch with me last summer. Academia needs more people who take life seriously but lightly, while also recognizing the sometimes infuriating absurdity of the way universities operate. Let’s play two. iv Thank you to Ellis Sandoz whose brilliance, wit, hospitality, and ferocious devotion to principle leaves so many in awe. Taking classes with you was a joyful experience and sitting on your porch listening to stories about hunting geese and German philosophy will always be one of my favorite grad school memories. Your taste in dessert and in whiskey is wonderful testaments to the open embrace of life you represent. Your loyalty is unmatched and the quiet ways in which you have helped so many will never be forgotten. Thank you to Wayne Parent for exemplifying a self-giving life of friendship. I know of no one who tirelessly invests in so many lives, expecting nothing in return. Your optimism, willingness to share your home and your mind, along with your enthusiasm have helped Baton Rouge become a true home for me. You are someone who is considered a local celebrity by many, but whose personality is even larger than the legend about it. Thank you for the New York tips. I look forward to your continuing friendship. Thank you to Dustin Howes, whose class during my first semester at LSU set the standard for the wonderful education I would receive here. Thank you for your willingness to talk with me about sports, the patience you showed with my endless questions about your book in progress, and for always engaging my half-baked email ideas about current events with a reply that made me thinker more deeply. You are missed, but you will not be forgotten. Thank you to Aaron Sheehan-Dean for serving on my committee, for hours talking with me about history, about the academic world, and about your experiences of the South. I am v thankful for your example as a scholar and am struck by your combination of scholarship and humanity. Thanks for throwing a grand house party for tired grad students at the end of a long semester. Thank you to Roy Heidelberg for serving on my committee. Thank you to Dan Tirone for serving as a wonderful boss during my first semester as a graduate research assistant. Thank you for your interest in my career and life and for always giving your time to give me advice about academic and non-academic matters alike. It’s an honor to call you a friend. Thank you to Johanna Dunaway for teaching me how to write and carry myself like a professional. Thank you for inviting Stephen, Brian, and me to collaborate on a project with you when it was clear that it was a bigger help to us than it was to you. Thank you for always being willing to give thoughtful advice and thank for demanding much of your students while still treating them humanely. Thank you to Bill Clark for being a sane and fair presence in the thankless role of department chair. Thanks for being always willing to be distracted to talk about sports, for being jolly in the face of mundane work, and for your straightforward and blunt honesty. And thanks for watching baseball with me at Buffalo Wild Wings. Too bad what the Rangers did to the Phillies bullpen that night. vi Thanks to Brian Watson and Stephen Savage for being my first Baton Rouge friends. Thanks for driving me around when Red Dodge was in rough straits, for seeing movies during our first year, and for talking me out of storing an engagement ring in an old Mentos box. Thank you to Stephen for your easygoing selflessness, for lending me a computer when mine was stolen and another one when my hard drive crashed, just as I sat down to write these acknowledgments. Thank you for hosting endless video game, football watching, and True Detective sessions. Thanks for sheltering me during the hurricane of our first month here. Thank you to Brian for the hours of theological conversation, your brave wisdom about big life decisions, your eternal willingness to solve the world’s problems with me over a beer, and the many trips we have taken together. Thank you introducing me to New Mexico, Star Trek, and for sharing the joys and heartbreak of these past few years of Baylor sports. Thank you to Tom Varacalli for being a unique roommate, a dedicated friend, for sharing your baseball career with us, and for caring so deeply about the true and the beautiful. Thank for being my confirmation sponsor and Cecilia’s godfather. Thank you for sharing your Mets fandom with the world and for being the unquestioned MVP of the Lets Make Groceries trivia team. Thank you to Forrest Gordon and to Eric Schmidt. Thanks for the years of trivia together, your unique senses of humor, and your genuine friendship. Thank you to Forrest for vii your quiet way of service and to Eric for your bombastic absurdity. Thank you to Forrest for seeing the humor of the world’s zaniness and to Eric for seeing baseball for the crowning achievement of American civilization that it is. Thank you to Andrew Jones for a unique spirit, never-ending writing tips, a grand sense of humor, and a deep care for your friends. You are an inspiring example of a Christian husband, are always a pleasure to be around, and are as fun of a person as I’ve ever known.