Meetings with John Foster Dulles and Unidentified Man—December 20, 1949

Discussion of a possible political career for Eisenhower continues. He states "I don't
know a single national committeeman on either party that I am certain of so I feel I'm a
babe in the field even if I thought there was a job for me." He talked about his work at
the university and man's need to "realize his capacity ." Dulles discusses the changes in
the two party system since the Civil War. They discuss their perceptions that the two
political parities have grown quite different from each other. Dulles says "I believe that
democracy or political liberty as we practice it is merely the political express of a
religion."
They return the topic ofrunning for political office and Eisenhower states that certain
aspects of politics are "repugnant" to him. He further tells Dulles that while he is not
ready to enter politics, he has not "irrevocably" decided not to seek political office . He
tells Dulles "not yet", but later he remarks that "I am highly anxious, very anxious to do
my duty."
The recording is interrupted and when it continues there is a different man talking with
Eisenhower. They are discussing Eisenhower's decision to write Crusade in Europe.
DDE states "Well, I said, after all, the one reason that finally led me to publish abook,
see, I refused for four solid years to touch it, but I finally saw so many things coming out
that were completely twisted stories of events that I remembered." They talk about of
history can be "twisted". Eisenhower again explains his motives for writing the book
when he says" So I really wrote this thing to give a narrative of events as I saw them and
as honestly and truthfully as I knew how and that's the reason I got Art to hunt up every
record he possibly could and he could find an error put it down."