January 1961: President Eisenhower has three days to secure the nation’s future before his young successor, John F. Kennedy, takes power—a final mission by the legendary leader who planned D-Day and guided America through the darkening Cold War
In this acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Bret Baier illuminates the extraordinary yet underappreciated presidency of Dwight Eisenhower by taking readers into Ike’s last days in power. Baier masterfully casts the period between Eisenhower’s now-prophetic farewell address on the evening of January 17, 1961, and Kennedy’s inauguration on the afternoon of January 20 as the closing act of one of modern America’s greatest leaders—during which Eisenhower urgently sought to prepare both the country and the next president for the challenges ahead.
Three Days in January equally reveals how Eisenhower’s two terms set America on a course of unprecedented prosperity while also saving the nation from destruction in the escalating Cold War with the Soviet Union. Five decades after Ike left office, Baier makes clear that Eisenhower still offers vital lessons for our own time and stands as a lasting model of political leadership.