THE PRESIDENCY: Joy & Sadness

The loss of a friend, a desertion from his Cabinet, and finally a moment of deep happiness were combined in one of Dwight Eisenhower’s best and worst weeks. Flying overnight to Washington from his Denver vacation headquarters, Ike spent a busy nine hours in conference with top advisers, accepting the resignation of Labor Secretary Durkin, and attending funeral services for his old bridge partner, Chief Justice Fred Vinson.

At the Vinson rites, the President had a tender embrace for Mrs. Vinson, a brief handshake for Harry Truman, who was also among the mourners. By midafternoon, Ike was off again for Denver, ordering the Columbine’s Pilot William Draper to pour on the speed. The President had a personal reason for urgency: his son, Major John Eisenhower, was due to land in Denver at 9 o’clock that night, after 14 months in Korea. Ike got to Denver with 2½ hours to spare.

Waiting for John’s plane, Mamie Eisenhower was radiant. Ike made a brave but futile effort to mask his emotions. A great grin kept spreading over his face, and he was jouncing up & down on his toes as if in time to a gay tune. When John stepped down from the plane with his wife Barbara, he was greeted by a hug and kiss from Mamie, a warm handclasp from his father. Said Ike quickly: “Hello, Son.” A newsreel man yelled: “Put your arm around John.” Ike balked. “You just go ahead,” he replied, a five-star bite in his tone. “You’re not directing.”

Next morning Ike wanted to play golf with John, but the major was exercising the returned soldier’s privilege: he slept late. So Ike traveled the course with a group including Vice President Richard

Nixon, a duffer who quailed visibly when asked by cameramen to display his swing. By the time Ike flubbed a five-foot putt on the ninth hole, it looked as if things were back to normal in vacationland.