The High Road Back

The road back from Europe was a high road, and no man—soldier or candidate—had ever traveled quite its like before.

At Orly Field in Paris, the Defense Minister of France led the five-star general to a brace of microphones. Said Rene Pleven: "France will always keep in her heart the memory of what you have done for her liberation." Responded the general: "There is nothing to be afraid of . . . You have real friends across the sea . . . Never forget that." With obvious emotions, Dwight Eisenhower grasped the hand of one of his co-founders of the European defense force. Then he swung up the ramp behind Mamie Eisenhower, waved his cap from the door of the Air Force Constellation, smiled and disappeared inside.

Into the Eye. The big plane (named the Columbine for the Colorado state flower) left the French coast, bored on westward to land 15 hours later at Stephenville, Nfld. The Eisenhowers, dead tired, headed for bed. Next morning they were up in time for a 10:30 a.m. takeoff. The sun had just broken through the clouds over Washington when their Constellation swept across the National Airport, wheeled to the south on a wide sweeping turn, and touched down on the runway at 3:55 p.m. Precisely at 4 o'clock, the Eisenhowers stepped out smilingly into the roped-off crowd at the MATS terminal—and into the political eye of the U.S.

But politics kept discreetly out of sight. The one woman who showed up with a bright red "I Like Ike" parasol drew not a glance from the man she liked. Instead, Ike punctiliously went through the military forms: he stood at hand salute during his 17-gun honors, shook hands down the civilian and military ranks, and strode briskly across the ramp to review the honor guard. When he was led up to the microphones with Mamie on his arm, Ike grinned and said casually: "As I suppose is very natural under the circumstances, all lesser emotions are drowned out in the overwhelming realization that we're home again. Two of us to join 156 million Americans. That's good enough for us . . ."

Conducted Tour. Harry Truman stayed away from the airport, but was waiting like an old friend on the south portico of the White House when Ike was driven up in a White House Lincoln. Together, the Chief Democrat and the Promising Republican posed for pictures until the President cracked to photographers: "Come on, I've gotto talk business to this man." They talked alone in the President's second-floor study for half an hour, talked another half-hour with Defense Secretary Robert Lovett, Army Secretary Frank Pace and J.C.S. Chairman General Omar Bradley. Then, defying all laws of political gravity, Harry Truman took Ike on a personally conducted tour of the refurbished White House, finally saw him out the south door, while Margaret and Bess watched smilingly from the Truman balcony overhead.

That night the Eisenhowers retreated to the presidential suite of the Statler Hotel. Next day Ike went to Walter Reed Hospital to have a stubborn case of-pink eye examined, while Mamie got her first chance in seven months at a U.S. department store. Ike made his duty calls at the Pentagon and lunched formally with Defense Secretary Lovett. Then, trading his uniform for a well-cut civilian suit, Ike Eisenhower followed his high road on out across the U.S.