President Eisenhower and Kennedy were some of the most preeminent Politicians in their time. Both garnering considerable approval ratings, and support from the American public. Despite this, their lasting political legacies differ drastically. Ike, once a renowned and publicly adored President has all but been lost to history, a simple footnote between nuclear Truman and the assassinated knight of Camelot. Kennedy, on the other hand, has been glorified in our history books as the quintessential American President. Granted he had some administrative successes, his failures are often glossed over. This phenomenon is in part due to the growing trend of history revisionism. If we take a close examination of the leadership styles of these…show more content… Ike formalized and expanded the hierarchal structure NSC after it was cast aside by Truman. Looking to his background in strict military procedure, Ike created a highly streamlined and effective insinuation that would help hatch military and international policies. Meeting regularly, Eisenhower saw the purpose of the NSC as The Council is a corporate body, composed of individuals advising the President in their own right, rather than as representatives of their respective departments and agencies. Their function should be to seek, with their background of experience, the most statesmanlike solution to the problems of national security, rather than to reach solutions which represent merely a compromise of departmental positions.
Eisenhower instituted the NSC planning board and the Operations Coordinating Board. The Planning Board was tasked with evaluating the numerous concerns on the meeting agenda, and gathering the needed background information. Looking to other agencies for this information would allow the Planning Board to streamline both facts and proposed policies for NSC examination. This allowed the meetings to have a pin-point focus, cultivating the discussion necessary for a decision. The OCB was used to streamline the numerous agencies and their personal in a political groundwork system the would extend to all policies. The OCB assured that any policy decision made were effectively…show more content… Ike did not come to this decision lightly, and in a letter to written in feb of 1955, we can see the scope of his analytical skills. Following a militaristic style of regimentation, Ike made sure to look at all possible effects of his policy. Not only did Ike focus on the military outcomes, but he also extend his analysis to both domestic and international response to a possible intervention. Eisenhower alone made the decision to seek congressional approval, carefully choosing his language as not to provoke retaliation from the USSR and PRC. Ike describes his decision making process