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Evan Thomas,
Distinguished Journalist and Author
Host of Eisenhower's Secret War
Author of Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World
In his new documentary, George Colburn has put together an astonishing array of his interviews with men and women who knew Ike, shaping them into a fast-paced and revealing story about an enigmatic leader of the "Free World" in the early years of the Cold War. Eisenhower was not the genial, grandfatherly golfer of popular myth. Rather, he was a subtle and sometimes brutal operator, and Colburn's film shows how and why.
Dr. H.W. Brands,
Dickson, Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of
History and Government, University of Texas
"Eisenhower's Secret War" is a labor of love, a labor of scholarship, a first-rate work of investigative history. George Colburn knows more about Ike than anyone, and now his viewers will too.
Dr. Lewis H. Carlson,
Professor Emeritus of History,
Western Michigan University
Supported by scholarly and diplomatic witnesses to the times and a judicious use of archival film, "Eisenhower's Secret War" presents a compelling case for President Eisenhower being the decisive force in preventing the Cold War from turning into World War III. This admirable documentary also successfully bridges the gap between meticulous historical scholarship and the kind of historical 'enlightenment' offered television viewers by the History Channel and similar outlets.
Dr. Craig M. Allen,
Associate Professor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications,
Arizona State University
"Eisenhower's Secret War" exposes and delves into one of the most important, if still-hidden, dimensions of Eisenhower's career and leadership. And the program's thesis is on the mark. But more than this, it features one of the best assemblies of period historical videos ever seen in documentary production. And the program has a definitive array of interviews while the range of interview subjects is outstanding The documentary is a joy to witness, consider, and experience.
Dr. Michael Birkner,
Benjamin Franklin Professor of Liberal Arts, Gettysburg College
Long under-appreciated, Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency has in the past generation gained broad respect from the scholarly community. Now, George Colburn's documentary, "Eisenhower's Secret War," has provided us with an Eisenhower who was not only necessary for his times, but relevant to ours. It is a fresh and powerful story about America’s 34th president, capturing Dwight Eisenhower as you have not seen him before.
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Dr. Daun van Ee,
Editor, The Dwight D. Eisenhower Papers
"Eisenhower's Secret War" goes behind the perceptions to reveal the true story of how one of America's greatest presidents kept the peace while thwarting communist expansion in unimaginably perilous times. Filmmaker George Colburn, a master craftsman and Eisenhower scholar, has created a documentary masterpiece, at once factually accurate and entertaining. The firsthand interviews and historical assessments he provides will come to be regarded as a lasting legacy and a model for those who exercise national and world leadership.
R. Cargill Hall, Chief Historian, Emeritus,
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
"Eisenhower’s Secret War" explodes the widely-held belief that our 34th President acted as a national "caretaker," one who spent much of his time playing golf in Augusta, Georgia. Perhaps most significant, it reveals that Eisenhower authorized and, with a few trusted advisors, saw executed a technical revolution in overhead intelligence collection. Within a span of eight years they opened the Soviet Union and Communist China, indeed the entire world, to American scrutiny. That revolution ensured that the Cold War stayed "cold." No subsequent president has contributed as much to our national security.
Dr. David A. Nichols,
Author of Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis – Suez and the Brink of War
For decades, historians inaccurately portrayed Dwight D. Eisenhower as an old, bumbling, do-nothing president. But on television, George Colburn was a pioneer in producing historically accurate programs about the Eisenhower presidency. His documentaries over the past 20 years are a rich mixture of solid scholarship and media savvy. The recently released program in Colburn’s ongoing series – "Eisenhower's Secret War" — provides a compelling portrait of a president who shrewdly waged peace in the uncharted waters of the early Cold War. While it merits scholarly respect, this new documentary is also accessible and fast-paced – a splendidly useful tool for teaching twenty-first century students.
Dr. Irwin Gellman,
Author of The President and the Apprentice
"Eisenhower’s Secret War" is a film treasure that provides a vivid portrayal of a pivotal moment in world history.
I have researched the relationship between Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon for almost two decades and believe that this documentary has provided a clear and concise portrait of their association during those epochal times.
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