"Howard Waldrop - Ike At The Mike" - читать интересную книгу автора (Waldrop Howard)

But Eisenhower was Presley's man. The senator had read all the biographies,
re-read all the old newspaper files, listened to him every chance he got.

If Presley had an ideal, it was Eisenhower. As both a leader and a person. A
little too liberal, perhaps, in his personal opinions, but that was the only
fault the man had. When it came time for action, Eisenhower, the "Ike" of the
popular press, came through.

Senator Presley tried to catch his eye. He was only three tables away and
could see Ike through the hazy pall of smoke from after dinner cigarettes and
pipes. It was no use, though. Ike was busy.

Eisenhower looked worried, distracted. He wasn't used to testimonials. He'd
come out of semiretirement to attend, only because Armstrong had persuaded him
to do it. They were both getting presidential medals.

But it wasn't for the awards that all the other people were here, or the
speeches that would follow; it . . .

Pratt turned to him.
"I've noticed his preoccupation, too," he said.

Presley was a little taken aback. But Pratt was a sharp old cookie, and he'd
been around God knows how many people through wars, floods, conference tables.
He'd probably drunk enough tea in his life to float the battleship Kropotkin.

"Quite a man," said Presley, afraid to let his true, misty eyed feelings show.
"Pretty much
the man of the century, far as I'm concerned." "I've been with Churchill, and
Lenin, and Chiang," said Ambassador Pratt, "but they were just cagey
politicians, movers of men and materiel, as far as I'm concerned. I saw him
once before, early on, must have been Thirty-eight, Thirty-nine. Nineteen
Thirty-eight. I was very, very impressed then. Time has done nothing to change
that."

"He's just not used to this kind of thing," said Presley.

"Perhaps it was that Patton fellow."

"Wild George? That who you mean?"

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Pratt asked, eyes all concern.

"I was in committee most of the week. If it wasn't about the new drug bill, I
didn't hear about it."

"Oh, of course. This Patton fellow died a few days ago. Circumstances rather
sad, I think. Eisenhower and Mr. Armstrong just returned from his funeral this
afternoon."