Chief Luthuli was probably the epitome of "biding his time". Oliver Tambo also seems to have had this temperament. And I'm reminded of how other members of the ANC read books on how to make bombs! I covered some relevant bits of this here https://rottenandgood.substack.com/p/rivonia-1964 if u ever get more interested; eg here's an example of very long term thinking from Mandela from 1964: “All whites undergo compulsory military training, but no such training is given to Africans. It was in our view essential to build up a nucleus of trained men who would be able to provide the leadership which would be required if guerrilla warfare started. We had to prepare for such a situation before it became too late to make proper preparations. It was also necessary to build up a nucleus of men trained in civil administration and other professions, so that Africans would be equipped to participate in the government of this country as soon as they were allowed to do so.”
The thing that stands out from this for me is how influential external factors were. Yes, Eisenhower studied hard and was clearly talented but if it wasn't for the senior officers who took him on and helped him develop, I suspect he would have coasted towards WW2 and not achieved high rank.
But why did they take him on? That fascination with tanks, the foresight it involves, and his ability to self teach were all very strong signals that people like Conner knew to look for. It shows, really, how good they were at talent spotting.
Oh absolutely. If he didn't have the knowledge and the insight they wouldn't have taken him on but it doesn't take that many events like maybe Conner hadn't visited his battalion but another for things to have turned out very differently.
It is a useful antidote to people who hold up people like Eisenhower as an example of how you can shape your own fate. We always have to look to those who saw their potential and offered them a helping hand (and yes, Conner's talent spotting was top notch!).
I would emphasise that he is in a system that is looking for and selecting talent and which has been doing that for a long long time. So the idea that we are close to things turning out very differently" seems over stated from the perspective of external help. Even if Conner doesn't visit during the tank stripping it's not clear how contingent that is because officers are always on the look out for talent.
Depends on how good that system is though? To what extent is Conner an outlier or not? From people in the US military I have known (granted this was in 2008, not in 1928 so things might have changed!) there is a strong patronage element inherent in the system.
I have worked in an organisation (the UK civil service) that prides itself on identifying and developing talent but the talent that is developed all happens to largely look the same in terms of background, which suggests that patronage plays at least some non-negligible role.
Haha, just wrote a novel about Eisenhower! Thrilled to see somebody else going down the same rabbit holes!
what a hero!
Very interesting. Clearly a decent man. A very good president too. Not sure he’d recognise today’s GOP.
And Harry Truman- another late bloomer and fine president
Truman was part of a dual chapter! Might write more about him here.
Superb essay.
Thank you
loved this. a lot of the descriptions here really put me in mind of mandela and several other ANC men.
Oh interesting! I don’t known much beyond Mandela but I can see that big time.
Chief Luthuli was probably the epitome of "biding his time". Oliver Tambo also seems to have had this temperament. And I'm reminded of how other members of the ANC read books on how to make bombs! I covered some relevant bits of this here https://rottenandgood.substack.com/p/rivonia-1964 if u ever get more interested; eg here's an example of very long term thinking from Mandela from 1964: “All whites undergo compulsory military training, but no such training is given to Africans. It was in our view essential to build up a nucleus of trained men who would be able to provide the leadership which would be required if guerrilla warfare started. We had to prepare for such a situation before it became too late to make proper preparations. It was also necessary to build up a nucleus of men trained in civil administration and other professions, so that Africans would be equipped to participate in the government of this country as soon as they were allowed to do so.”
A brilliant leader . Someone I have tremendous admiration for . Ike all the way !
Inspiring stuff, thanks Henry! Loved the bit about his obsessive learning about the world. You're never stagnating if you've got your eyes open
Thanks!
The thing that stands out from this for me is how influential external factors were. Yes, Eisenhower studied hard and was clearly talented but if it wasn't for the senior officers who took him on and helped him develop, I suspect he would have coasted towards WW2 and not achieved high rank.
But why did they take him on? That fascination with tanks, the foresight it involves, and his ability to self teach were all very strong signals that people like Conner knew to look for. It shows, really, how good they were at talent spotting.
Oh absolutely. If he didn't have the knowledge and the insight they wouldn't have taken him on but it doesn't take that many events like maybe Conner hadn't visited his battalion but another for things to have turned out very differently.
It is a useful antidote to people who hold up people like Eisenhower as an example of how you can shape your own fate. We always have to look to those who saw their potential and offered them a helping hand (and yes, Conner's talent spotting was top notch!).
I would emphasise that he is in a system that is looking for and selecting talent and which has been doing that for a long long time. So the idea that we are close to things turning out very differently" seems over stated from the perspective of external help. Even if Conner doesn't visit during the tank stripping it's not clear how contingent that is because officers are always on the look out for talent.
Depends on how good that system is though? To what extent is Conner an outlier or not? From people in the US military I have known (granted this was in 2008, not in 1928 so things might have changed!) there is a strong patronage element inherent in the system.
I have worked in an organisation (the UK civil service) that prides itself on identifying and developing talent but the talent that is developed all happens to largely look the same in terms of background, which suggests that patronage plays at least some non-negligible role.
Did Eisenhower ever express regret for not standing up the McCarthy’s smear campaign against his third mentor?
Book suggestions around eisenhower and the allied command?
It’s a long time since I did the research will check my notes. Ambrose biography was very good
Picked up Eisenhower A Soldier's Life and Eisenhower in War and Peace because of your article.
https://bestpresidentialbios.com/2017/03/13/the-best-biographies-of-dwight-eisenhower/
Great!
Nineteen Stars, by Edgar Puryear
Exactly what I'm looking for