The thirty-fourth President of the United States, his military career is just as impressive as his political accomplishments. A graduate of West Point, he served as commander of a training center during World War I, and during the course of the years, was promoted to captain. Working his way through the ranks, Eisenhower was promoted to brigadier general in 1941, and eventually became a full general, whereupon he was appointed to be supreme commander of the Allied forces. He organized and executed the invasion of Normandy, and for his successes was promoted to a five-star general.
In 1952, the conservative Eisenhower ran for president, with is running mate, then Senator Richard M. Nixon of California. His Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, worked hard to create peace by countering the Soviet Union with defense agreements and the possibility of retaliation. During his second term as president, his foreign policy endeavors included talks with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, but the Soviet capture of the U2 spy plane quickly terminated any hopes for an agreement between the two superpowers. Extraordinarily popular, his administration is also credited with cutting off diplomatic relations between Cuba in 1961.