Corporate cold warriors: American business leaders and foreign relations in the Eisenhower era

The Cold War was a struggle of not only military and political dimensions, but also economic, cultural, and intellectual ones. Recognizing the need for action in multiple arenas, the Eisenhower Administration of the 1950s launched a variety of broad-based initiatives aimed at enhancing America's image within the international community, which included increased attention to public diplomacy and trade initiatives. Many of these programs relied heavily on the leadership and resources of the nation's corporate elite. President Eisenhower and close advisors such as C.D. Jackson expected the business community to participate in the Cold War both directly through the government---by providing leadership for international business training programs, international fairs, and government committees---and indirectly, through increased global trade and public diplomacy efforts both at home and abroad.; Much more so than has been recognized previously, then, the ideas and actions of elite business leaders were crucial to the United States during the Eisenhower era, especially in the realm of foreign affairs. Invited to don a wide variety of hats---from domestic economic advisor and provider of international aid to global diplomat and propagandist---the American business leader became one of the most important players in the nation's struggle against the Communists. He was a man with unique insights and abilities capable of influencing not only the administration but also his employees, customers, and corporate peers: He was a corporate cold warrior.; American business leaders proved to be some of the most vocal propagandists for the United States during the Eisenhower years. At the same time, however, they challenged the administration when necessary, pushing back against expectations that they and their corporations should shoulder risky economic burdens in the name of national security. The subjects of this study---Philip D. Reed of General Electric, Crawford Greenewalt of DuPont, and Juan Trippe of Pan American World Airways---were foes of communism and advocates of American values and its way of life, but also determined to make decisions that would best benefit the companies over which they presided. Together, they offer insight into the cooperation and conflict at the heart of the public-private partnerships of the Eisenhower era.