In this Book
- Beetle: The Life of General Walter Bedell Smith
- Book
- 2010
- Published by: The University Press of Kentucky
- Series: American Warriors Series
A valued adviser and trusted insider in the highest echelon of U.S. military and political leaders, General Walter Bedell Smith began his public service career of more than forty years at age sixteen, when he joined the Indiana National Guard. His bulldog tenacity earned him an opportunity to work with General George C. Marshall in 1941, playing an essential role in forming the offices of the Combined and Joint Chiefs of Staff; and after his appointment as chief of staff to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1942, Smith took a central part in planning and orchestrating the major Allied operations of World War II in Europe. Among his many duties, Smith negotiated and signed the surrenders of the Italian and German armed forces on May 7, 1945.
Smith's postwar career included service as the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and undersecretary of state. Despite his contributions to twentieth-century American military and diplomatic history, the life and work of Smith have largely gone unappreciated. In Beetle: The Life of General Walter Bedell Smith, D. K. R. Crosswell offers the first full-length biography of the general, including insights into his close relationships with Marshall and Eisenhower.
Meticulously researched and long overdue, Beetle sheds new light on Eisenhower as supreme commander and the campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and Europe. Beetle is the fascinating history of a soldier, diplomat, and intelligence chief who played a central role in many decisions that altered mid-twentieth-century American history.
Table of Contents
- Illustrations
- p. ix
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xiii
- Abbreviations
- pp. xv-xvii
- Introduction
- pp. 1-5
- Part One: Epilogue as Prologue—Soldier, Diplomat, Spymaster
- 1. Soldier Turned Diplomat
- pp. 9-30
- 2. Expecting the Worst
- pp. 31-45
- 3. Dulles’s Number Two
- pp. 47-69
- 4. The Geneva Conference
- pp. 71-94
- 5. “Ike’s Prat Boy”
- pp. 95-106
- Part Two: Officership in the Army of the “Long Generation,” 1917–1939
- 6. Born to Be a Soldier
- pp. 109-119
- 7. The Summons to War
- pp. 121-142
- 10. The Other Class Stars Fell On
- pp. 175-189
- 11. “No One Ever Graduates”
- pp. 191-201
- Part Three: The Towering Figure—George C. Marshall
- 12. The Chief’s Apprentice
- pp. 205-228
- 13. Forging the Mold
- pp. 229-255
- Part Four: The Mediterranean Campaign
- 15. “Smith Will Save Ike”
- pp. 287-312
- 17. “Thank God You Are in London”
- pp. 333-354
- 18. “We Shall Continue to Flounder”
- pp. 355-386
- 21. The Road to Messina
- pp. 441-467
- 22. The Italian Job
- pp. 469-496
- 23. “A Feeling of Restrained Optimism”
- pp. 497-523
- Part Five: France 1944
- 25. The Supreme Command
- pp. 551-581
- 26. “Enough to Drive You Mad”
- pp. 583-606
- 27. “It’s a Go”
- pp. 607-626
- 28. Normandy Deadlock
- pp. 627-666
- 30. End the War in ’44
- pp. 695-734
- 32. Après le Déluge
- pp. 771-798
- Part Six: The Victory Campaign
- 33. One Desperate Blow
- pp. 801-828
- 34. Déjà Vu All over Again
- pp. 829-864
- 35. The German Is a Whipped Enemy
- pp. 865-888
- 36. Mission Fulfilled
- pp. 889-924
- Appendixes
- pp. 925-929
- Sources and Further Reading
- pp. 1045-1052