In this Book

summary

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

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Illustrations
  2. p. ix
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. xi-xiii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Abbreviations
  2. pp. xv-xvii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Introduction
  2. pp. 1-5
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part One: Epilogue as Prologue—Soldier, Diplomat, Spymaster
  1. 1. Soldier Turned Diplomat
  2. pp. 9-30
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Expecting the Worst
  2. pp. 31-45
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. Dulles’s Number Two
  2. pp. 47-69
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. The Geneva Conference
  2. pp. 71-94
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 5. “Ike’s Prat Boy”
  2. pp. 95-106
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Two: Officership in the Army of the “Long Generation,” 1917–1939
  1. 6. Born to Be a Soldier
  2. pp. 109-119
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 7. The Summons to War
  2. pp. 121-142
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 8. “They Don’t Make ’Em Any Better than Smith”
  2. pp. 143-162
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 9. “Expunge the Bunk, Complications and Ponderosities”
  2. pp. 163-174
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 10. The Other Class Stars Fell On
  2. pp. 175-189
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 11. “No One Ever Graduates”
  2. pp. 191-201
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Three: The Towering Figure—George C. Marshall
  1. 12. The Chief’s Apprentice
  2. pp. 205-228
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 13. Forging the Mold
  2. pp. 229-255
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 14. “Exceptionally Qualified for Service as Chief of Staff”
  2. pp. 257-284
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Four: The Mediterranean Campaign
  1. 15. “Smith Will Save Ike”
  2. pp. 287-312
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 16. “We Are on the Threshold of a Magnificent Success”
  2. pp. 313-331
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 17. “Thank God You Are in London”
  2. pp. 333-354
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 18. “We Shall Continue to Flounder”
  2. pp. 355-386
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 19. “Allies Are Very Difficult People to Fight With”
  2. pp. 387-411
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 20. The Many Travails of an Allied Chief of Staff
  2. pp. 413-439
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 21. The Road to Messina
  2. pp. 441-467
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 22. The Italian Job
  2. pp. 469-496
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 23. “A Feeling of Restrained Optimism”
  2. pp. 497-523
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 24. “We Conduct Our Wars in a Most Curious Way”
  2. pp. 525-547
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Five: France 1944
  1. 25. The Supreme Command
  2. pp. 551-581
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 26. “Enough to Drive You Mad”
  2. pp. 583-606
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 27. “It’s a Go”
  2. pp. 607-626
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 28. Normandy Deadlock
  2. pp. 627-666
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 29. What Has the Supreme Command Amounted To?
  2. pp. 667-694
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 30. End the War in ’44
  2. pp. 695-734
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 31. “The Logistical Bottleneck Now Dictates Strategy”
  2. pp. 735-769
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 32. Après le Déluge
  2. pp. 771-798
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part Six: The Victory Campaign
  1. 33. One Desperate Blow
  2. pp. 801-828
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 34. Déjà Vu All over Again
  2. pp. 829-864
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 35. The German Is a Whipped Enemy
  2. pp. 865-888
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 36. Mission Fulfilled
  2. pp. 889-924
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendixes
  2. pp. 925-929
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 931-1044
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Sources and Further Reading
  2. pp. 1045-1052
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 1053-1070
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.