ABILENE, Kan. - A special program about the newly released book, Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World, will be presented by author Evan Thomas at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. The public is invited to this free program scheduled for November 8 at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center auditorium.      

Thomas used diaries (including a daily record kept by Eisenhower's doctor) and newly declassified papers to create a fast-paced and highly human drama of a man and a decade that seem calm today only because Eisenhower's bluff worked.  

A brilliant card player, Ike was a master at calculated duplicity. As with his bridge and poker games, Eisenhower could be patient and ruthless in the con and generous and expedient in his partnerships. Facing the Soviet Union, China and his own generals--many of whom believed a first strike was the only means of survival--Eisenhower bluffed with nuclear weapons. This was a high risk but ultimately a successful strategy that averted Armageddon in the dangerous early days of the Cold War.    

Thomas is the author of seven other books, including The War Lovers and Sea of Thunder. He frequently appears as a commentator on TV and radio, and he teaches writing at Princeton University. Thomas was editor-at-large of Newsweek until he left the magazine in 2010, where he was the author of over one hundred cover stories. He has won numerous journalism awards, including a National Magazine Award. Thomas is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Virginia Law School. He lives with his wife and two children in Washington, D.C.  

Copies of Ike's Bluff will be available for sale in the gift shop. A book signing will follow the discussion.      

Visitors are encouraged to park in the Place of Meditation parking lot, just south of the Visitors Center. The north parking lot at the Visitors Center is scheduled to be closed for repairs Oct. 29 through Nov. 12.