[5][6] However, Hitchcock criticised elements of the administration's foreign affairs policies, handling of McCarthyism, and a mixed record of civil rights.

[9] A Kirkus review praised the book as a "measured, mostly admiring" biography with a "lengthy, well-documented argument" but criticised it as inferior compared to Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith.

[13] David Stebenne from The American Historical Review commented that the book included "new and intriguing arguments" despite the familiarity of its subject matter.

The reviewer additionally complimented Hitchcock's coverage of civil rights as "sensible and fair", but criticised the author's omission on why Eisenhower neglected this issue.

[13] In contrast, David Watry, reviewing from Journal of Cold War Studies, criticised some of the descriptions of Eisenhower's foreign policy as misleading, commenting negatively towards Hitchcock's recount on the Korean Armistice Agreement.

The review also reprobated the book's omissions regarding details of the 1956 Suez Crisis and the administration's handling of Vietnam in 1954, despite complimenting Hitchcock's coverage of domestic affairs.