A remarkable feature of Dwight D. Eisenhower's memoirs is the composure with which he greeted crises. He titled his autobiography At Ease, an appropriate description for not only his retirement, but the manner in which he appeared to be on top of life. Colleagues, of course, could recall how excited he could get in revealing his impatience with mediocrity and the failures of the people in his command. However, what was impressive was the way he took control in the European theater in World War II with no fear for his own life and great confidence in the Allied offensive. One senses a greater anxiety in the young Eisenhower when he was at Camp Colt during World War I. As lieutenant colonel, Eisenhower was greatly distressed for the wholesale loss of personnel to a flu epidemic that was a th…