Presidents at War (2019): Part 01

Introduction Presidents at War is a two-night History Channel event. This landmark series tells the story of World War II through the experiences of eight remarkable men. Find Part 02 here. Outline (General) Men who, like sixteen million other Americans, bravely serve their country during its darkest hour, and then go on to further service…

Andrew Marshall

08/09/2020

2–3 minutes

History, Military Documentary, War

Introduction

Presidents at War is a two-night History Channel event. This landmark series tells the story of World War II through the experiences of eight remarkable men.

Find Part 02 here.

Outline (General)

Men who, like sixteen million other Americans, bravely serve their country during its darkest hour, and then go on to further service as the nation’s Commanders-in-Chief. Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. This is the story of how their war experiences change them, how they emerge from conflict as leaders and how the crucible of war shapes the decisions they make when they reach the White House.

The Presidents’ experiences give a vivid picture of both the European and Pacific theaters of battle in World War II. Nineteen-year-old bomber pilot George H.W. Bush and twenty-five-year-old PT Boat commander John F. Kennedy fight on the front lines in the Pacific. Fifty-two-year-old General Dwight D. Eisenhower – a man who had never seen combat before the outbreak of the war, goes on to become the Supreme Allied Commander of the war in Europe – and seizes it back from Nazi control.

These are men who would play a first-hand role in the war effort. They become men who would steer the nation through conflict and turmoil in the last half of what would become known as the American century, fueled by lessons they learned during the 20th century’s defining war.

Outline (Part 01)

The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour plunges an unprepared United States into World War Two. Among the 16 million Americans who serve on active duty are 8 American Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Bush, Ford, Reagan and Eisenhower. Night One of this epic event special follows these men through war in both the European and Pacific theaters, starting in December 1941 through late 1943, telling the story of their war experiences.

Cast