Ike had Great Taste in Westerns

I've always known that Dwight Eisenhower read Westerns to relax. So, being who I am, when something made me think about that recently, I emailed the Eisenhower library to see if there was a list of the books he read during World War II.

Sadly, a complete list does not exist, but I did find out this: On the day Germany surrendered, Ike read the book Cartridge Carnival, by William Colt MacDonald, to relax. It's quite likely he was reading the Armed Services Edition pictured above.

It was, at the time, a new book, published in 1945. So, whether Ike's copy was an Armed Services Edition, kudos to the guys running that program for selecting and publishing a quality Western for the troops so quickly.

Because Cartridge Carnival is really, really good. It's set in the town of Carnival, where the town's weekly, four-page newspaper--the Banner--has been editorializing against Rafe Harper, the current mayor. And there's good reason for this. Harper runs a crooked gambling house, is involved in cattle rustling, and (we eventually find out) is not above blackmailing people into helping him.

So when the Banner's publisher is killed, suspicion would normally fall on Harper or one of his hired thugs. But the publisher was killed inside a locked building and is holding a gun with one cartridge fired. The death is ruled a suicide.

A wandering cowboy named Stormy Knight thinks it might be murder. Stormy ends up befriending Kate Sanford, the publisher's daughter, and going partners with her on the newspaper. So Stormy has to learn the newspaper business fast while simultaneously investigating the supposed suicide and, incidentally, stay alive long enough to get the next issue out.

Stormy is a great character. At first it seems as if he did just wander into Carnival by chance, but we soon get hints that he might be more than he appears. He's quick with a gun and deadly in a fight, but he also has a strong sense of justice, a growing love for Kate and a dry sense of humor that makes us like him all the more. He and Harper begin clashing almost right away, but Stormy won't back down. With the help of Kate and a shotgun-wielding typesetter named Quad Wrangel, he begins to chip away at Harper's corrupt administration.

The action scenes are great--especially the climatic brutal gun fight-- and the murder mystery element adds a nice Sherlockian touch to the story.  MacDonald also sneaks in information about running a small newspaper in the Old West that I found fascinating, but the prose never slows down during these moments. Getting the paper out is  important part of Stormy's campaign against Harper, so these short "how to publish a paper" tutorials are a natural part of the overall story.

Of course, I still want to read more Westerns recommended by Ike. This article includes a list of some of his favorite authors and some of the specific books he read during key moments of his presidentry. It's a pity no comprehensive list from his years as Supreme Allied Commander exist, but I'll still happily dive into the novels from his presidential years.