This program is over. Hope you didn't miss it! Browse other programs we offer Eisenhower and the Planning of Operation Overlord Evening Lecture/Seminar Monday, June 3, 2024 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET Code: 1L0577 Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Select your Registration $20 Member $25 Non-Member Resize text (Image courtesy of Mariner Books) In the months leading up to D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s attention was in relentless demand, whether he was negotiating, rallying troops, or solving crises from his headquarters in Bushy Park, London. He projected optimism but resisted it. The day of the invasion he gave a rousing speech exhorting tens of thousands of young men of the “Great Crusade” ahead of them. Then he wrote out a draft of a resignation letter in case the invasion failed. Outwardly, Eisenhower was a genial cypher. He was liked by all and seemed to make success inevitable. Inwardly, says author Michel Paradis, he was abuzz with brilliance, exhaustion, will, frustration, and the awareness that failure was always a possibility. Drawing on his new book The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, Normandy, and the Birth of the American Superpower, Paradis discusses the strategic planning of Operation Overlord—which led to D-Day and the liberation of France—focusing on the six months preceding the mission when Dwight Eisenhower grew from a widely respected general into one of the singular figures of American history. Copies of The Light of Battle (Mariner Books) are available for purchase. Book Sale Information Purchase your copy of The Light of Battle: Eisenhower, Normandy, and the Birth of the American Superpower by Michel Paradis here. SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 (no space between letters and numbers) in the “Coupon discount” or “Comments” section on Politics and Prose's check-out page. General Information View Common FAQs and Policies about our Online Programs on Zoom.