This is interesting, both because of what David Frum has to say and because of Joe Posner's creative graphics.
Speaking of the 1950s, I am about two-thirds of the way through Eisenhower in War and Peace, at the point where he's dealing with Quemoy and Matsu. One interesting theme of the book is that, as president, Ike was often at odds with the conservative wing of his party, more so than I would've thought.