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Presidents in Crisis: Tough Decisions inside the White House from Truman to Obama
With a new preface by the author, a former director of the White House Situation Room and seasoned journalist, presidential decision making over the course of twelve modern presidencies.
In Presidents in Crisis, former director of the Situation Room Michael Bohn invites the reader inside the White House during seventeen grave international emergencies handled by the presidents from Truman to Obama. From North Korea’s invasion of South Korea to the revolutions of the Arab Spring and Syria’s use of chemical weapons, and from the Cuban missile crisis to George W. Bush’s response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Bohn walks us step-by-step through each crisis in narratives that convey the drama of unfolding events and the stakes of confrontation when a misstep can mean catastrophe. He lays out the key players and personalities as well as the moral and political calculations that our leaders have had to make. In doing so, he provides a fascinating insider’s look at modern presidential decision making and the fundamental role in it of human frailty.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
In Presidents in Crisis, former director of the Situation Room Michael Bohn invites the reader inside the White House during seventeen grave international emergencies handled by the presidents from Truman to Obama. From North Korea’s invasion of South Korea to the revolutions of the Arab Spring and Syria’s use of chemical weapons, and from the Cuban missile crisis to George W. Bush’s response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Bohn walks us step-by-step through each crisis in narratives that convey the drama of unfolding events and the stakes of confrontation when a misstep can mean catastrophe. He lays out the key players and personalities as well as the moral and political calculations that our leaders have had to make. In doing so, he provides a fascinating insider’s look at modern presidential decision making and the fundamental role in it of human frailty.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
388 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 2, 2016
The author was the director of the White House Situation Room under President Reagan. In this book he describes seventeen challenges faced by presidents. Bohn states “circumstances beyond their control more often than not constrained their actions, resulting in temporary fixes rather than long term successes”. Bohn shows how the modern presidents are caught up in rivalries between civilian and military or in what is called “groupthink” which prevents a thorough analysis of each crisis.
Bohn provides a description of the crisis followed by a brief assessment of the consequences of the presidential action. I noticed an interesting theme began to reveal itself throughout the book: the importance of “muddling through” and the avoidance of a long term solution to the problem. Bohn discusses some events that I was most interested in such as the Cuban Missile Crisis with President Kennedy, the 1973 Yom Kipper War with Nixon and Kissinger, and the U2 spy plane with Eisenhower. Bohn provided more detail with the 1978-1981 Iranian Hostage Crisis with President Jimmy Carter. There were more events but I will not list them.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. It is a good study on how to or not to handle a crisis. Bohn does provide background history to the events which helps put them into context. I noted the author had more problems staying the neutral reporter with the more current events than he did with the events with more historical perception to draw on. Overall, it is an interesting study of crisis and presidents’ management styles.
Kevin Stillwell does a good job narrating the book. Stillwell is an actor and experienced audiobook narrator.
Bohn provides a description of the crisis followed by a brief assessment of the consequences of the presidential action. I noticed an interesting theme began to reveal itself throughout the book: the importance of “muddling through” and the avoidance of a long term solution to the problem. Bohn discusses some events that I was most interested in such as the Cuban Missile Crisis with President Kennedy, the 1973 Yom Kipper War with Nixon and Kissinger, and the U2 spy plane with Eisenhower. Bohn provided more detail with the 1978-1981 Iranian Hostage Crisis with President Jimmy Carter. There were more events but I will not list them.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. It is a good study on how to or not to handle a crisis. Bohn does provide background history to the events which helps put them into context. I noted the author had more problems staying the neutral reporter with the more current events than he did with the events with more historical perception to draw on. Overall, it is an interesting study of crisis and presidents’ management styles.
Kevin Stillwell does a good job narrating the book. Stillwell is an actor and experienced audiobook narrator.
April 29, 2024
While acknowledging that hindsight is always 20/20, I think this book did still provide some valuable caveats and points regarding crisis response. Avoiding groupthink, making sure everyone making decisions is operating with the same information, etc. also interesting to note the differences between the domestic/political value of certain decisions and how that was not the same as the global value/perception.
Now, especially, everything is boiled down to black & white and brief clickbait/rage bait statements — it’s easy to get sucked in to a very narrow view that may or may not even be true. These stories are a good reminder to step back and try to see the big picture.
Now, especially, everything is boiled down to black & white and brief clickbait/rage bait statements — it’s easy to get sucked in to a very narrow view that may or may not even be true. These stories are a good reminder to step back and try to see the big picture.
September 4, 2022
Good overview for a lot of crisis. The author does seem biased on some of his assessments. If you are curious about the book I’d say give it a try.
June 16, 2017
A peek into the operations of crisis management by each president from Truman to Obama. Provided me with a deeper understanding of U.S. geopolitical power. Reading this material now, one cannot escape reflecting on what changes are/may be occurring because of the current U.S. administration. These types of books always provide guidance and information on leadership approaches, both successful and less successful. Incredible read, well written and fully engaging throughout.
December 7, 2015
Every president has his management style, but in crisis they tend to be bold.
March 22, 2023
Even in today’s multipolar world, the President of the United States is often referred to as the most powerful person on the planet. Understandably, then, the news media and politicians worldwide scrutinize his actions with ferocious attention to detail. And they double down during an international crisis. Presidential decision-making then often involves fraught consequences, both long-term and short. But few authors have studied those decisions and their consequences with as much success as the late Michael K. Bohn in his illuminating recent book, Presidents in Crisis.
TWELVE PRESIDENTS, SEVENTEEN CRISES
Bohn, a career naval intelligence officer, served as Director of the White House Situation Room during the Reagan Administration. Several years and three published books later, he undertook this study of Presidential decision-making under twelve Presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. (He finished writing the book before the election of 2016.) The seventeen events he analyzes in Presidents in Crisis encompass the most memorable—the Cuban Missile Crisis, Iranian hostage debacle, and 9/11—as well as a number that are primarily of interest to scholars and American history buffs. But all these crises help us understand better how our leaders grapple with the frequent events that threaten our national security.
TWO PRINCIPAL TAKEAWAYS
Two themes stand out most clearly in Bohn’s survey:
COMPLICATING EVENTS
Other events have often complicated a President’s response to a crisis—and made demands on his time. For example, during the two-week period in which the 1956 Suez Crisis unfolded, the Soviet Union crushed the Hungarian Uprising and the US Presidential election took place. While that may be the most dramatic example, it’s far from the only one. The Watergate investigations were moving into high gear when the 1973 Yom Kippur War broke out in the Mideast. And Al-Qaeda bombed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania while President Clinton was struggling with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. There are several other good examples.
RESOLUTE ACTION
“Americans rarely see forceful action used effectively in crises,” Bohn writes. “In the seventeen incidents I have analyzed in this study, only one president successfully resolved a crisis with bold and decisive action, and some critics want to put an asterisk on the file. A few strong reactions backfired, and others created a messy long-term situation afterward.” And we don’t need to look only to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to illustrate how bold action led to grief. Bohn regards Dwight Eisenhower’s aggressive response to the Suez Crisis as another prime example. So is Bill Clinton’s decision in 1998 to attack Al-Qaeda sites in Sudan and Afghanistan with cruise missiles.
The author emphasizes instead the wisdom of “muddling through.” This doesn’t mean “confused decision making or foolish dithering.” Muddling through, in the sense Bohn uses the term, “is an incremental crisis management process, one in which decision makers take a small step, judge its efficacy, and then act again. Setbacks will occur, but the process helps to avoid . . . [escalating] the situation into a catastrophe.” And the prime example of muddling through used successfully by an American President was John F. Kennedy’s conduct during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
OTHER TAKEAWAYS
Bohn points to “enormous amounts of partisan and ill-informed second-guessing from the sidelines by critics of a sitting president during a crisis.” With few exceptions, contemporary outsiders almost always got things wrong when they tried to analyze a President’s actions during a crisis. And it’s clear from Presidents in Crisis that every one of the twelve men who are his subjects made mistakes. In fact, only two stand out as most definitively successful: Kennedy in 1962 and Lyndon Johnson in 1968. (Then, Johnson negotiated the release of the 83 men of the USS Pueblo from North Korea.) But even they made mistakes along the way, in Bohn’s estimation.
Overall, Presidents in Crisis is remarkably even-handed. Not a shred of partisan bias enters this story—and that in itself is remarkable, given the deep divide between Right and Left in American society today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael K. Bohn‘s (1943-2023) biography on Amazon notes the following: “A career naval intelligence officer from 1969 to 1988, Bohn served aboard ships and intelligence centers, including a tour in South Vietnam. He was a military social aide to President Nixon and ran the White House Situation Room for President Reagan. He sent a twice-daily summary of world events to Reagan and senior White House staff members and provided crisis management support during dozens of international dust-ups during Reagan’s second term.” He is the author of five books, three of which are about crisis management in the White House.
TWELVE PRESIDENTS, SEVENTEEN CRISES
Bohn, a career naval intelligence officer, served as Director of the White House Situation Room during the Reagan Administration. Several years and three published books later, he undertook this study of Presidential decision-making under twelve Presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. (He finished writing the book before the election of 2016.) The seventeen events he analyzes in Presidents in Crisis encompass the most memorable—the Cuban Missile Crisis, Iranian hostage debacle, and 9/11—as well as a number that are primarily of interest to scholars and American history buffs. But all these crises help us understand better how our leaders grapple with the frequent events that threaten our national security.
TWO PRINCIPAL TAKEAWAYS
Two themes stand out most clearly in Bohn’s survey:
COMPLICATING EVENTS
Other events have often complicated a President’s response to a crisis—and made demands on his time. For example, during the two-week period in which the 1956 Suez Crisis unfolded, the Soviet Union crushed the Hungarian Uprising and the US Presidential election took place. While that may be the most dramatic example, it’s far from the only one. The Watergate investigations were moving into high gear when the 1973 Yom Kippur War broke out in the Mideast. And Al-Qaeda bombed the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania while President Clinton was struggling with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. There are several other good examples.
RESOLUTE ACTION
“Americans rarely see forceful action used effectively in crises,” Bohn writes. “In the seventeen incidents I have analyzed in this study, only one president successfully resolved a crisis with bold and decisive action, and some critics want to put an asterisk on the file. A few strong reactions backfired, and others created a messy long-term situation afterward.” And we don’t need to look only to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to illustrate how bold action led to grief. Bohn regards Dwight Eisenhower’s aggressive response to the Suez Crisis as another prime example. So is Bill Clinton’s decision in 1998 to attack Al-Qaeda sites in Sudan and Afghanistan with cruise missiles.
The author emphasizes instead the wisdom of “muddling through.” This doesn’t mean “confused decision making or foolish dithering.” Muddling through, in the sense Bohn uses the term, “is an incremental crisis management process, one in which decision makers take a small step, judge its efficacy, and then act again. Setbacks will occur, but the process helps to avoid . . . [escalating] the situation into a catastrophe.” And the prime example of muddling through used successfully by an American President was John F. Kennedy’s conduct during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
OTHER TAKEAWAYS
Bohn points to “enormous amounts of partisan and ill-informed second-guessing from the sidelines by critics of a sitting president during a crisis.” With few exceptions, contemporary outsiders almost always got things wrong when they tried to analyze a President’s actions during a crisis. And it’s clear from Presidents in Crisis that every one of the twelve men who are his subjects made mistakes. In fact, only two stand out as most definitively successful: Kennedy in 1962 and Lyndon Johnson in 1968. (Then, Johnson negotiated the release of the 83 men of the USS Pueblo from North Korea.) But even they made mistakes along the way, in Bohn’s estimation.
Overall, Presidents in Crisis is remarkably even-handed. Not a shred of partisan bias enters this story—and that in itself is remarkable, given the deep divide between Right and Left in American society today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael K. Bohn‘s (1943-2023) biography on Amazon notes the following: “A career naval intelligence officer from 1969 to 1988, Bohn served aboard ships and intelligence centers, including a tour in South Vietnam. He was a military social aide to President Nixon and ran the White House Situation Room for President Reagan. He sent a twice-daily summary of world events to Reagan and senior White House staff members and provided crisis management support during dozens of international dust-ups during Reagan’s second term.” He is the author of five books, three of which are about crisis management in the White House.
August 26, 2024
What I learned from reading this book was that being president of the United States is the hardest job in the world. Each of the presidents discussed by the author faced a crisis which challenged their skills and abilities to reach a solution which limited the loss of life. In some cases, American lives were endangered while some crises involved the lives of foreign citizens.
It is difficult to say which president had the best approach to crisis management because there were several examples. President John F Kennedy handled the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 with a hands on approach. He listened carefully to his advisors and took suggestions for solving the crisis. President Barack Obama also took a similar approach to that of Kennedy by carefully, listening to his advisors in attempting to limit or prevent US military intervention, while limiting the loss of human life in Lybia, Egypt and Syria.
From my perspective, the three worst examples of crisis management were demonstrated by presidents Nixon, Carter, and George W. Bush. Nixon church and an entirely different approach from any of the other predecessors or those who follow him in that avoided participating in meetings with any of the staff in a group setting. He allowed his antisocial personality to dictate his involvement in the 1973 on October war in the Middle East. Carter was hands on in his approach to the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 1980. Unfortunately, he allowed himself to be pressured into a rescue attempt that sailed and cost the lives of late Americans in the process. Bush allowed his defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz to talk to invading Iraq, which had no involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC. Instead of focusing on.Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, Bush allowed himself to be manipulated into invading Iraq in 2003.
The complexity of each of the 17 crises described by the officer made this book somewhat difficult to follow, but I do recommend it for people who study the history of the American presidency .
It is difficult to say which president had the best approach to crisis management because there were several examples. President John F Kennedy handled the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 with a hands on approach. He listened carefully to his advisors and took suggestions for solving the crisis. President Barack Obama also took a similar approach to that of Kennedy by carefully, listening to his advisors in attempting to limit or prevent US military intervention, while limiting the loss of human life in Lybia, Egypt and Syria.
From my perspective, the three worst examples of crisis management were demonstrated by presidents Nixon, Carter, and George W. Bush. Nixon church and an entirely different approach from any of the other predecessors or those who follow him in that avoided participating in meetings with any of the staff in a group setting. He allowed his antisocial personality to dictate his involvement in the 1973 on October war in the Middle East. Carter was hands on in his approach to the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 1980. Unfortunately, he allowed himself to be pressured into a rescue attempt that sailed and cost the lives of late Americans in the process. Bush allowed his defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz to talk to invading Iraq, which had no involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC. Instead of focusing on.Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, Bush allowed himself to be manipulated into invading Iraq in 2003.
The complexity of each of the 17 crises described by the officer made this book somewhat difficult to follow, but I do recommend it for people who study the history of the American presidency .
September 7, 2025
This book covers different crises that American presidents (Truman - Obama) have faced and how they dealt with them. (It stopped at Obama because the book was published in 2015.) Most of these - if not all - dealt with foreign relations. The author, Michael K Bohn, was a career Naval intelligence officer who worked for several presidents and also in the White House Situation Room. I like this book and feel like I learned a lot about the process - whether good or bad - that goes on behind the scenes when making critical decisions. As you can imagine, a lot of the crises took place in the Middle East. While I hear of these countries constantly in the news, I have to admit I'm not aware of exactly where they are in the Middle East in relation to each other. I definitely had to pull up a map of the entire Middle East so I could get a better "picture".
July 12, 2021
I didn't find this book really brought anything new to the table. In fact, I felt that it did a disservice to each of the Presidents it represented, and is more focused on pushing a particular viewpoint than really examining Presidents at moments of crisis. It is a bit ridiculous to use the Korean War or the Cuban Missile Crisis for Truman and JFK and then use the Arab Spring for Obama. They simply aren't comparable areas. I also felt that this book did a disservice by not assessing the various Presidents in terms of previous crisis - so to assess Clinton in regards to the bombings of US embassies without first assessing what had happened earlier in his administration (Somalia, Bosnia, etc.) is disingenuous. Not recommended.
June 5, 2017
2.5 out of 5 stars
This book undertakes in just over 350 pages the ambitious task of analyzing 17 separate international emergencies and the crisis management effectiveness (from Truman to Obama) in each of these cases. It is a good introductory read to concepts such as "muddling through" and "group-think", and provides a general overview of each of these crises. The depth of analysis though left me wanting.
This book undertakes in just over 350 pages the ambitious task of analyzing 17 separate international emergencies and the crisis management effectiveness (from Truman to Obama) in each of these cases. It is a good introductory read to concepts such as "muddling through" and "group-think", and provides a general overview of each of these crises. The depth of analysis though left me wanting.
June 8, 2023
A thoroughly, in-depth book about how American presidents faced some of the biggest crises in their tenure at the White House. Written by a man who worked with numerous presidents in the White House Situation Room, this book had its good parts and boring parts. I skimmed many of the chapters, and it was an okay book.
Probably a better read for someone who's a political science, international affairs, or presidential history junky.
Probably a better read for someone who's a political science, international affairs, or presidential history junky.
December 1, 2022
I learned some history here about the Pueblo. I heard the name not the incident. There is an overall theme in this book. It’s all more complex than you know on the sidelines. Those indecisive moves may have been decisive after all. For a better overall view of some pivotal points in history, check this out.
August 26, 2024
Too Much at Stake
What I found most interesting In reading this book Is that Each of these presidents Faced crises in which our nation's reputation was at stake or innocent lives were placed in great danger. What was most remarkable about each of these events is the individual approaches each President took in managing the crisis at hand.
What I found most interesting In reading this book Is that Each of these presidents Faced crises in which our nation's reputation was at stake or innocent lives were placed in great danger. What was most remarkable about each of these events is the individual approaches each President took in managing the crisis at hand.
February 7, 2021
A really enjoyable and interesting read. Showing assessments of how presidents from Truman to Obama juggled foreign policy, national interests, political upper-hands, military intervention, and crisis management.
March 17, 2023
An enjoyable look at decision making in the White House with different President’s. I love the premise and I love the insights. Would have been great to cover some of the other foreign policy scandals or even areas such as Watergate and Clinton’s affair. However, still an excellent book.
April 15, 2018
Nothing particularly ground breaking or deep. A decent read, nothing more/less.
October 18, 2020
Truly eye opening.
I really learned a lot by reading these excerpts of the Presidency. You really get to see what a mind bending and difficult job it is.
I really learned a lot by reading these excerpts of the Presidency. You really get to see what a mind bending and difficult job it is.
January 8, 2021
I don't normally care for these books that are small dives into topics but the author did a very nice job. I would have liked some more positive solutions.
October 11, 2022
informative!
Ever wonder about horses presidents handle the unfolding of world events real-time? Read this book. Not always spell binding always informative and interesting.
Ever wonder about horses presidents handle the unfolding of world events real-time? Read this book. Not always spell binding always informative and interesting.
February 8, 2023
Excellent objective analysis
August 2, 2023
A very well written and interesting book, but a bit confusing with all the names
September 8, 2023
Even those at the top stumble through.
An excellent study of how crisis decisions are approached, examined and made by those who should know by an extremely qualified author.
An excellent study of how crisis decisions are approached, examined and made by those who should know by an extremely qualified author.
November 28, 2025
This is a reference book as much as a read. Anyone is able to look at potential or past crises--what caused them and the impact of settling the crisis.
February 19, 2018
This is one we should all read in these times of chaos. The book studies how correct and incorrect actions have been taken in times of crisis. Bottom line is that first compulsive reactions were normally wrong in hindsight. Makes you wonder how a similar complex crisis will be dealt with as it comes up now.
October 7, 2023
Interesting - but at times, it's a bit tough to read. One remembers too many happenings when things 'happened' in real-time, and it is somehow difficult to get going, reading again. For me, I started 'thinking' too much and stopped reading. I am about halfway through the book but definitely will pick it up again!
A personal note: I got very ill and had no chance to finish the book yet.
A personal note: I got very ill and had no chance to finish the book yet.
August 5, 2019
A peek inside the decision making process from Truman to Obama. I loved gaining insight about the politics behind the scenes of the decision making. It was interesting to learn about how to each president differs in their decision making process. Bohn added details and nauce to the past for clarity. Bohn's description of the events made me feel as if I was there.
Overall, Bohn does a great job of analysising the past events. This book is a really well written and a quick read.
Overall, Bohn does a great job of analysising the past events. This book is a really well written and a quick read.
April 29, 2016
Michael Bohn takes the stories of the past and adds the nuance to set the record straight. In the Cuban Missile Crisis, he shows how timing and response changes legends such as “eyeball to eyeball and the other man blinked” and “answering the first letter rather than the second.” Time allows careful examination of events in the distant past as all the parties write their memoirs, and Bohn extracts from all of these sources to provide a solid historical picture. Events closer to our current time, such as those within the Obama administration, do not provide the resources that history will eventually provide, but Bohn does an excellent job of analysis even in those events.
Most of all, it's a good read. I enjoyed Bohn taking me through each historical crisis and putting me there as it happens.
Most of all, it's a good read. I enjoyed Bohn taking me through each historical crisis and putting me there as it happens.
January 6, 2016
Not truly objective
It was interesting to revisit events I recall from following world events and politics over the last 50 plus years, but, to my mind, the author reveals more than a bit of a bias when reviewing Carter's pitiful, feckless dithering during the Iran hostage crisis, finding one excuse after another; and in his discussion of Obama's red line in Syria.
It was interesting to revisit events I recall from following world events and politics over the last 50 plus years, but, to my mind, the author reveals more than a bit of a bias when reviewing Carter's pitiful, feckless dithering during the Iran hostage crisis, finding one excuse after another; and in his discussion of Obama's red line in Syria.
July 17, 2016
It's always more complicated
The farther away from today the executive action was taken, the better we can judge the consequences. But the closer, the better we can understand the man & the political milieu. Bohn did an excellent job of selecting 17 crises that had profound implications for where we are today.
The farther away from today the executive action was taken, the better we can judge the consequences. But the closer, the better we can understand the man & the political milieu. Bohn did an excellent job of selecting 17 crises that had profound implications for where we are today.
January 25, 2016
Book-bub ebook: Followed specific crisis for each to the President's from Truman to Obama looking at it from the inside. Learned (or relearned) history from a different perspective. Makes one think about the qualities we might want in a President!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews