Remembering "Ike' Eisenhower also Loved another Woman

 Great men have many loves and 'Ike' the Soldier-statesman was not an exception. It must be remembered that Eisenhower was a competent general and later president. Now 50 years after his death he is considered as among the top 10 US presidents of all time

Love Affair with Kathleen Helen MacCarthy-Morrough

Ike had an illustrious career in the army and was made Lieutenant General when he first visited London in December 1941. That was the time the Japanese armada had struck Pearl Harbor and drawn the USA into the war on the side of the allies.  For his entire illustrious career, one mystery has remained. It is reported that Ike had a secret love affair with a British girl name Kathleen Helen MacCarthy-Morrough.

Helen was a British girl who came to London in 1939 to try and get a break in the British Film industry. She worked as an extra in films and also modeled, but her career was going no where.  With war around the corner she joined the Mechanized Transport Corps of the British army. Thus Kathleen became a driver. When Ike came first to London in the fall of 1941 she was assigned to drive the general. This was a normal occurrence as the British provided women drivers for the American top brass.

Eisenhower it appeared liked Kathleen and now began to insist that she alone should be his driver for  the entire day. Thus Kathleen became close to Ike and was in the thick and thin of the war as well as being with him 24 hours. It is possible that a close intimacy grew between the two and Eisenhower took great interest in her becoming an American citizen.  He also saw to it that she was promoted to officer rank as captain.

Kathleen Served with his Love

Kathleen served with him through out the war and at the end became his secretary, when Ike was assigned to NATO. He took over as the first supreme commander of NATO, but Kathleen was always by his side.  It was rumored that she was also his mistress.

Kathleen wrote two books on her relationship with Ike.  In the second book written in 1975, when she was on her death bed is thought to set the record straight. In the book  “ My love affair with Dwight D Eisenhower ” she mentioned that she and Ike had a love affair.She also mentioned that she had kept quiet earlier as  she did not wish to damage the reputation of Ike.

There is further evidence available from writer Merle Miller, who was told by Harry Truman the US President that Ike had applied for permission in 1945 to divorce his wife Mamie and marry Kathleen, but the permission was refused as the US Army would not be able to stomach a scandal.  Truman mentioned that he had seen the correspondence. It must be mentioned that in the armed forces one cannot divorce or marry without permission. .

Many people are inclined not to believe this love affair. But there can be no doubt that Ike had some liaison with Kathleen. Secondly, you don’t expect a person on her deathbed to relate lies. Kathleen remains a foot note in history. She left the army in 1947 and after Ike became President she married. Ike was a great soldier statesman and this love affair does not in any way detract from his greatness, which is a normal human failing.

Helen visited Ike once when he was President. She was received graciously in the white house, but while leaving she was advised by an aide not to come again.