Crusade in Europe. EISENHOWER, Dwight D.

Inscribed by Eisenhower on the half-title to a decorated Japanese-American serviceman, "For: Masaichi Goto with best wishes to a comrade of World War II. Dwight D. Eisenhower". The mass internment by the United States of 120,000 Japanese-Americans in camps during the Second World War is recognized as a blight on the nation's history. Nonetheless, an estimated 33,000 Japanese-Americans served in the US military in the conflict. Goto (1911-1988) was born in Hawaii and served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, a Japanese-American unit formed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Goto served as staff sergeant in the Battalion's medical department and fought through Italy and France. In April 1944, he was awarded the Silver Star. His citation declared how he, "with utter disregard for his own personal safety, left the comparative security of his shelter to go to the aid of a wounded comrade. Though the enemy shells were falling dangerously close to him, Staff Sergeant Goto stayed in the exposed area and gave first-aid to three more severely wounded soldiers. Staff Sergeant Goto's courage, coolness, and bravery under fire was exemplary and a credit to the Armed Forces of the United States". Eisenhower's memoirs, "a classic of military writing" (ANB), were first published in 1948. Eisenhower's diaries show he inscribed this book as President on 14 March 1958 at the request of John Anthony Burns, Hawaii's Territorial delegate in Congress. Octavo. With black and white 16 plates, 4 double-page maps, 38 full-page maps to the text. Original brown cloth, spine lettered in gilt on black ground, facsimile signature in black to front cover, fore edge untrimmed, map endpapers. With dust jacket. Extremities a little rubbed; price-clipped jacket worn with neat repair on verso: a very good copy in good jacket.