The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

An excellent book about the modern presidents club somewhat officially started by Hoover and Truman when Eisenhower was inaugurated. Previous to that, Truman had enlisted Hoover's help in feeding Europe after World War II and then in reorganizing the executive branch; in the process, Hoover was rehabilitated. The two former presidents became friends as Truman and Ike began a decade long feud that only began to heal on the day of JFK's funeral when, after the services, Truman invited Ike to have a drink with him. The only person who can understand what it means to be president is someone else who has held the same office, and often former presidents are a help to sitting presidents, but at other times they can be an enemy. JFK thought his youth and vitality could be an advantage over Ike's decades of experience, but this led to disaster at the Bay of Pigs, and a humbled president turned to his predecessor for help, and later LBJ often sought help from the old general. Nixon would conspire with and then betray LBJ in 1968, which helped lead to Watergate in 1972. Another aspect of this book also involves dealings between future presidents, such as between Nixon and Reagan during the latter's 1966 gubernatorial campaign.

I enjoy books like these because they shed light on events usually seen in more partisan half light, reinforcing the point that things are rarely the way they seem at the time.