The initiative came straight from the Oval Office
and was code-named “Operation Rocky Mountains.” It called for an elite unit to
be mobilized and flown to Denver on a tightly coordinated schedule. Once
safely on the ground, the group would be whisked to a staging area, where
members would share rations and receive final orders. The next morning they
would rendezvous with their commander and attack their objective in groups of
four.
A covert military operation? You got the first part
right. But for this September 1953 exercise, participants traveled via corporate
aircraft rather than U.S. Air Force jet. Ground transportation was in
Chrysler-provided limousines, not Army jeeps. The group encamped in the
prestigious Brown Derby Hotel. Meals included prime steaks and vintage liquors
rather than field rations. The maneuver itself was an all-out assault on Cherry
Hills Country Club by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his “Golf
Gang.”
Among Eisenhower’s critics and the media, they were
referred to as “Ike’s Millionaires,” but to Ike they were simply “the gang.”
These were wealthy and powerful men, and all but one of the seven belonged to
Augusta National Golf Club. The clique had been instrumental in convincing
Eisenhower to seek the presidency, as well as helping him secure the Republican
Party’s nomination and win the 1952 general election over Democratic nominee
Adlai Stevenson.
William E. Robinson, publisher of the New York
Herald Tribune and later president of the Coca-Cola Company, was the point man.
During World War II, shortly after the liberation of Paris, he had traveled to France to set up
an office for the Tribune. Stymied by regulations Eisenhower had imposed
regarding commerce in Allied-controlled territory, Robinson requested an
audience with the by-then-famous general. A meeting was scheduled at
Eisenhower’s headquarters, located, ironically enough, in what was left of a
French country club.
A few days before the meeting, Germany launched a massive counterattack that
would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. Robinson had expected the
appointment to be cancelled, but upon inquiring found that it was still on. He
apologized to Ike for interrupting while a major battle was underway, but the
general, confident that U.S. forces would deal effectively
with the German offensive, assured him it was no problem. Robinson and
Eisenhower hit it off well at that meeting and became fast
friends.
In the spring of 1948, Robinson invited Eisenhower
to Augusta National for a golf vacation. Also along was George Allen, a
corporate advisor who had become a close friend of Ike through his wartime work
with the Red Cross. As a result of this gathering, two major developments took
place in Ike’s life: He was converted from casual golfer to passionate devotee
of the game (and soon joined ANGC himself); and he was introduced to the rest of
the men who would become members of the golf gang.
The unofficial leader of the group was Augusta
National chairman Clifford Roberts, a successful Wall Street banker whose
political savvy and campaign fundraising ability were second to none. The group
also included:
Robert W. Woodruff, chairman of the Coca-Cola
Company. Woodruff became an Eisenhower fan when Ike ordered Coca-Cola-supplied
field kitchens and other materials for his troops in Europe. Though he was the poorest golfer of the bunch, he
held a membership in practically every top club in the
country.
W. Alton “Pete” Jones, chairman of Cities Service Oil
Corporation. A charter member of Augusta National, Jones was ready to go on a
moment’s notice whenever Ike called wanting to play, whether it was in Augusta, Denver or
Turnberry,
Scotland.
Freeman Gosden, considered by many to be the father
of situation comedy. In 1928, Gosden went on the air in Chicago with a radio
program that would soon become known as the “Amos and Andy Show.” He was the
voice of Amos and starred in the program until it went off the air in
1960.
