In a book that reads like a plot-line for a political thriller, author Dr. Claus-M. Naske reveals how the Alaska statehood movement struggled through most of the 20th Century, decade after decade, always blocked by powerful special interests. Finally, the unrelenting pro-statehood forces won support from President Dwight D. Eisenhower—a breakthrough for their cause—and forged a coalition in Congress that approved the Alaska Statehood Act in 1958.