Description

On January 17 1961 President Dwight Eisenhower delivered his political farewell to the American people on national television from the Oval Office of the White House Those who expected the military leader and hero of World War II to depart his Presidency with a nostalgic old soldier speech like Gen Douglas MacArthurs were surprised at his strong warnings about the dangers of the militaryindustrial complex As President of the United States for two terms Eisenhower had slowed the push for increased defense spending despite pressure to build more military equipment during the Cold Wars arms race Nonetheless the American military services and the defense industry had expanded a great deal in the 1950s Eisenhower thought this growth was needed to counter the Soviet Union but it confounded him Though he did not say so explicitly his standing as a military leader helped give him the credibility to stand up to the pressures of this new powerful interest group He eventually described it as a necessary evil The following is a transcript of the speech