Eisenhower bids farewell
On January 17 1961 in a nationally televised speech Dwight D.Eisenhower addresses the American people for the last time as president.Expressing ideas that seem prophetic in retrospect Eisenhower offered his fears and hopes for the future warning against the unfettered growth of the military-industrial complex as he coined it and calling for diplomacy restraint and compassion in dealing with future crises with the Soviet Union.
Despite his sadness that peace was not in sight the great Allied commander offered a closing prayer to the world from America.We pray he said that people of all faiths all races all nationswill come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.Three days later Eisenhower left the White House and retired with his wife Mamie to their farm in Gettysburg Pennsylvania their permanent home until Eisenhowers death on March 28 1969.The couple had been fond of sitting on their back porch which looked east toward the famous Civil War battlefield.
