by Michael Hall

What is it when you think of the Fifties? I think of an era of high ideals mirrored in every facet of American life. I think of an era full of nice cars, nice music, and just a nice and prosperous outlook on life. But things did change. The beginning of the new decade brought those prospects crashing down with the events playing out on the world stage. It was during this transitory period that the leadership of America shifted, and the future was uncertain. In his last speech to the American public on the eve of his final day in office, President Dwight E. Eisenhower delivered his Farewell Address. Seeing what was going on in the world, and having a good eye for what was likely to happen in the future, the exiting President used his speech as a platform to warn and, at the same time, comfort the Nation. We will examine this speech in terms of purpose, authorship, audience, agency, and context to develop a greater understanding of why this is one of the most memorable speeches in history.

On the surface, the national address may appear to simply be a farewell speech; however, upon deeper analysis it becomes clear that the purpose is much more complex. After thanking the media, and giving Congress his gratitude for their close relationship over the years, Eisenhower uses the remainder of his speech to warn his viewers of the dangers he sees in the present system. He specifically identifies two key points. First, he discusses the tremendous growth and sizeable budget of the “military establishment.” He states that the United States “can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense,” and because of this, the country was “compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions.” In response to this change in the American structure, he warns the audience that it is vital to “comprehend its grave implications,” and to guard against such foreseeable disasters such as the “unwarranted influence” of the “military-industrial complex,” and the “potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power.” He further warns:

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

After this word of caution, Eisenhower begins his second key point: that his audience adopt a wider perspective by not simply dwelling in the present, but to plan for the future. There are three sub-points that compose this second key point: the wise use of resources, the image of the American nation, and the continued effort to disarm nuclear weapons. The resources sub-point is summarized when Eisenhower says: “We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage.” The image sub-point is overviewed when the President states: “[We] must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.” Eisenhower summarizes the disarmament sub-point when he states: “Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.” So the key points of the dangers of the growing military-industrial complex and the harm of not looking out for the future was the main purpose of Eisenhower’s Farewell address.

The individual responsible for the creation of this speech was the exiting President Dwight E. Eisenhower. Eisenhower, who led the European Allied campaign in World War II, mentions his military past in his description of his relationship with Congress when he states that a “member of the Senate appointed me to West Point,” and also mentions a relationship with Congress, prior to his presidency, during the “war and post-war period.” Later in his speech, the President’s personality is revealed when he states the following about war:

As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war, as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been slowly and painfully built over thousands of years, I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.

Eisenhower is a man who is clearly worried about the direction the world is turning. He sees the potential for abuse of power by the United States government, particularly in its use of the sizeable military sector. In addition, he is worried that citizens, not just of the United States, but of the free-Capitalist world, are neglecting their responsibility to preserve democracy “for all generations to come.” The President’s fears are implicit in a statement toward the end of the speech: “You and I, my fellow citizens, need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nations’ great goals.” So, as we can see, Eisenhower was a very intelligent man who saw in which direction world events were leading.

The intended audiences for the speech were the American public, Congress, the Kennedy Administration, the Communist bloc, and to everyone in the world. The first of the speech’s intended audiences is the American public. Eisenhower identifies this targeted group with his opening statement: “Good evening, my fellow Americans.” Even though many Americans would not have been interested in the policy warnings he highlights in his address, the American people are, nevertheless, the ultimate backing behind the American democracy. The American public would definitely have been interested in listening to this speech. Eisenhower had been a very admired commander-in-chief who led the country on the battlefield in WWII, and who also led the country on the world stage for eight years during the post-war period. They would have wanted to listen to the final comments of their heroic leader. The second of the speech’s intended audiences is Congress. Once again, Eisenhower specifically identifies the legislative branch when he speaks of his good relations with Congress. The senators and congressman would have also found the speech appealing, especially considering the power shift from Republican to Democrat, the first time in eight years. The third intended audience of the speech is the Kennedy Administration. I actually believe a large part of the speech, especially the warnings, was an attempt to give last minute advice to his much younger successor. The fourth of the intended audiences were the Communist bloc nations. Similar to the “Axis of Evil” comment made by President Bush during his 2002 State of the Union address, Eisenhower states: “We face a hostile ideology, global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method.” Eisenhower probably intended this statement as a reminder to those countries that a change in leadership does not necessarily a change in foreign policy perspective. The final audience targeted by the speech is everyone in the world. Eisenhower states:

To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America’s prayerful and continuing aspiration: We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its few spiritual blessings.

Eisenhower used this statement as a last-minute effort to enhance the image of the United States to people around the world. Those people would have found it very important to watch the address as it marked an extremely unstable time in world affairs. So, Eisenhower created his speech to target a number of audiences, each with their own objective.

Eisenhower included a number of devices in his speech to help him achieve his goals. First of all, he praises the American nation and its rich history holding it to high standard and elevated ideal that should never be lowered. For example, Eisenhower states:

Throughout America’s adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace, to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity, and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people.

This is a continued theme throughout the speech persuading the audience to see themselves as part of this idealistic view. Basically, who wouldn’t want to be likened to such a group? This is played against the dangers and pitfalls the nation could fall into, persuading the audience to adopt a view of high values in the face of growing power and strength. Secondly, Eisenhower relates to his audience by placing himself in the same situation, or basically among them. As this is his farewell address, citizens already know that he will soon become one of them. He knows this, and repeatedly mentions this fact, hoping it will persuade his audience to listen realistically to what he says. In a way, he calls the country to action when he says: “As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road.” A third device that Eisenhower uses is parallelism. He uses the device to emphasize the underlying theme of the speech—balance. This can be seen when the President says:

But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs, balance between the private and the public economy, balance between the cost and hoped for advantages, balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable, balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual, balance between actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future.

By using this technique, it drills the main theme into the heads of the individual audience members by highlighting different important elements using one unique thread. So, Eisenhower used a number of devices to effectively persuade his audience.

The speech, which marked the end of an era, reflected global events in the transitory period and foresaw the volatile times ahead. Eisenhower led the country through the prosperous baby-boom post-war years. But at the turn of the decade, events on the world stage began to take a turn for the worse. Cuba, the island nation just 60 miles away from the American coastline, underwent a Communist revolution in which a radical tyrant was declared President. Also during this time, the arms race between the Capitalist West and the Communist East was beginning to really set off, especially now that the Soviet Union had an ideal base of operations minutes away from the Florida Keys. The world was beginning to take sides with either American red, white, and blue, or Communist red. The future was uncertain, and Eisenhower knew that. He foresaw where the world was headed if something did not intervene. His attempt to forgo those future events was to call all Americans back to those historic ideals we have always held so sacred. Keeping with those ideals, he wanted to ensure that America in the near future would use its power wisely, for defensive purposes only. He stressed that America’s image was of the utmost importance in gaining the support of countries around the world. So, Eisenhower’s Farewell address reflects the time when it was spoken.

Overall, we have analyzed Eisenhower’s Farewell address in terms of purpose, authorship, audience, agency, and context. Using these guidelines, we have gained a deeper understanding of why this speech remains one of the most memorable of all time. The exiting President remained humble in his approach, but demanded no less than the high standard, that Americans had held so long, when dealing with issues in the future. He foresaw the dangers and pitfalls that laid before the nation, and he did his best to warn us to not make that mistake. The question is—have we? Over 45 years later, are we adhering to that high standard? Are we properly using our immense military strength, or has there been a “disastrous rise of misplaced power.” Time will tell. But one thing we know for certain—Eisenhower’s Farewell address has stood the test of time and is as relevant today as it was on January 17th, 1961.

Work Cited
Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Farewell Address.” American Rhetoric.com. 17 Jan. 1961. 25 Mar. 2007. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html.