Eisenhower warns us of the military industrial complex.

Dwight D. Eisenhower exit speech on Jan.17,1961.
Warning us of the military industrial complex.

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[brmillgr]

In hindsight this is the greatest speech ever given by a president. He was doing what a president is supposed to do, be on guard and warn the people about threats from within and make an effort to disband these threats. The fall of the Republic of the United States of America will come from within, a few of the founders warned about this.

[analog9999]

I doubt that many individuals in government, taken individually without their high paying government jobs, would be okay with what's going on. But together and in the framework of power, they feel it is fine to do whatever they wish with us. And they're preparing for something here. There is a reason that they're buying billions of rounds of ammunition for "Homeland Security." The American citizenry can no longer deny what is going on. The conspiracy theories are sadly true.

[0hypnotoad0]

It's almost eerie how accurate a prediction this was. It's basically a full 2:00 of Eisenhower describing our modern foreign policy.

[jo23bulls]

More progressive than Democrats today

[Alec Castro]

No-one claimed he was a saint. Every generation the people in government care less about the people and more about power.

[Bill Tutuki]

Damn I heard of the argument "We must Contain Communism" and it was from this time when Eisenhower was the president. I'm not sure who in the Cabinet and Pentagon said this but I know it had to be from this era.

[23ofSeptember]

Yet he endorsed the war in Vietnam and wanted the American people to support it.

[L. Smith]

$ CHA $ $ CHING $

[Bill Tutuki]

Damn If Senator McCarthy Was alive today he would use a drone on Snowden, Wikileaks Julian Assange and Bradley Manning. Wow its crazy to think that Snowden was basically telling US here in the USA what Eisenhower feared 60 years ago is true today. In other words General/President Eisenhower would be charged with Terrorism/Sedition/Treason today if he said "Beware of the Military Industrial Complex"

[BlackDynamiteNYC]

Try was the key word in your question. It's obvious that Ike had no interest in going through the implosion that is taking place right now.

[Bill Tutuki]

"Once you build your Entire Economy on Stimulating Defense Contractors you're Screwed"- Eisenhower. Its crazy Eisenhower is accurate in describing 4 presidents, Johnson and Nixon in the Vietnam War and Bush 43 and Obama in the Iraq and Afghan wars. 9/11 and Boston Attacks.

But at the same time Eisenhower was struggling to deal with Senator McCarthy. Didn't Senator McCarthy try to do the NSA, Patriot Act and Homeland Security in the 1950's during the (Anti-Communist) Trials?