(January 17th 1961) Eisenhower Full Farewell Address: "Military Industrial Complex" & the "Technological Elite" Warning

@8:41 mark: Ike's warning about the "unwarranted influence... by the Military-Industrial Complex".
@10:40 Warns that the Public Policy could itself become the Captive of a SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGICAL ELITE

Eisenhower Farewell Address (Best Quality) - 'Military Industrial Complex' WARNING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBNmecVtdU
Transcript
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from the White House in the Office of
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the President of the United States we
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present an address by Dwight D
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Eisenhower this is the Farewell Address
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for President Eisenhower whose eight
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years as chief executive come to an end
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at noon Friday Mr eisar has chosen this
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time for his final speech ladies and
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gentlemen the president of the United
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States good evening my fellow
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Americans first I should like to express
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my gratitude to the radio and television
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networks for the opportunities they have
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given me over the years to bring reports
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and messages to our nation my special
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thanks go to them for the opportunity of
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addressing you this
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evening 3 days from now after half a
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century in the service of our country I
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shall lay down the responsibilities of
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office as in traditional and solemn
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ceremony the authority ity of the
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presidency is vested in my
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successor this evening I come to you
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with a message of leaking and farewell
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and to share a few final Thoughts with
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you my
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Countryman like every other like every
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other citizen I wish the new president
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and all who will labor with him godspeed
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I pray that the coming years will be
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blessed with peace and prosperity for
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all
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our people expect their president and
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the Congress to find essential agreement
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on issues of great moment the wise
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resolution of which will better shape
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the future of the
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nation my own relations with the
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Congress which began on a remote and
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tenuous basis when long ago a member of
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the Senate appointed me to West Point
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have since ranged to the element during
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the war and immediate postwar War period
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and finally to the mutually
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interdependent during these past 8
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years in this final relationship the
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Congress and the administration have on
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most vital issues cooperated well to
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serve the N the nation good rather than
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mere partisanship and so have assured
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that the business of the nation should
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go
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forward so my official relationship with
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the Congress ends in a feeling on my
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part of gratitude that we have been able
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to do so much
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together we now stand 10 years past the
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midpoint of a century that has witnessed
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four major Wars among great Nations
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three of these involved our own
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country despite these holocausts America
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is today the strongest the most
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influential and most productive nation
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in the
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world
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understandably proud of this preeminence
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we yet realize that America's leadership
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and Prestige depend not merely Upon Our
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unmatched material progress riches and
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military strength but on how we use our
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power in the interest of world peace and
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human
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betterment throughout America's
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Adventure in free government our basic
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purposes have been to keep the peace to
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Foster progress in human achievement and
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to enhance Liberty dignity and integrity
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among peoples and among nations to
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strive for Less would be Unworthy of a
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free and religious
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people any failure traceable to
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arrogance or our lack of comprehension
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or Readiness to sacrifice would inflict
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Upon Us Grievous hurt both at home and
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abroad progress toward these noble goals
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is perceived consistently threatened by
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the conflict now engulfing the
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world it commands our whole attention
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absorbs our very beings we Face a
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hostile ideology Global in scope
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atheistic in character ruthless in
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purpose and Insidious in
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method unhappily the danger it poses
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promises to be of indefinite
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duration to meet it successfully there
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is call for not so much the emotional
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and transitory sacrifices of Crisis but
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rather those which enable us to carry
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forward steadily surely and without
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complaint the burdens of a prolonged and
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complex struggle with Liberty the
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stake only thus shall we remain despite
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every provocation on our charted course
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toward permanent peace and human
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betterment crisis there will continue to
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be
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in meeting them whether foreign or
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domestic great or small there is a
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recurring temptation to feel that some
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spectacular and costly action could
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become the miraculous solution to all
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current
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difficulties a hugee increase in newer
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elements of our
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defenses development of unrealistic
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programs to cure every ill in
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agriculture a dramatic expansion in
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basic and applied research these and
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many other possibilities each possibly
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promising in itself may be suggested as
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the only way to the road we wish to
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travel but each proposal must be weighed
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in the light of a broader
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consideration the need to maintain
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balance in and among National
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programs balance between the private and
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the public economy balance between the
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cost and hoped for advantages
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balance between the clearly necessary
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and the comfortably
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desirable balance between our essential
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requirements as a nation and the duties
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imposed by the nation upon the
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individual balance between actions of
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the moment and the national welfare of
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the
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future good judgment seeks balance in
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progress lack of it eventually finds
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imbalance and
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frustration the record of many decades
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stands as proof that our people and
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their government have in the main
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understood these truths and have
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responded to them well in the face of
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threat and
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stress but threats new in kind or degree
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constantly
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arise of these I mention two
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only a vital element in keeping the
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peace is our military establishment our
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arms must be Mighty ready for instant
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action so that no potential aggressor
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may be tempted to risk his own
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destruction our military organization
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today Bears little relation to that
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known of any of my predecessors in
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peacetime or indeed by the fighting men
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of World War II or
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Korea until the latest of our world
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conflicts the United States had no
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armaments
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industry American makers of plowshares
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could with time and as required make
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swords as
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well but we can no longer risk emergency
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improvisation of National
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Defense we have been compelled to create
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a permanent armance industry of vast
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proportions added to this 3 and A5
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million men and women are directly
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engaged in the defense
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establishment we annually spend on
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Military security alone more than the
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net income of all United States
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coroporation
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corporations now this conjunction of an
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immense military establishment and a
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large arms industry is new in the
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American
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Experience the total influence economic
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political even spiritual is felt in
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every city every state house every
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Office of the federal
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government we recognize the imperative
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need for this development yet we must
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not fail to comprehend its grave
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implications our toil resources and
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livelihood are all involved so is the
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very structure of our
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society in the councils of government we
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must guard against the acquisition of
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unwarranted influence whether sought or
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unsought by the military industrial
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complex the potential for the disastrous
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rise of misplaced power exists and will
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persist we must never let the weight of
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this combination endanger our liberties
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or Democratic processes we should take
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nothing for
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granted only an alert and knowledgeable
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citizenry can compel the proper mesing
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of the huge industrial and Military
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Machinery of Defense with our peaceful
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methods and goals so that security and
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Liberty May Prosper
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together akin to and largely responsible
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for the sweeping changes in our
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industrial military posture has been the
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technological Revolution during recent
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decades in this revolution re research
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has become Central it also becomes more
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formalized complex and costly a steadily
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increasing share is conducted for by or
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at the direction of the federal
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government today the solitary inventor
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tinkering in his shot
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has been overshadowed by task forces of
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scientists in Laboratories and testing
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fields in the same fashion the Free
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University historically The Fountain
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Head of free ideas and scientific
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discovery has experienced a revolution
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in the conduct of
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research partly because of the huge cost
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involved a government contract becomes
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virtually a substitute
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for intellectual
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curiosity for every old Blackboard there
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are now hundreds of new electronic
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computers the prospect of domination of
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the nation's Scholars by federal
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employment project allocations and the
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power of money is ever present and is
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Gravely to be
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regarded yet in holding scientific
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research and Discovery in respect as we
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should we must also be alert to the
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equal and opposite danger that public
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policy could itself become the captive
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of a
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scientific technological Elite is the
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task of statesmanship to mold to balance
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and to integrate these and other forces
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new and old within the principles of our
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democratic system ever aiming toward the
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Supreme goals of our free
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Society another factor in maintaining
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balance involves the element of
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time as WE peer into society's future
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we you and I and our government must
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avoid the impulse to live only for today
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plundering for our own ease and
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convenience the precious resources of
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Tomorrow we cannot mortgage the material
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assets of our grandchildren without
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risking the loss also of their political
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and spiritual
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Heritage we want democracy to survive
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for all generations to come not to
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become the insolvent Phantom of
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tomorrow during the long Lane of the
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history yet to be written America knows
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that this world of ours ever growing
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smaller must avoid becoming a community
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of dreadful fear and hate and be instead
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a proud Confederation of mutual trust
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and respect such a confederation must be
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one of equals the weakest must come to
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the conference table with the same
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confidence as do we protected as we are
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by our moral economic and military
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strength that table though scarred by
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many fast frustration past frustrations
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cannot be abandoned for the certainty
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Agony of disarm of the battlefield
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disarmament with mutual honor and
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confidence is a Contin continuing
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imperative together we must learn how to
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compose differences not with arms but
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with intellect and decent
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purpose because this need is so sharp
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and apparent I confess that I laid down
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of my official responsibilities in this
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field with a definite sense of
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disappointment as one who has witnessed
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the horror and the lingering sadness of
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War as one who knows that another War
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could utterly destroy this civilization
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which has been so slowly and painfully
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built over thousands of years I wish I
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could say tonight that a lasting peace
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is in
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sight happily I can say that war has
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been avoided steady progress toward our
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ultimate goal has been made but so much
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remains to be
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done as a private citizen I shall never
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cease to do what little I can to help
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the world advance
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along that
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road so in this my last good night to
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you as your president I thank you for
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the many opportunities you have given me
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for public service in war and in peace I
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trust in that in that in that service
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you find some things worthy as for the
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rest of it I know you will find ways to
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improve performance in the
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future you and I my fellow Citizens need
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to be strong in our faith that all
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nations under God will reach the goal of
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peace with
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Justice may we be ever unswerving in
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Devotion to
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principle confident but humble with
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power diligent in pursuit of the
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nation's great
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goals to all the peoples of the world I
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once more give expression to America's
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prayerful and continuing
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aspiration we pray that peoples of all
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faiths all Races all nations may have
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their great human needs
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satisfied that those now denied
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opportunity shall come to enjoy it to
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the full that all who yearn for Freedom
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may experience its spiritual
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blessings those who have freedom will
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understand also its heavy
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responsibility that all who are
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insensitive to the needs of others will
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learn charity and that the sources
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scourge es of poverty disease and
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ignorance will be made disappear from
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the earth and that in the goodness of
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time all peoples will come to live
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together in a peace
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guaranteed by The Binding force of
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mutual respect and
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love now on Friday noon I am to become a
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private
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citizen I am proud to do so I look
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forward to it thank you and good
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night we have presented the farewell
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address by the president of the United
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States Dwight D Eisenhower who spoke
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this evening from his office in the
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White House