Draft of Eisenhower’s Farewell Address Warning Against the Military-Industrial Complex and the Concentration of Scientific Power (1961)

Date: January 7, 1961

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Cold War, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Papers as President, Speech Series, Box 38, Final TV Talk (3); NAID #16972223

This January 7, 1961 draft of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address shows the speech taking shape shortly before its delivery on January 17. He reflects on the responsibilities of the United States in a prolonged global ideological struggle and argues that preserving peace, liberty, and national security requires steady leadership rather than reacting to individual crises. The extensive handwritten revisions and deleted passages throughout the document reveal Eisenhower’s direct involvement in refining the ideas and language of his final presidential message.

A central section addresses the enormous expansion of America’s permanent defense establishment since World War II. Eisenhower warns against the acquisition of “unwarranted influence” by the “military-industrial complex,” while acknowledging that a strong defense remained necessary. He also cautions that increasing federal funding of scientific research could concentrate intellectual power and potentially allow public policy to become dominated by a “scientific-technological elite.” Eisenhower connects these concerns to a broader warning against sacrificing future generations for immediate needs. The later pages contain substantial handwritten revisions to his concluding thoughts about international cooperation, freedom, peace, and America’s responsibilities in the world. The draft provides an exceptional view of how Eisenhower personally shaped one of the most significant presidential farewell addresses in American history.