Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Special Address to Congress on the Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)

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The Middle East has abruptly reached a new and critical stage in its long and important history. In past decades many of the countries in that area were not fully self-governing.… Our country supports without reservation the full sovereignty and independence of each and every nation of the Middle East.…

Russia’s rulers have long sought to dominate the Middle East. That was true of the Czars and it is true of the Bolsheviks.…

The reason for Russia’s interest in the Middle East is solely that of power politics. Considering her announced purpose of Communizing the world, it is easy to understand her hope of dominating the Middle East.…

Stalin’s death brought hope that this pattern would change. And we read the pledge of the Warsaw Treaty of 1955 that the Soviet Union would follow in satellite countries “the principles of mutual respect for their independence and sovereignty and noninterference in domestic affairs.” But we have just seen the subjugation of Hungary by...