Dwight D. Eisenhower: First Inaugural Address

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Eisenhower was a moderate Republican and not overtly partisan, but he was well aware of his historic place as the nation's first Republican president in twenty years. Consequently, in his First Inaugural Address he attempted to balance calls for bipartisanship with a message of change. Eisenhower begins his address of January 20, 1953, with a prayer in which he calls for Americans to be treated equally “regardless of station, race or calling.” He also urges cooperation among those in the United States who “hold to differing political faiths.” Eisenhower was able to effectively maintain a bipartisan consensus on foreign policy for most of his presidency. After the Democrats regained control of Congress following the 1954 midterm elections, Eisenhower reached out to congressional Democrats. He developed a working, though often tense, relationship with Lyndon Johnson, the Democratic Senate leader, and took a variety of steps to increase cooperation between the White House and Capitol Hill. For instance, the president directed agency heads to consult with Democratic committee chairmen in Congress before launching new programs or initiatives. Throughout the remainder of his presidency, Eisenhower frequently appealed for bipartisanship on major foreign policy and domestic issues.

Eisenhower devotes most of the rest of his first address as the new president to emphasizing the need for U.S. leadership in the worldwide struggle between freedom and oppression. He emphasizes the commonality of the United States and its major allies, including the British and French, and links the ongoing conflicts in Korea, Malaysia, and Indochina as all part of the larger conflict against Communist oppression. Eisenhower speaks of the trials and sacrifices that the United States endured in the past three decades, including the Great Depression, World War II, and the growing cold war. He notes that the United States did not seek to be a world leader, but that role had been thrust upon the nation.

Eisenhower pledges that his administration will be guided by nine principles. He asserts that the best way to achieve peace is through diplomatic strength and a willingness to reduce arms through negotiation and international treaty. He categorically rejects appeasement, however, and declares that “in the final choice a soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as a prisoner's chains.” Still, he notes that the United States would “never use our strength to try to impress upon another people our own cherished political and economic institutions”—a pledge that would later be broken through the use of covert operations and support for pro-American elements in countries such as Iran and Guatemala. Eisenhower affirms U.S. support for the United Nations and stresses the importance of strengthening the world body so that it could be more effective and better able to deal with international crises. He further pledges support for free and open trade and calls for the fulfillment of the charter of the United Nations through the creation of regional organizations. During his first term, he endeavored to strengthen NATO and was instrumental in the expansion of the alliance in 1955 to include West Germany. His administration would attempt to follow up on the success of NATO through the creation of regional collective defense organizations, including the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in 1954 and the Central Treaty Organization, also known as the Baghdad Pact, in 1955. Both organizations were modeled after NATO and designed to contain Soviet expansion. The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization's members were Australia, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea, and South Vietnam, while the Central Treaty Organization included Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.

In his First Inaugural Address, Eisenhower goes on to seek to address charges that U.S. foreign policy was too focused on Europe and the ongoing conflict in Korea. Toward the end of his address, he states that “we hold all continents and peoples in equal regard and honor.” He also rejects the notion that any one people or race might be inferior to another. This reflects Eisenhower's general opposition to colonialism. Throughout his presidency Eisenhower reiterated support for independence movements, but his rhetoric did not always coincide with U.S. policy. For instance, the United States continued to support colonial powers such as Britain and France. The president did pressure France to relinquish control of Indochina, which led to the establishment of North and South Vietnam. He also opposed the Anglo-French-Israeli occupation of the Suez Canal in 1956 and forced the invading party to withdraw.

Eisenhower concludes his address by reminding Americans that “each citizen plays an indispensable role” in the global struggle against oppression and tyranny. He emphasizes the need for the United States to be a model for the rest of the world. In one of the closing lines, the new president states, “Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.” Many African Americans hoped that this sentiment was an indication of Eisenhower's support for civil rights.