dwight-d-eisenhower Quotes About defense

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957

“War is mankind's most tragic and stupid folly; to seek or advise its deliberate provocation is a black crime against all men. Though you follow the trade of the warrior, you do so in the spirit of Washington - not of Genghis Khan. For Americans, only threat to our way of life justifies resort to conflict.”

Men Way War Spirit Black Mankind Crime Stupid Conflict Trade Threat Defense Warrior Folly Tragic Justify Deliberate Resorts Advise Provocation American Way Of Life

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can complel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

“War is a grim, cruel business, a business justified only as a means of sustaining the forces of good against those of evil.”

Mean War Evil Force Defense Justified Grim Sustaining

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Guns and tanks and planes are nothing unless there is a solid spirit, a solid heart, and great productiveness behind it.”

Heart War Spirit Behinds Gun Defense Planes Tanks

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Possibly my hatred of war blinds me so that I cannot comprehend the arguments they adduce. But, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a preventive war. Although this suggestion is repeatedly made, none has yet explained how war prevents war. Worse than this, no one has been able to explain away the fact that war creates the conditions that beget war.”

Has Beens Made War Facts Able Opinion Conditions Argument Hatred Defense Suggestions Begets Preventive War

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Because, therefore, we are defending a way of life, we must be respectful of that way of life as we proceed to the solution of our problem. We must not violate its principles and its precepts, and we must not destroy from within what we are trying to defend from without.”

Way Trying War Problem Principles Solutions Defense Respectful Be Respectful

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Each and all of us must summon to mind the words of Him whom we honor this Easter time: 'When a strong man, armed, keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace'.”

Men Mind War Strong Honor Defense Goods Easter Palaces Strong Man Easter Time

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

“We do not keep security establishments merely to defend property or territory or rights abroad or at sea. We keep the security forces to defend a way of life.”

Way War Force Rights Sea Security Property Defense Territory Establishment Security Forces

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954

“A preventive war, to my mind, is an impossibility today. How could you have one if one of its features would be several cities lying in ruins, several cities where many, many thousands of people would be dead and injured and mangled, the transportation systems destroyed, sanitation implements and systems all gone? That isn't preventive war; that is war.”

People Ifs Mind War Would Be Today Lying Cities Gone Defense Destroyed Ruins Features Impossibility Injured Transportation Sanitation Preventive War

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954

“And the next thing is that every war is going to astonish you in the way it occurred, and in the way it is carried out.”

Way War Next Defense

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1955

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1955

“I have spent my life in the study of military strength as a deterrent to war, and in the character of military armaments necessary to win a war. The study of the first of these questions is still profitable, but we are rapidly getting to the point that no war can be won.”

Firsts Stills War Character Winning Study Military Defense Profitable No War Armament Deterrent

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“When we get to the point, as we one day will, that both sides know that in any outbreak of general hostilities, regardless of the element of surprise, destruction will be both reciprocal and complete, possibly we will have sense enough to meet at the conference table with the understanding that the era of armaments has ended and the human race must conform its actions to this truth or die.”

“Arms alone can give the world no permanent peace, no confident security. Arms are solely for defense - to protect from violent assault what we already have. They are only a costly insurance. They cannot add to human progress.”

World Giving Humans War Progress Security Arms Protect Add Defense Violent Permanent Assault Human Progress

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956

“We know something of the cost of that war. We were in it from December seventh, '41, till August of '45. Ever since that time, we have been waging peace. It has had its ups and downs just as the war did.”

Knows Has Beens War Cost Defense August Ups & Downs December

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“We must be strong at home if we are going to be strong abroad. We understand that. So we want to be strong at home in our morale or in our spirit, we want to be strong intellectually, in our education, in our economy and, where necessary, militarily.”

Ifs Want War Home Spirit Strong Economy Defense Morale

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956

“The hope of the world is that wisdom can arrest conflict between brothers. I believe that war is the deadly harvest of arrogant and unreasoning minds. And I find grounds for this belief in the wisdom literature of Proverbs. It says in effect this: Panic strikes like a storm and calamity comes like a whirlwind to those who hate knowledge and ignore their God.”

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957

“First, separate ground, sea and air warfare is gone forever. If ever again we should be involved in war, we will fight it in all elements, with all services, as one single concentrated effort.”

Ifs Should Firsts War Fighting Effort Gone Forever Air Sea Involved Elements Defense Warfare

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Now this brings me to my main topic - our military strength - more specifically, how to stay strong against threat from outside, without undermining the economic health that supports our security.”

War Strong Support Economic Security Military Threat Defense Topics Stay Strong Undermining

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1958

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1958

“First, separate ground, sea and air warfare is gone forever. This lesson we learned in World War II. I lived that lesson in Europe. Others lived it in the Pacific. Millions of American veterans learned it well.”

World Firsts Wells War Millions Gone Forever Air Sea Lessons Europe Defense War Of The Worlds World War Ii World War I Warfare Veteran Pacific American Veterans

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Now all of us deplore this vast military spending. Yet, in the face of the Soviet attitude, we realize its necessity. Whatever the cost, America will keep itself secure. But in the process we must not, by our own hand, destroy or distort the American system. This we could do by useless overspending. I know one sure way to overspend. That is by overindulging sentimental attachments to outmoded military machines and concepts.”

“I know something about that war, and I never want to see that history repeated. But, my fellow Americans, it certainly can be repeated if the peace-loving democratic nations again fearfully practice a policy of standing idly by while big aggressors use armed force to conquer the small and weak.”

Ifs Knows Want War Use Bigs Force Nations Practice Policy Standing Weak Fellows Democratic Defense Conquer Armed Forces Aggressors Repeating History

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Any survey of the free world's defense structure cannot fail to impart a feeling of regret that so much of our effort and resources must be devoted to armaments.”

World War Feelings Effort Failing Regret Resources Structure Defense Devoted Surveys Impart Armament Free World

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959

“But all history has taught us the grim lesson that no nation has ever been successful in avoiding the terrors of war by refusing to defend its rights - by attempting to placate aggression.”

War Nations Successful Rights Taught Lessons Terror Defense Aggression Avoiding Attempting Grim Taught Us

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959

“In this hope, among the things we teach to the young are such truths as the transcendent value of the individual and the dignity of all people, the futility and stupidity of war, its destructiveness of life and its degradation of human values.”

People Humans War Young Values Individual Teach Dignity Stupidity Defense Degradation Transcendent Futility Human Values Destructiveness

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1960-1961

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1960-1961

“Nothing is easy in war. Mistakes are always paid for in casualties and troops are quick to sense any blunder made by their commanders.”

Made War Easy Mistake Paid Defense Troops Commanders Casualties Blunders Nothing Is Easy

Book:Crusade in Europe

Source: Crusade in Europe

“We need an adequate defense, but every arms dollar we spend above adequacy has a long-term weakening effect upon the nation and its security.”

Needs Long War Nations Term Effects Security Arms Dollars Defense Long Term Adequate Weakening Adequacy

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

“The supreme belief of our society is the dignity and freedom of the individual. To the respect of that dignity, to the defense of that freedom, all effort is pledged.”

Individual Belief Freedom Effort Dignity Defense Supreme Our Society

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The one weapon every man, soldier, sailor, or airman should be able to use effectively is the rifle. It is always his weapon of personal safety in an emergency, and for many it is the primary weapon of offence and defense. Expertness in its use cannot be over emphasized.”

Men Should Use Able Weapons Gun Safety Soldier Defense Every Man Primaries Emergencies Sailor Rifles Offence Airmen Personal Safety

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“But we know that freedom cannot be served by the devices of the tyrant. As it is an ancient truth that freedom cannot be legislated into existence, so it is no less obvious that freedom cannot be censored into existence. And any who act as if freedoms defenses are to be found in suppression and suspicion and fear confess a doctrine that is alien to America.”

Ifs Knows America Found Freedom Existence Ancient Obvious Defense Doctrine Aliens Devices Tyrants Suspicion Suppression Censored

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without.”

Trying War Problem Politics Defense Destroying Freedom Of Expression How Far You Can Go

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

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