President Eisenhower and the rise of covert action

In January of 1961, as President Eisenhower was about to leave office, he gave a farewell address from the White House in which he issued a famous warning: Beware the rise of the military-industrial complex.

This speech was so memorable because Dwight Eisenhower had assumed the presidency, in 1953, having risen to fame as a five-star general and a World War II hero. Yet here he was, eight years and two terms as president later, warning about military build-up.

Why was that?

According to Stephen Kinzer, author of "The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War," Eisenhower was making a subtle case in that speech for his use of covert action in international affairs in place of full-on military engagement.

In the newest episode of the Presidential podcast, we explore two manifestations of Eisenhower's preference for covert action: his administration's use of it for foreign intervention, and his personal incorporation of it into his leadership style-working behind the scenes to accomplish his agenda, while maintaining a hands-off public image as president.

Kinzer guest stars on this episode along with Will Hitchcock, a historian and professor at the University of Virginia who is completing a new comprehensive biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency.

In previous episodes of the Presidential podcast, we've explored topics like Theodore Roosevelt's heartbreak and the violent life of Andrew Jackson.

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Eisenhower podcast:

http://www.readingeagle.com/ap/article/president-eisenhower-and-the-rise-of-covert-action