Eisenhower's Farewell Address – 1961
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower (excerpt)

My fellow Americans:

[1] Three days from now, after half a century in the service of our country, I shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the Presidency is vested in my successor.

[2] This evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen.

[3] Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all.

[4] Our people expect their President and the Congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the Nation.

[5] Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.

[6] Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield.

[7] Disarmament1, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose difference, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent I confess that I lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war-as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years-I wish I could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight.

[8] Happily, I can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, I shall never cease to do what little I can to help the world advance along that road.

[9] So-in this my last good night to you as your President-I thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find somethings worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future.

[10] You and I-my fellow citizens-need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under God, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the Nation's great goals.

[11] To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayerful and continuing inspiration:

We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.

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1disarmament: removal or reduction of military weapons

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Select the correct answer.
Mai wrote the following paragraph in her research paper about Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Texas in 1890. He grew up in Kansas, where he excelled in high school athletics. A few years after graduating high school, his friend Everett convinced him to apply to the naval academy at Annapolis. Though he passed an exam to qualify for Annapolis, he was deemed too old for the naval academy because he was 20.  Therefore, he was appointed to the prestigious United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York. Eisenhower was among the most capable of all presidents regarding military knowledge and prowess.

Which conclusion to the paragraph supplies the best evidence to support Mai's claim that Eisenhower was among the most skilled of all Presidents in his military capabilities?

 A. 
"It was apparent even in Eisenhower's early years that he possessed the grit, drive and tenacity to eventually become one of the nation’s greatest military leaders."
 B. 
"Prior to leaving office in 1961, Eisenhower warned the public about overspending on military ventures while also maintaining that adequate military strength was necessary to protect the nation."
 C. 
"While serving as President, Eisenhower ordered that the Armed Forces be completely desegregated, arguing that there were no second class citizens in the country."
 D. 
"Eisenhower not only served as a victorious commanding general in Europe during World War II; he also negotiated a peace treaty along South Korea’s border, bringing an end to the Korean War."