Evening star., 1952-04-12
Text of Gen. Eisenhower's Statement

APH 4S VI - US yOLtOUEUy Is
stenographic transcript of
Gen. EiSenhoDer'S statement to
the press at SHAPE today:
!; have met with you this morn.
ing to respond to your invitation
to clarity my position in the light
of the letters that were released
at Washington yesterday.
I, of course, requested release
from this military assignment. ef-
fective about June /. Now, ir
the main, these letters speak fol
themselves. They briefly sum-
Marie the accomplishments o1
SHAPE that now allow me to ask
to return to civil pursuits.
/ I should point out that I was
assigned to this post from an in
active military status, and it was
always my intention to return to
civil life as soon as I believed that
I had basically accomplished the
purposes for which I was sent
here. There are certain additional
points which may be of interest
to you.
Now I intend to be just as COM
prehensive as I know how, and to
cover the several facets of my cur
rent situation as accurately as ]
can, but following that presenta-
ton, I hope there will be no ques-
tions. You can we'll understand
they would be endless, and I think
that I can succeed in giving to you
the program-or I mean my own
Iprogram-in such a way that it
will at least be reasonable.
Change in Circumstances.
Now a point that I should like
to bring up relates to the timing
of the submission of my request.
During the past month, circum-
stances of my personal life have
markedly changed. At the time
of my public announcement of
last January, I believed that the
political movement involving my
name and undertaken in America
by certain of my fellow citizens
would not necessarily impinge on
the duties and responsibilities of
my present post.
Generally, events in the United
States and their incessant reper-
cusSionS here have made it evident
that I was wrong. Though not
mentioned in the letter released
yesterday, these pressures prac-
tically compel me to wait no longer
in asking for relief. I hope that
this action, of asking for a relief,
will permit me greater opportu-
nifty to finish the work here that
I have set for myself.
You SHAPE correspondents are
at least partially aware of the
mounting volume of inquiries that
has been directed towards me
these many months. In fact, you
have, under the spur of your home
Offices, been partly responsible for
it. I am grateful to you for your
understanding and forebearance
during that period.
I ask you to bear with me a bit
longer. for, as you know, I must
prevent politics from affecting this
vital job during the weeks I re-
main in service.
Asks Inactive Status.
My second point is this: I have
not submitted my resignation
from the American Army. have
forwarded a request that I be re-
lieved from my current military
assignment and placed on an in
active status.
II. however, I should-through
the current effort now going on
at home-be nominated in July to
political Office, I shall promptly
submit to the President my resig-
nation as an officer of the Army.
From that point on, would be
free to act and speak as any other
citizen, without any of the limi-
tatlons imposed by the tradition
of the military establishment.
l should like to point out that
this would mean complete separa-
tlon from the Army of the United
States. For example, I would not
be entitled thereafter to wear the
uniform.
The time remaining to me here
is already heavily scheduled with
tasks. One of the pleas
ant personal duties that I expect
to perform is to visit as many as
possible of the NATO capitals for
final conferences and say fare
well to old friends and to people
who have co-operated with us
wonderfully well.
Those visits will start with one
to Brussels on April 16. This will
be followed quickly by trips to
The Hague, Oslo and Copen-
hagen. The other visits that 1
may find opportunity to make
will follow shortly thereafter.
No Idea of Successor.
Now there is one thing with re-
spect to NATO-or SHAPE-about
which I assume you have some
curioSity-that is the possible idea
OF my successor. I have not the
slightest information on the mat
ter, not the slightest. ANY one
of a number of men can fill the
job, possibly far better than I.
But in any event I know nothing
about it, and it would be quite
useless to direct a memo to me
at my office asking me about it.
The next thing is that I have
no future plans of any kind after
I go back to the United States and
my active duty is terminated. I
have made no plans.
Now, here is one thing that 7
want to do if I possibly can; 4
will do it if it is humanity pos
sible, that is to go to my home of
Abilene, Kans., early in June to
be present at a ceremony con-
nected with a small foundation.
It's called the Eisenhower
Foundation Tt is lOcated IN q