Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-09
EISENHOWER TEXT
President Proposes
z Big Tasks Aheod

DsS sOS
The tert Of President
EtsenhoiDer's state OF the
Union message. delipered to
Congress TO-DAY. jolloiDs:
Mr.. President. Mr.. Speaker,
Members Of the e5th Congress !:
II Is again my high privilege
10 extend personal greetings TO
the members Of the s5th Con-
gress.
All Of us realize that. as this
new session begins. many
Americans are troubled about
recent world developments
which they believe may threat
en- our Nations safety. Honest
men differ In their appraisal Of
Americas material and intel
lectual strength. and the dam
gers that confront US. But all
know these dangers are real.
The purpose Of this message
Is to outline the measures that
can give the American people
q confidence-just as realm
their own security.
I am not here to justify the
past. gloss over the problems
Of the present. or propose easy
solutions for the future.
I am here to state what /
believe to be right and what I
believe 70 be wrong; and to pro-
pose for correcting what ! think
wrongl
There are two tasks con-
fronting US that 50 far out
weigh all others that I shall
devote this years message en-
tirely to them.
The FIRST is to ensure our
safety through strength.
AS to our strength. / have
repeatedly voiced this convic-
ton: We now have o broadly
based and efficient strength.
including q great deterrent
power, which is. for the pres
ent. our main guarantee against
war; but. unless We act wisely
and promptly. We could lose
that capacity TO deter attack
or defend ourselves.
My profoundest conviction
Is that the American people
will say. as one man: No mat
ter what the exertions or sacri-
fees. we shall maintain that
necessary strength
But We could make no
more tragic mistake than
merely to concentrate on mill
tary strength
For II we did only this. the
future would hold nothing for
the world but an Age Of Terror.
And 50 our second task Is 70
do the constructive work Of
building q genuine peace. We
must never become so preoccu-
pied with our desire for mill
tary strength that we neglect
those areas Of economic devel-
opment trade. diplomacy. edu-
cation. ideas and principles
where the foundations Of real
peace must be laid.
The threat to our safety. and
TO the hope Of . peaceful world.
can be simply stated. II Is
Communist imperialism.
This threat Is not something
imagined by critics Of the So
VETS. Soviet Spokesman. from
the beginning. have publicly
and frequently declared their
aim to expand their power. one
way or another. throughout the
world.
The threat has become in
creasingly serious as this ex-
pansionist aim has been REIN
forced by an advancing indus
trial. military and scientific
establishment.
But what makes the Soviet
threat unique in history Is its
all-inclusiveness. Every human
activity is pressed into service
as . weapon Of expansion.
Trade. economic development,
military power. arts. science.
education, the whole world Of
ideas-all are harnessed to this
chariot of expansion.
The Soviets are, in short.
vaging total cold war.
The only answer to a regime
that wages total cold war is to
wage total peace.
This means bringing to bear
every asset Of our personal and
national lives upon the task
Of building the conditions in
which security and peace can
grow.
Among our assets. let us first
briefly glance at our military
power.
Military power serves the
cause Of security BY making
prohibitive the cost of any
aggressive attack.
1t serves the cause Of peace
by holding UP a shield behind
which the patient constructive
work Of peace can 90 on.
But 1t can serve neither
cause II we make either Of two
mistakes. The one would be u
overestimate our strength. anc
thus neglect crucially impor-
tant actions in the period just
ahead. The other would be "
underestimate our strength
Thereby we might be tempted
TO become irresolute in oul
foreign relations, to dishearter
our friends, and TO lose oui
national poise and perspective
in approaching the complex