eisenhower. this is the farewell address for president eisenhower, whose eight years as chief executive come to an end at noon friday. mr. eisenhower has chosen this time for his final speech. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. >> good evening, my fellow americans. [ dramatic music plays ] in the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. >> the military-industrial complex -- it's one of the most famous phrases ever spoken by a united states president. >> the sky rained a teeming downpour of destruction. >> google it, and you will get millions of results. >> i do worry about america's military-industrial complex using any excuse to ramp up the war machine again. >> in the more than half century since president eisenhower said it, it's been regularly invoked by all sorts of people in all sorts of places. but for all its use, is it truly understood? >> i would not trus

eisenhower did not live to see it.rom 1955 until his death, his death, he had seven heart attacks. he finally succumbed to congestive heart failure on march 28, 1969. >> you were with your grandfather in the hospital when he passed. can you passed. can you tell me what that was like. >> it was powerful then -- he was a powerful man and became frail but his inner light never dimmed. the thing that impresses me about him was really his matter-of-fact courage when he faced his frailty and mortality. i had no experience with this at all.und what he went through. >> eisenhower's legacy lives on it and that one phrase continues to be heard throughout the political abate. >> the military industrial complex. >> on tuesday evening, president president obama gave his farewell address. it was almost 35 minutes longer than eisenhower's, and, and it a break from tradition was delivered it in a setting more akin to a political rally. >> i can't do that. in ten days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy. the peaceful tr

your interest in eisenhower. how familiar were you with his record when you developed an interest in the subject? >> at the pentagon for six years a healthy appreciation of general eisenhower, we didn't have an appreciation of the eisenhower presidency. i am a college golfer, got the holy grail of golf invites to augusta national and i was on cloud 9 and went down there and was driving down magnolia lane, such a spectacular place and for golfers it is the place to be. they told me you are staying in the eisenhower cabin. i couldn't believe it, i couldn't go to sleep and poured myself a glass of wine and walked around the eisenhower cabin which is just spectacular. it is a little white house. the memorabilia on the walls, the books, the statues and the arts, overcome in the midst of the next day and i did not know and i cover politics, a lot about presidency of eisenhower, and going forward. is there a way to breathe life into that and share the experience with younger people. >> every saturday at 10:00 pm and 9:0

eisenhower presence and the l. holy grail and i was on cloud nine. in his riding down magnolia it was a spectacular place then is the place to be saying state in the eisenhower cavan i could not go to sleep and then to walk around the eisenhower cabin it was like the white house but then i was overcome and then idealized to cover politics the presidency of eisenhower weekends is seen to the focus started with kennedy but to share that experience with younger people so then i travel to abilene kansas and they said this moment, and this transition had not been focused on when to the library the grateful swear they're to pull out of plastic sheath of that action will speech that he read and i got goosebumps and is said that is what i am going to do. >> because of this fantastic experience. so how long did you work on this book? >> three and 1/2 years there was a lot of help as far as researching it was a labor of love and rallying in is relevant to today that it can translate to read that speech in his farewell addres

eisenhower, do you hollowly swear -- dwight eisenhower: i dwight d.enhower do solemnly swear. >> that you will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. dwight eisenhower: that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> and will to the best of your ability. dwight eisenhower: and will to to the best of my ability. >> preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. dwight eisenhower: preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. >> so help you god. dwight eisenhower: so help me god. [applause] >> shaking hands with harry truman. mrs. truman sits down again. kissingover, and he is his wife, he is kissing mrs. eisenhower. this is a thrilling moment. the tension is broken. he looks out over the cloud -- crowd now. vice president nixon is standing. he is waving, the famous wave. the famous wave to all the crowd. dwight eisenhower: my friends, before i begin the expression of those thoughts that i deem appropriate to this moment, would you permit me the privileg

and the eisenhower family. there was some discussion whether ike was asked. but you know it's unusual for a vice president to be elected, isn't it? >> guest: well, it is. if you look back in history vice president gore did something similar with no clinton. obviously they were different circumstances and he was trying to distance himself from all the controversy but at the same time clinton was a great campaigner. the same kind of deal if you look back in history. perhaps it might hit been better for richard nixon to own an issue. >> host: of all if i's relationships with the great man which do you think was the most intriguing of them? >> guest: i almost wrote the book on the relationship between your grandfather and churchill and the letters that they sent back and forth. i think there is a lot to explore that i just didn't go back but it's there at the library. they really valued each other in the world and i thought that was the most intriguing. i do think the relationship with kennedy is very complex and w

family and sometimes that breaks down, 1953 harry truman was the outgoing president, dwight eisenhower was coming in, they were close until the campaign of 52 that pitted them against each other and there was a -- eisenhower was resentful of truman's criticism of him during the campaign so truman is inside the blue room with mrs. truman, waiting for the eisenhower's to come in for coffee and know what is coming in, i will find out what is going on, the eisenhowers head driven up to the portico but they were not getting out of the car and they were not getting out of the car because at that moment eisenhower was so angry with truman. >> host: what about the ride up pennsylvania avenue? >> that can be awkward in a situation like that. roosevelt and hoover in 1933 had run against each other, they were not dear friends to put it mildly and hoover was depressed, did not like roosevelt,

i'm just curious about your interest in eisenhower. when come how familiar were you with his record when you develop an interest in the subject? >> guest: i covered the pentagon for six years. obviously had a healthy appreciation of general eisenhower. but i didn't really have an appreciation of the eisenhower presidency. i'm a college golfer, former college golfer, still a golfer and i got the holy grail of golf invites them to augusta national, and i was on cloud nine. went down there and was driving down magnolia lane. such a spectacular place, and for golfers as you know it's a place to be. so i went in and they told me you were staying in the eisenhower cabin. and i couldn't believe it. i couldn't go to sleep and import myself a glass of wine and walked around the eisenhower cabin, which is just spectacular. spectacular. it's a little white house really. the memorabilia on the walls and the books and the statues in the art that your grandfather painted, i was kind of over, in the midst of getting ready for my round the next day. i

eisenhower. there was some discussion as to whether or not he was asked or the health was the real issue. but you know, it is unusual for the incumbent vice president to be elected, isn't it? >> obviously there are different circumstances and that he was trying to distance himself from the controversy but at the same time, he didn't use him and at the same view if you look back in history perhaps it might have been better to own the issue you and jump from something. >> host: up all of the relationships with other great men, what did you think was the most intriguing? >> guest: i almost wrote on your grandfather and churchill and the letters they send back and forth. there is a lot to explore but it's there at the library and they valued each other in the world and i thought that was most intriguing. i do think the relationship is very complex. we talked about it here. this book starts with president-elect kennedy meeting with president eisenhower and they are talking in the oval office. it ends

eisenhower. >> this moment, the united states has no president. eisenhower was not sworn in until 12:32. but now he was the chief justice of the u.s. supreme court who would administer the brief oath. his voice was slightly tremulous, though his up raised hand was steady. swear -- >> that you will faithfully execute the office of president of the >> and will to the preserve,ur ability protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. so help you god. >> so help me god. >> he looks out over the crowd now. waving. the famous wave. >> my friends, before i begin the expression of those thoughts that i deem appropriate to this moment, would you permit me the privilege of uttering a little private prayer of my own. i ask that you bow your heads. >> almighty god, as we stand here at this moment, my future associates in the executive branch of government, join me in the teaching that you will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people in this throng, and their fellow citizens everywhere. give us, we pray, the power to disc

i didn't know a lot about eisenhower other than the broad strokes. he was always portrayed as kind of sort -- specially towards the end as this golfing kind of not with it president who dealt with the press in awkward way. he was actually -- he had his hand on the till the whole time. he empowered his people to debate issues in the cabinet. he -- all the accomplishments, the highway system was a bipartisan win, something that maybe a trump administration would look to of how to cross a big infrastructure project. the things that happened under eisenhower's administration are forgotten. the most surprising thing was how concerned he was about giving this message to kennedy and to the american public about the deficit, bipartisan and the military industrial complex. >> do you see any parallels this time around or do you look at this transition differently knowing what you now know having to do the book? bret: kennedy just won the election and they meet president eisenhower and the bookends with president elect trump meeting president obama and the meet

harry truman's term expired at noon and general eisenhower was not sworn in until 12:32.ut now, he was at the rostrum with the chief justice of the united states supreme court who is to administer the brief both. tremulouswas slightly of his upraised hand was steady as he repeated the historic words. swear -- solemnly >> that you will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> and will to the best of your ability. >> and will to the best of my ability -- >> preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the united states. god.lp you >> so help me god. [applause] >> shaking hands with harry truman. walking over and kissing his wife. broken.ion is vice president nixon is standing. waving his famous wave. president eisenhower: my friends, before i begin the expression of those thoughts that i deem appropriate to this moment, would you permit me the privilege of uttering a little private prayer of my own. and i ask that you bow your heads: almighty god, as we stand here

they told me you are staying in the eisenhower cabin. i couldn't believe it, i couldn't go to sleep and poured myself a glass of wine and walked around the eisenhower cabin which is just spectacular. it is a little white house. the memorabilia on the walls, the books, the statues and the arts, overcome in the midst of the next day and i did not know and i cover politics, a lot about presidency of eisenhower, and going forward. is there a way to breathe life

from eisenhower to kennedy and the farewell address. that's what i dug in on, by i used those three days to jump back and look at general eisenhower and approximately eisenhower, and he's really underappreciated as far as a president who kept us safe, who had a booming economy. he created a national highway system that we drive on today. who put under god in the pledge of allegiance, in god we trust as our national motto, and really was an example, and that message he delivers, be dave, at the end, the farewell message, he worked on for almost two years. >> so the world that eisenhower was dealing with, and leading up to this young man, this -- i think john f. kennedy was 43 years old, that he was handing off to him, talk a little bit about the world that existed at that time. >> yeah, it was a dangerous place. it was much like today, but it was a different threat. it was the real threat of nuclear war, an expansive soviet union that was aggressive, and you're right, he had concerns about the young kennedy. the book starts with the migh

dwight eisenhower got the job as supreme allied commander instead. if marshall had lifted so much as an eyebrow over roosevelt's decision, the job would have undoubtedly been his and with it all the fame and glory which is eisenhower's today. if he had become supreme allied commander, the memorials and malls and medical centers, military bases, ships, aircraft carriers, trophies, golf clubs, mountains, schools and colleges, tunnels, monuments, state parks, camps, plazas and boulevards, and the executive office building next to the white house presently named after eisenhower would instead be named after george c. marshall. but he put his duty first, knowing that no one else could guide congress and the press and certainly general douglas macarthur out in the pacific or admiral ernest j. king, the navy chief of staff, and the president in the way that heat, marshall, could. not even eisenhower. abnegation of self was a true market greatness. the graduate of the famed virginia military institute, after serving in the spanish-american war in the philipp

e twenty hours eisenhower was president. within a year of entering the secret service, he was promoted to the elite white house detail and clint, what was it like working for president eisenhower? what kind of man was he. >> he was a wonderful personable individual but had spent most his entire life in the military and he brought that with him right into the oval office, including some members of the former staff of his who were military officers. he was one of those individuals who, if we told him we had to leave at 930 in the morning, at 929.30 he 9.30 he was in the car ready to go. we never had to worry about his schedule with eisenhower. he referred to as mostly as his troops. heating caused by name, he would just say agent and we would respond. one of those nice things about it is he loved to play golf and that gave us a chance to be on the golf course with him. we would have agents paralleling him. i would be one in the trees outside the fairway carrying my bag with about three golf clubs in it and a 30 caliber rifle.

not to mention dwight eisenhower. he was a good picker of alent. when america entered the war the former british chief of imperial general staff field mushroom sir john dill, who preceded alan brooke, wrote to washington -- from washington to brooke. never have a scenic country so utterly unprepared for war and soft. the british did not rate highly america's conscript armies. they did not leave the u.s. aaf's --they do not support their belief in daylight bombing of german cities or believe they can lead any good outcome. hurchill did not share the british general's pessimism. his extensive reading about the american civil war convinced him that once the nation was fully engaged, extraordinary productive capacity to be unleashed as well as the vast armies recruited. the country protected by its oceans from the kind of disruption suffered by british ndustry. churchill was soon proved to write. while in 1940 the was produced less than half the amount of the munitions produced by the u k in 1941 it was two thirds. in 1942, twice as much. in 1943, near

there is eisenhower and kennedy to get it. the same time you have four women together in these four women actually were the first à the first ladies of our country. between 1953 and 1974. that is meenie eisenhower the outgoing first lady with her back to us that is lady bird johnson. there is jacqueline kennedy became the new first lady in 1961. and then pat nixon who is the outgoing wife of the vice president at that time. another thing that takes place on inauguration day when there is a change of power is not by tradition, the outgoing president leaves a note for his successor. this is the note Ãb large envelope that was left in the oval office by george w. bush for barack obama. inside it was another book that says 244 from 43. the next morning this is barack obama reading the actual note. the procession to the capital is always a big deal. as we move along pennsylvania avenue there. and here is a picture from exactly 100 years ago. an open carriage and that is william howard taft on the right. and the new president, woodr

what is going on, the eisenhowers head driven up to the portico but they were not getting out of the car and they were not getting out of the car because at that moment eisenhower was so angry with truman. >> host: what about the ride up pennsylvania avenue? >> that can be awkward in a situation like that. roosevelt and hoover in 1933 had run against each other, they were not dear friends to put it mildly and hoover was depressed, did not like roosevelt, roosevelt said later he kept trying to start a conversation with hoover and finally they saw a building being built and roosevelt said something like isn't that nice deal, hoover was pretty silent until roosevelt gave up. one of the better stories from my point of view is 1981, reagan and carter run against each other but they were more amicable between them and carter was understandably during this ride is you were mentioning, trying to get reports on the american hostages and get them released in tehran. he was a little distracted so reagan in his usual manner tried to warm up the atmosphere by telling old stories of hollywood and

kennedy says to eisenhower, no one knows how tough this is. eisenhower says to kennedy, mr.that three months ago. >> he wrote he knew the challenges of the jacquob and t mere weight of the decision and that weight never leaves you as president. that has been said of president trump, you don't really realize it until you sit there in the oval office. >> eisenhower said the easy problems are solved down the line. and the difficult problems are on the oval office desk. and those are the ones you have to deal with it. >> and having to do with hacking and fake news. there's some concern about how an informed decision is important. that they understand how the country goes and they understand policies that are in place. >> i agree with you. and i think there are a lot of elements that obviously didn't factor back then. i think somebody asked me what would eisiceisenhower said abou twitter. first, he'd say what's twitter and then he'd say don't to it. >> you say donald trump is the fifth person to hold this office without prior political experience just like eisenhower, what do you

dwight eisenhower was coming in. they had been closed until the campaign of 52 that to some extent pitted them against each other and there was a time when eisenhower was resentful of truman's criticism of him during that campaign so truman just inside the blue room i think it was and waiting for the eisenhower's to come and for coffee. no one is coming in and they find out what's going on. the eisenhower's had driven up the north portico but they were not getting out of the car. they weren't getting out of the car because at that moment eisenhower was so angry at truman. >> host: what about the ride up pennsylvania avenue? >> guest: that oftentimes can be awkward in a situation like that. roosevelt and hoover in 1933 running against each other. they were not dear friends to put it mildly and hoover was silent. he was depressed. he did not like roosevelt and roosevelt said later he kept on trying to start a conversation with hoover and finally they saw a building being built along the route and said something like is

eisenhower feels truman is too sentimental, he was too political. you should not have let political calculations come into effect when you are deciding the middle east. and the famous moment with eisenhower is -- again, pro-israel, supporting the right of the state to exist -- what happens is in october of 1956 -- 48 plus four is 52, 52 plus four is 56, another election-year. on the eve of the election, what happens? israel, being attacked constantly by egypt in the south , lies with not united states but france and united kingdom and goes in and -- you fill in the blank. liberate, conquer, recruit the sinai peninsula. it is on the eve of eisenhower's reelection campaign. he feels double crossed. how come you did not tell me? i'm supposed to be the representative of peas and prosperity, and you do this on the eve of my reelection? he pressures israel. this is the short version. he pressures israel to pull back, and the u.s. puts a buffer zone between the egyptians -- an army between the egyptian border and the israeli border and says, we will have u

, i think that eisenhower came closer to getting it right then then any other president. we eisenhower believed that we needed to find some way to have a modicum of relationships with the arab world. eisenhower was quite reticent about the commitments to israel that would undermine thewi possibility of having decent relations with the arab worldma coming and certainly eisenhower as a matter of principle was exceedingly hesitant about using american military power, not simply in the middle east, but anywhere else. eisenhower believed that the war really should be a last resort that has tended not to be the case with more recent presidents. >> doylestown pennsylvania, and you are on book tv. we are listening.d evenin .. arm dealers in the world how can we direct our military support that influences three large entities -- [inaudible] without imposing our own interest and helping to create a potential collapse of the entire middle east? >> well, it's a great question. and i -- i think i agree with the premise of that question. that is to say for too long now, success of admi

. >> man: eisenhower answers america. >> the democrats have made mistakes, but aren't their intentions good? >> well, if the driver of your school bus runs into a truck, hits a lamppost, drives it into a ditch, you don't say, "his intentions are good" -- you get a new bus driver. >> what is the most important issue confronting the american people in this election campaign? >> the 1960s presents our country with great opportunities and great challenges. >> mann: they were dreadful. i think there was no room for an emotional appeal in a political ad -- that they had to be fact-based, rational presentations. >> probably the most exciting ones involved a jingle, because it was the jingle era on television. >> ♪ ike for president ♪ ike for president ♪ ike for president ♪ ike for president ♪ you like ike, i like ike ♪ everybody likes ike for president ♪ ♪ hang out the banners, beat the drums ♪ ♪ we'll take ike to washington ♪ >> sabato: virtually every product was sold with a jingle. so "i like ike" with prancing elephants became the symbol for eisenhower in 1956. >> ♪ ♪ kennedy, kennedy, ke

eisenhower, a republican had defeated president truman. eisenhower was popular. there were some polls suggesting he would be a strong candidate for a third term. seen as aave been gracious i partisan gesture. -- bipartisan gesture. as you know, these distinguished statesman did not enjoy a close friendship. so the response from the white house is interesting. 1956, eisenhower had made a statement that the 22nd amendment was a bad idea. he said, the country ought to be able to choose or its president anybody that it wants. the day after truman's testimony, the press went around and asked eisenhower what he thought. he said, he changed his mind. all it took apparently was truman's endorsement. said let it lay on the shelf for a while and see how it works. partisanship is the standard account of the adoption of the 22nd amendment. shabby partisan trick, a posthumous revenge on franklin roosevelt, who had defeated the republicans four times. in an attempt to make sure this never happened again. remember as one of the most important political scientists writing about

the day after truman's testimony, eisenhower was asked what he thought. eisenhower said he changed his mind, he liked the second amendment -- 22nd amendment. he said let it see how it works. there is little partisanship lurking there. partisanship is the standard account of the of option -- adoption of the 22nd amendment. it seems, as president truman suggested, kind of a posthumous and -- revenge on franklin roosevelt, who had defeated the republicans four times. some of you may remember some of -- one of the most important clinical scientists in the middle the 20th century, and he called it a tainted amendment based on the shark -- sharp anger of the moment. this is the standard account of the 22nd amendment. there is a lot to support it. if you look at how the amendment was passed through congress, it was the first order of business introduced in the 80th congress, the 80th congress being the first congress in which both houses were controlled by republicans since the 71st, during the first two years of president hoover's term. it was enacted with almo

hires eisenhower in 1957, on sunday, private ceremony. inaugural trace. a very old picture. this is from 1865, this is abraham lincoln's second inauguration, said "with malice toward none, with charity for all. "now 1933, franklin d. roosevelt" the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" john f. kennedy, "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." then the depart temperature of the old president, here's george w. bush on the back of the capitol four years ago, flying off in a helicopter, looking back at the capitol. then there's a luncheon, obama's luncheon four years ago. and then the return to the white house after that. this is the first time that a first lady ever domestic back to white house with the president was in 1909. nelly taft with william howard taft. we'll see that again this time because the ken -- the own -- obamas walked part of the distance, jimmy carter and his wife walked the entire distance. the inaugural parade will take place. a reviewing stand is always set up in the white house, that is glover cleveland back i

what is going on, and the eisenhowers had driven up to the north port coe, but they were not getting out the of the car, and they were not getting out of the car, becau becauset that moment eisenhower was so angry at truman. >> what about the ride up pennsylvania avenue? >> that is oftentimes awkward in a situation like that, roosevelt and hoover in 1943 had run against each other and not dear friends to put it mildly, and hoover was silent, depressed, and he did not like roosevelt, and roosevelt said later that he kept on trying to start a k conversation with hoover and finally they saw a building being built along the route, and roosevelt said something like, isn't that nice steel, and hoover was silent and so he gave up. one of the stories from my point of view is that with president carter and during this ride that you were mentioning, he was trying to get reports on whether the american hostages had been released in teheran and otherwise distract and so reagan in the usual manner tried to warm up the atmosphere by telling old story of hollywood and hollywood moguls like jack war

eisenhower didn't want to list his accomplishments. it wasn't about him paired we will see what happens tonight. >> what would eisenhower say if he had some time with president obama in terms of preparing these remarks. what would be one of the most important things he would tell him? >> think about america in the future. be optimistic but express what you've learned. that's what he wanted to do. it took him a year and a half to write this speech. he wanted to send a message that bipartisan was key. >> military-industrial complex, i think so many people, especially people in the 1960s, the antiwar crowd, took that as their banner. in this book, you realize that's not what he was talking about. >> he was talking about influencing lawmakers, the lobbyist, government officials going to companies and the influence that has on policy. he also probably would tell president-elect trump lay off twitter. less is more peer we will see. that could be trump's hidden hand to be on twitter. >> he was a reserved and, i thought, elegant president. thi

eisenhower said with all due respect, mr. president, i told you that three months ago. >> neil: while i have you and you had a chance to speak to the vice president-elect 48 hours less than that from being vice president and a lot has been made, a big fuss, carried over to today, the remarks about the dollar is too high. they've been whip-sawed by that because they wondered, what is your view of the dollar and are you going to start rigging it as you claim the chinese and others have. what came of that discussion? >> i wanted to asked about that. obviously this is not usual for president-elects or presidents to delve into this kind of talk about the dollar. >> neil: ever. >> this is the front page of the "wall street journal." dollar sinks as trump talks it down. it is unusual for a president-elect, president, to talk about the strength of the dollar. is that going to be practice? >> well, i think the american people have elected a man who understands business. our president-elect understands that a strong dollar actually has

a sinister light eisenhower when eisenhower won the nomination, his victory was greeted with a deep this nation by conservatives. a conservative popular -- publisher wrote -- delegates, i understand, were bought and intimidated with dealerships, pressure from banks, insurance companies, and -- , i am told, when buckley founded national review a fears later, the magazine echoed the charge. the editor exclaimed, the machinations of eastern elites for eisenhower's rise of power. the editorial in the first issue , early in 1951, international bankers and industrialists organized the the inflationsted to the new york advertising firm. the rest is history. conservatives had little patience for eisenhower who they too" conservative willing to keep the new deal. the right to rethink its future in the gop. maybe, conservatives thought, the road to the white house would not run through either party. maybe they would need a new party to advance their ideas. work on a new political effort came not from -- it came from folks within the conservative media. the 1950's, conservatives about they were exc

eisenhower. she will haunt your dreams. gettysburg, pennsylvania maintains a set of our presidents in wax since 1957 /- 57 and their wives but the wives are one third size for some reason. eke. hall of presidents in gettysburg just closed down. maybe they didn't want to make a trump. this weekend they auctioned off all 44 of their life-size wax presidents. harry truman got his head separately in a box. truman's wife bess strapped in to a car next to chester arthur's sister who performed the duties of first lady. best new thing in my world today, we got one. we got our own life-size wax president. would you like to see it? are you ready? can i have a fake drum roll? ding. yeah. we are now the proud owners of this life-size wax sculpture of president can you tell? i know it looks like your uncle after a rough night but according to them it is president eisenhower. life-size wax figure in casual clothing and sitting position, reclining, super casual divide david eisenhower went for more money than i am comfortable to tell you

as was eisenhower.ss delivered january 17th and kennedy's inauguration january 20th. those three days, and to bounce back and look at eisenhower's presidency, what we can learn from that. it's a presidency a lot of people don't focus on. today looking back, really could or should. ainsley: what is a fascinating story that you learned? >> first of all, we found a ton of nuggets and oral histories that had never been tapped about eisenhower. first everything you learned about this presidency i think is another addition. most people know about the general eisenhower of world war ii. this gives you real, in the room, kind of a breath of life of history from that presidency. he was committed to making this message, not about him, he was pretty humble. he had, long story short, he grew up with six, five brothers. his mother, he was coming home from the war and they had a parade in abilene, kansas, as the general who won world war ii. somebody turned to ida eisenhower and said, are you proud of your son? and s

and i wanted to think about the presidency ofcy of eisenhower, and they transition from eisenhower tohot library and bring out this s box, and they pull out -- they-y had me wear white gloves thenve pull out this plastic folderol inside the box and these papers, and it is the farewell address e with eisenhower scribbles andbls under lines and cam tal liesing that he delivered 56 years ago last night. nig and in that message that het he worked on for almost two years,a 21 drafts of that speech, steve, there are lessons for today about balance and caution. cauti not just the military complex line everybody focuses on but also about the deficits and concern about deficit spending,d about bipartisan ship and sp a working across the aisle to too get things done that you canth agree with first and then fightg about things that you don't.'t >> as journalists it sometimesos becomes eternal rabbit hole we h dive into something that we havt an interest in and then we just want to learn more ainnd a mored more.mo it's i youting actually through a littt golf trip you were able to kindi of dive into

>> patton talks about that in his journal that eisenhower's -- eisenhower seemed shocked, to his credit. >> he led the german villagers' through dachau to say that it never happened? >> and they said things publicly about the horror of the concentration camps to liberate dachau. he was a good politician in that sense who publicly was repulsed, but then you see what he writes in his journals and what he did in practice. >> did truman or eisenhower or anyone from the beginning in power from america fight this? did they say we don't want nazis or liberate the prisoners? >> there were people at the state department that were adamantly opposed to the idea of bringing in the scientists. the pentagon really wanted that. people like alan dulles really wanted that, what became the cia. there were people at the state department who said this will be a black mark in history. we can do this. basically, they lost that debate. >> [indiscernible] >> you know, after that report that i mentioned, to truman, where you had comparing the u.s. camps to the concentration camps, things did improve a bit. they

you just wrote a book on eisenhower, "three days in january," dwight eisenhower's final mission.here this book relevant to today? >> it is. >> bill: how? >> first of all, this is three days, january 17th, eisenhower delivers his farewell address, three days later, jfk delivers his inauguration speech. their farewell address is designed for a couple of things. one, a warning to kennedy about caution on the national security front. the military-industrial complex is the lima gets a lot of attention. there's also talk about deficits, about bipartisanship. >> bill: he is giving advice to the young jfk. >> he is. and the country. a blueprint for the way forward. what happened was, as you know, researching these things, you find these nuggets. >> bill: absolutely. >> bill: we found oral histories that had not been tapped, stuff that had never ben explored on this particular three days. i used that to jump back and looked at eisenhower's presidency and kind of a narrative way. to >> bill: i like ike. you think he was a good president, right? >> i do. people can decide at home after they

to this day in general it was eisenhower who by executive order integrated every single military base. truman said he was going to do it but he didn't and they fired every car all that wasn't going to integrate and then folks don't know if a segregated black and white, christian and hebrew during world war ii and in 1958 he issued an executive order to integrate blood plasma and the head of the red cross who is one of those great military buddies writes you can't do this. they don't want integrated blooe and he said they won't get any blood, don. leadership. >> one of the things i found so moving about the autobiography is she did a lot of autobiographical writing and it's so frank it's almost impossible to believe that it's published in the late 40s she was as honest as she was about her relationship with franklin roosevelt. you've quoted on the last page of your book her conclusion about what kind of life he might have liked and what she was able to do for him and the sentence that has always lived in my mind i was one of those that served his purposes. it seems both a happy thing a

you just wrote a book on eisenhower, "three days in january," dwight eisenhower's final mission.levant to today? >> it is. >> bill: how? >> first of all, this is three days, january 17th, eisenhower delivers his farewell address, three days later, jfk delivers his inauguration speech. their farewell address is designed for a couple of things. one, a warning to kennedy about caution on the national security front. the military-industrial complex is the lima gets a lot of attention. there's also talk about deficits, about bipartisanship. >> bill: he is giving advice to the young jfk. >> he is. and the country. a blueprint for the way forward. what happened was, as you know, researching these things, you find these nuggets. >> bill: absolutely. >> bill: we found oral histories that had not been tapped, stuff that had never ben explored on this particular three days. i used that to jump back and looked at eisenhower's presidency and kind of a narrative way. to >> bill: i like ike. you think he was a good president, right? >> i do. people can decide at home after they look at all he g