Presidential Papers, Doc#661 To Arthur Larson, 23 April 1958. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Document #661; April 23, 1958
To Arthur Larson
Series: EM, AWF, Administration Series
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XIX - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace
Part IV: Recession and Reform; February 1958 to May 1958
Chapter 9: "The problems inherent in this job"

 

Dear Arthur: Obviously the speech for May sixth (which I am returning with a few pencilled notations) is meant to be a partisan speech. How can we therefore justify the first six and a half pages of the talk? The subjects of national security, including their corollaries mutual aid and reciprocal trade, are by our own contention bi-partisan rather than partisan in their character.1

This bothers me and I don’t see any way around it, even though discounting the sincerity of some of the pledges made for the practice of bipartisanship.2 Sincerely

1 Eisenhower was referring to the address to the Republican National Committee's dinner to honor the Republican members of Congress, scheduled for May 6, 1958. The President would say that although the two major political parties differed on many domestic policies, three issues then before Congress were of such "grave importance" to the United States and to world peace that they "demand our attention as Americans, without regard to partisanship" (see Public Papers of the Presidents: Eisenhower, 1958, pp. 378 - 86; New York Times, May 7, 1958). Modernization of the defense establishment would help the United States meet the Soviet military challenge. Support for the mutual security program would help block the Soviet's "economic assaults on free world positions." Finally, to face Khrushchev's declaration of war "in the peaceful field of trade," the United States had to extend its reciprocal trade program for an additional five years. The speech was televised nationally. For background on these issues see nos. 524 and 630.

2 The President would deliver his more partisan remarks at the end of his speech. He would promise his personal support to those Republican candidates in the upcoming November elections who backed his legislative program on these issues. Although he saluted "those members of the opposite party who have supported these programs with a zeal equal to that of many ardent Republican supporters," he declared that "the more nearly unanimous our Republican support for these programs, the stronger will be our country, the more effective the Republican Party in its leadership, and the greater our pride in our Party's service." For developments see nos. 678, 753, and 762.

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Arthur Larson, 23 April 1958. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 661. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/second-term/documents/661.cfm

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