EISENHOWER SAYS OFFICERS SHOULD STAY OUT OF POLITICS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200540001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 24, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 24, 1961
• Content Type: NSPR

OV 2 4 196
s?i a
zs onhowe Says Officers
0
Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-0 149R00020
1,.,-,W YORK TIMES
Should Stay Out of Politics
l I n TV Interview, He Hits ' at Extremists)
-Believes Khrushchev Is Uneasy-
-Doubts a Nuclear ..War
Turning to domestic issues,!
General Eisenhower said he had'
never used his powers-as Presi-I
By LEO EGAN i, ,dent to discipline Republican
I "make radical `Senators or Reprseentatives,
r, oaten President' Dwight D eluded those who
'who disagreed with him.
Iisenhower last night urged of istatements [and] attack people. The question arose in conxec-'
freers of the armed services to of good repute who proved tion with the Senate's rejection'
,shun partisan politics. patriots." of his appointment of Lewis W.'
', Speaking as a,General of, At that point, Walter Cron Strauss as Secretary of Coln-!
"the Army, he declared it wasi kite of the C.B.S. news staff, merce. The rejection, he com
"bad practice-very bad" fore merited, did not reflect any)
who conducted the interview,. ,Credit on those who tried to
,a:n officer, even when testifying asked about the "military man's "crucify him."
'under oath before a committee ?Ole in our modern political, However; he conceded that he
or Congress, to express opinions ife." He did not cite, but obvi had used all the powers he could
oil political matters or eco. ?usly referred to, the case of to defeat the proposed Bricker
" nomic matters that are contrary , Thaat t merit to the Constitution.
Maj. Gen. Edwin A. Walker? 'That amendment wowuld have
to the President's." .,tin Stirred) uu a controversy ,'restricted Presidential treaty
STATINTL
modern political life was omY for the poutlcat nature VA _.-
one of n-'understood," he said. "The Brit-
many subjects [iiscussed General indoctrination Walker of later his troops. resigned , ) making powers. General Eise
]lower said he respected 'formeriish press said we had let them
by the former President in a (down We hadn't, because we
Senator John W. Bricker of told the government exactly
one-hour interview carried to from the Army.
jthe nation over the Columbia View on Officers' Role Ohio, the amendment's sponsor, what we would do.
!Broadcasting System's televi "I believe the Army officer,;but felt he had been, wrong on General Eisenhower noted
11lion network.. The program was; Navy officer, Air officer", Gen- that subject. that he had been warned that
aeard in the east from 10 to eral Eisenhower said, "should General Eisenhower expressed his actions ' to restrain Israeli
not be talking about political the opinion that- the President military operations against
11 P. M. matters, particularly domesti had. ample, powers to deal with Egypt in 1956 might cost' him
0 f Other areas of the 'discussion tally, and never in the interna-.
political.tional field, unless he's asked to;tnternational crises in either a re-election. After.the action
New
dealt with extremist
activity in the United States, do so because of some particu-i said lie war or a cold war. He was taken, end r he? .eCmalledarked,: a "Weil,
gar position he might hold. e believed the military Yorkfri
Ithca reasons behind the Soviet. ieve that our offi-actuation was such now that you lost New York State."
do h believe , neither the East nor the West "The fact of it is," the gen-
e, "I don't think
clear oral observ d
n the y receive recruits
t
a n
would dare to star
downgrading of Joseph , Stalin, eels, w e
have the need for malting ter- war,
the Suez Crisis, Communist have New York State went for any[
tarn that these men are loyal -
s
China, Quemoy and?~Matsu, the pcop}'e; understandin that they, The former President reported national ticket on a larger ma
g . that American military help had jority than 'it did in 1056 fort
._ _ :..I- '? .-1.r1 1
m
a
i
the. ate p Why shouk e 'other country, he exp
or anybody else." ilshehevl find it necessary to go: In the case of Lebanon ?,act like a civilized nation, both
His definition of extremist:ithrough this kind of macabre' American military help was 'iii its speech and in its actions,
embraced those who woi ld '1gcl exercise to impress somebody?, , given because it had been re-'well, , then there's a, new pro,
quested by "a friendly govern- blem going to come up some
baclt to eliminating thc,incomeiThere must be some uneasiness,;
tax from our laws 'and, thche's feeling * * * ntent with whom we had friendly day; there is no question abouts
*'~, "It's a, very great puzzle. II relations," according to General that," he declared.
rights of-people to unionize would .like to see a good intel-!Eisenhower. '` Discussing the U-2 incident
1 [and those] advocating loin( igence estimate of just what) As to the Suez crisis in 1956, that Premier Khrushchev used',
{form of diet;ttorship" It also inmeans," ,he said the British andiFrench to justify breaking up the Parisi
- '' Strauss Critics Scored jhad been informed in advance summit meeting, General Eisen-I
arked "there was ar
m
ld
bower re
discussing East-West ten- that the United States,-wou
- oppose the use, of force to 'pre- lot of theatrics about that."
In
,
he said
est t
President
ns, , the former P
lio
likened the wall that the East vent Egypt from taking control Mr. Khrushchev,
German Communists East1 of the canal. The United States knew for several years before;(
ill Berlin ist a priswere on ;position was that such action the Paris meeting of the user
building would destroy the ' United Na- of U-2's, ' high-flying American.
enclosure designed, not, to kcepI tiotls. planes with special cameras, toi?,
Westerners out, but to keep' But our action was mis- photograph Russian territory. c
'East Berliners In.
"So I don't tnmx W,db JVUao-
times these prophets are very
accurate, I" think the Jewish
,
vote there indicated that after
all they are first Americans and'
not natives of Israel.".
As time goes on, General
Eisenhower . commented, th
Problem of what to do abou ,
Red China "begins "o assume
different dimeensions:' But the
problem of Red China's admix-
;;ion to the United Nations, he
skid, continues be wens.
tough" for a numbe er of reasons.
oI cnsarniau,r?~ ~.. - --, --
" 1tions, her principles, her rtgnts? Jc cling the Vietnam Govern-
crisis, I do not believe thaey shouldcent because "a great deal of
The former President was; try to do this in terms of Part l- the rest of the world considered
blunt in discussing .the recentlsan politics whatsoever." it solely as a French war to
"rise of extremists" in th General Eisenhower viewedf sustain a colonial position."
country. the removal of Stalin's body No American military aid was
from the Kremlin tomb as evi-~ iven to Hungary when Soviet
"I don't think ' the United deuce that Premier Khrushclfcv g
States needs super-patriots;" he was * feeling uneasy. Noting troops and tanks were sent there
that 'fire action was taken to put down an anti-Communist
declared. ""We aced patriotisltir revolution because such action
honestly practiced by all? of us. eight years after the :former lacked United Nations support
the Geeierai
and we don't need these peoplf dictator's death, . and because Hungary could not
ore atriotic than yoilasked: be reached without crossing an-
[Khru- l
med
h
Approved For Release 1999/09/17 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200540001-3