The Presidency: The Summing Up

It was the last time for Dwight Eisenhower to report to Congress on the State of the Union, and he used the occasion to review the achievements of his Administration. As he listed hundreds of items, two facts emerged: i) the speed with which the world has moved since 1953, and 2) the many, myriad and detailed things that a modern government does. A partial check list:

<I FOREIGN POLICY. “Since the signing of the Korean armistice in 1953, Americans have lived in peace.” By its actions in the Suez crisis of 1956 and the Lebanon crisis of 1958, the Administration restored peace in the Middle East. “Communist-dominated regimes have been deposed in Guatemala and Iran. The occupation of Austria has ended and the Trieste question has been settled. Despite constant threats to its integrity, West Berlin has remained free.” Cutting some slits in the Iron Curtain, the Administration worked out a comprehensive cultural-exchange agreement with Russia. To help meet the challenge of rising expectations in the underdeveloped countries, the Administration sponsored a 100% increase in the capital of the World Bank, set up three new international development loan agencies. <I DEFENSE. When the Eisenhower Administration took over in January 1953, the U.S. had virtually no program for development of long-range ballistic missiles. “Today we spend ten times as much each day on these programs as was spent in all of 1952.” In 1953 the U.S. had no operational supersonic aircraft and no nuclear-powered ships. Today U.S. bombers fly at twice the speed of sound, and 14 nuclear-powered vessels have been commissioned, with 35 more authorized. <J SPACE. The U.S.’s meteorological and communications satellites and its scientific investigations of space “unquestionably make us pre-eminent today in space exploration for the betterment of mankind.” <I THE ECONOMY. “The nation’s output of goods and services is now nearly 25% higher than in 1952. In 1959 the average American family had an income of $6,520 —15% higher in dollars of constant buying power than in 1952.” The Administration slowed down price upcreep to the point where “the value of the dollar virtually stabilized.” Economic growth was fostered by a “continuing effort to reduce artificial restraints on competition” and by “major improvements” in the nation’s transportation system. “After long years of debate, the dream of a great St. Lawrence Seaway, opening the heartland of America to ocean commerce, has been fulfilled.” The federal-state highway system “has been pushed rapidly forward,” and 25% of the planned network is now open to traffic. “Our nation benefits also from a remarkable improvement in general industrial peace through strengthened processes of free collective bargaining. Time lost since ‘1952 because of strikes has been half that lost in the eight years prior to that date.”

<J HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE. Federal outlays for medical research increased more than fourfold. The National Defense Education Act of 1958, “a milestone in the history of American education,” provided federal funds to improve school curriculums, train additional teachers and furnish scholarships for bright youngsters whose parents cannot afford to send them to college. Social security coverage was broadened to include an additional n million persons.

“I do not close this message implying that all is well—that all problems are solved,” said the President. “For progress implies both new and continuing problems, and, unlike presidential Administrations, problems rarely have terminal dates.” The goal of his Administration, he went on, “has been to add to the spiritual, moral and material strength of our nation. I believe we have done this. But it is a process that must never end.”