In his “farewell address” before leaving office, Eisenhower (Ike) warned the American people about the danger of a rising “military-industrial complex” whose “ total influence political, economic, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government... we must guard against the unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.”

 In his original draft, Eisenhower wanted to include the word “congressional” to depict the powerful links between government, industry and the congressional committees and lobbies that make up “the military-industrial-congressional complex”. Out of deference to legislative leaders, he scrapped “congressional” from the speech ultimately delivered from the Oval Office.

Historians have debated why Eisenhower, a retired five-star general, made reference to the rise of the military-industrial complex that he was part of in the latter years of his active duty in the army. Some speculated that his experience during the preparation of America’s entry into World War II (1939-1945) exposed him to the grim realities of how excessively powerful were the industries that build America’s military machine.

The subtle links between research and development, weapons testing and production were so intricate that Eisenhower himself felt that these forces were beyond the control of the US Congress, much less the American people. That these links between Congress and their constituencies remain both influential and powerful was indicated by the mumbles of protest by many congressmen in reaction to Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ announcement on Jan. 6, 2011, about the Pentagon’s impending plan to cut more than US$115 billion in the current fiscal year. In the event, the term “military industrial complex” became a popular sobriquet of all government links with industry, parliament and powerful vested interests in other countries.

John F. Kennedy’s most famous call to “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” in his inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1961, equally defined the times. As Eisenhower was born in 1890 and Kennedy in 1919, “the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.”

Across America and much of the West, Kennedy (Jack or JFK) symbolized youth, vigor and energy. Both his election and his inaugural speech captured the imagination of many leaders in Asia, Africa and Latin America, leading to many aspiring heads of government and their speechwriters to emulate Kennedy’s eloquent rhetoric, optimistic tone and measured cadences.

Several American historians named Kennedy’s inaugural as one of four shortest presidential inaugural speeches and the second best after Abraham Lincoln’s.

 In the 14 minutes of the speech, Kennedy made several references to national security. There was the pledge “to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty”. Understandable, given the Cold War context of East-West rivalry at the time. There the commitment to maintain America as a strong deterrent power “For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.”

But to many in the developing world, probably the most important point he made was America’s pledge, now being implemented throughout America’s myriad bilateral and multilateral aid agencies: “To those people in the huts and villages of half of the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves.” And in an enduring warning to all privileged people across Latin America, Africa and Asia he claimed: “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

The legacies of Eisenhower’s and Kennedy’s speeches 50 years ago live on with added relevance in America today. The powerful military-industrial complex remains one of America’s Big Four in Congress: Big Defense, Big Banks, Big Oil and Big Social Security. In government, industry and Congress, President Barack Obama faces the hard task of making sure that America’s free society will and can really help the middle class and the poor while sustaining the privileges of the rich. Rebalancing America’s defense budget, defending healthcare reform and regulating powerful banks are just three major issues in his effort to “remake America to be a more decent and fairer society”.

    
The writer is a former Indonesian defense, education and environment minister.

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