Reckoning Ike's Military/Industrial Complex

In recent years, the question of American military policy has been at the forefront of many debates.  It isn't a stretch to make the claim that American military policy has been THE hot topic in both the international and domestic arenas.   

 

As many of you may know, Stephen Ambrose's biography on Dwight D. Eisenhower covers at legnth the history of the development of the American military machine.  President Eisenhower himself saw the future of the American military as the most worrisome issue of his day.  In his farewell address, Eisenhower laid out his concerns to the nation, warning them to take note of the military/industrial complex. 

 

The problem today, however, rests with trying to reconcile Eisenhower's warnings with many of the realities in recent history.  Was Eisenhower making the claim that a massive arms industry was inherintly evil?  Afterall, wasn't it Ike himself that created the CIA and other agencies to advance American military and intelligence?  Did Eisenhower simply mean that power in the wrong hands would lead to disaster, or did he believe that military might was the inherant problem?  In essence, do evil men create chaos when they have a massive military arsenal, or does a massive military arsenal create the evil in man?  What exactly was Eisenhower warning referring to?

 

 

 

Originally posted by what_is_history Was Eisenhower making the claim that a massive arms industry was inherintly evil?  Afterall, wasn't it Ike himself that created the CIA and other agencies to advance American military and intelligence?