President Eisenhower's Warning

On January 17, 1961 President Eisenhower warned about the grave dangers of the Military Industrial Complex and the government's takeover of science.Show more

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

"a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.

we must be alert to the ... danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite."