"In the counsels 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. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our
liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only
an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the
huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods
and goals so that security and liberty may
prosper together."
President Eisenhower
- January 1961
