We seek victory—­not over any nation or people—­but over the ancient enemies of us all; victory over ignorance, poverty, disease, and human degradation wherever they may be found.

We march in the noblest of causes—­human freedom.

If we make ourselves worthy of America’s ideals, if we do not forget that our nation was founded on the premise that all men are creatures of God’s making, the world will come to know that it is free men who carry forward the true promise of human progress and dignity.

The Address as reported from the floor appears in the Congressional Record of January 9, 1959 (vol. 105, p. 163).

***

State of the Union Address
Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 7, 1960

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the 86th Congress: 

Seven years ago I entered my present office with one long-held resolve overriding all others.  I was then, and remain now, determined that the United States shall become an ever more potent resource for the cause of peace—­realizing that peace cannot be for ourselves alone, but for peoples everywhere.  This determination is shared by the entire Congress—­indeed, by all Americans.

My purpose today is to discuss some features of America’s position, both at home and in her relations to others.

First, I point out that for us, annual self-examination is made a definite necessity by the fact that we now live in a divided world of uneasy equilibrium, with our side committed to its own protection and against aggression by the other.

With both sides of this divided world in possession of unbelievably destructive weapons, mankind approaches a state where mutual annihilation becomes a possibility.  No other fact of today’s world equals this in importance—­it colors everything we say, plan, and do.

There is demanded of us, vigilance, determination, and the dedication of whatever portion of our resources that will provide adequate security, especially a real deterrent to aggression.  These things we are doing.

All these facts emphasize the importance of striving incessantly for a just peace.

Only through the strengthening of the spiritual, intellectual, economic and defensive resources of the Free World can we, in confidence, make progress toward this goal.

Second, we note that recent Soviet deportment and pronouncements suggest the possible opening of a somewhat less strained period in the relationships between the Soviet Union and the Free World.  If these Pronouncements be genuine, there is brighter hope of diminishing the intensity of past rivalry and eventually of substituting persuasion for coercion.  Whether this is to become an era of lasting promise remains to be tested by actions.

Third, we now stand in the vestibule of a vast new technological age-one that, despite its capacity for human destruction, has an equal capacity to make poverty and human misery obsolete.  If our efforts are wisely directed—­and if our unremitting efforts for dependable peace begin to attain some success—­we can surely become participants in creating an age characterized by justice and rising levels of human well-being.