The 1950s Quotes

The 1950s Quotes

They Said It

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 195355

"Against the dark background of the atomic bomb, the United States does not wish merely to present strength, but also the desire and the hope for peace."


- Dwight D. Eisenhower at the United Nations, December 8th, 195356

"History is on our side. We will bury you!"


- Nikita Khrushchev to a group of Western diplomats, November 17th, 195657

"Poor Eisenhower, I am just beginning to understand what his problems are."


- Nikita Khrushchev, after touring the United States in 195958

"The reason we have such a high standard of living is because advertising has created an American frame of mind that makes people want more things, better things, and newer things."


- Robert Sarnoff, president of National Broadcasting Company, 195659

"You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly."


- Dwight D. Eisenhower, speaking about Southeast Asia, April 7th, 195460

"Half the people think this is a good Administration. The other half think it is terrible and are proud of Ike for not being mixed up in it."


- Fletcher Knebel, columnist61

"We are in the era of the thermonuclear bomb that can obliterate cities and can be delivered across continents. With such weapons, war has become, not just tragic, but preposterous."


- Dwight D. Eisenhower, August 23rd, 195662

"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."


- Dwight D. Eisenhower, January 1961