By January 20, 1960, Eisenhower had one year to serve. That morning, he spoke to Secretary Ann Whiteman about his future plans. He said he planned to do some writing, wondering if Whiteman would be willing to go to Gettysburg and set up an office there where he could write his memoirs during his time in the White House.
Whiteman wrote in her diary: "I said I was willing to do whatever he wanted me to do. Eisenhower said he thought he willingly sacrificed eight years of his life for his country, and he didn't think I would be happy to do so after he became a civilian. I said that this was the most stupid thing he had ever said, and that I was ten times more loyal to him than I was to my country. He admits that this may be the case. "
Eisenhower had given all his papers to the government so that they could eventually be sorted and processed in the Eisenhower Library for use by scholars.
The Eisenhower Library was built with private funds from the Eisenhower Foundation in Babylon, Kansas. However, the vast amount of material kept by Whiteman, including most of his personal letters, summaries of telephone records, minutes of cabinet meetings, etc., would first be sent to Gettysburg, where Eisenhower would use the documents to write his memoirs. His son John planned to resign from his post on January 20 , 1961 , agreeing to work as a document keeper and help his father write his memoirs.
During that period, early 1960, Eisenhower's main concern was his retirement. However, almost every other American politician is thinking about the upcoming presidential election.
In early 1960, Eisenhower drafted the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, followed by some kind of "practical disarmament." This was the "main goal" of his last job during his presidency in order to leave a "good impression" in people's minds when he retired.
On May 14, Eisenhower traveled to Paris for the summit with his plans. But as soon as he arrived in the French capital, he was challenged by Khrushchev. The chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR said in a written statement that the Soviet Union would not participate in the summit if Eisenhower did not publicly apologize for the violation of Soviet airspace by U-2 aircraft and guarantee that such incidents would not occur in the future. Ai was very embarrassed by this.
The next day, May 16, Eisenhower had breakfast with Macmillan. He told the British Prime Minister: "Until we use satellites, the US Air Force will no longer conduct such flights that strayed into Soviet territory." MacMillan said Khrushchev was agitated by the U-2 aircraft. He thought that clarifying this could be "of great value" in discussions with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.
Ash had wanted to speak first to explain the attitude of the United States and its position on disarmament, but as soon as the host of the meeting, Charles de Gaulle, announced the opening of the meeting, Khrushchev stood up and asked for the floor. Hearst delivered a long and fiery speech criticizing the U.S. government and Eisenhower's war policy. The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and his voice grew louder. De Gaulle interrupted him, turned to the Soviet interpreter and said: "The acoustics of this house are excellent, we can all hear the chairman of the Council of Ministers, and there is no need for him to raise his voice." After the interpreter had translated, Khrushchev glared indignantly at de Gaulle, so he lowered his voice and continued to speak.
Khrushchev soon became even more excited. He pointed at his head and shouted, "Someone is flying over my head!" De Gaulle interrupted him again, "Someone flew over my head, too." Khrushchev asked in disbelief: "Is it your American ally?" De Gaulle replied, "It's you." Yesterday, just before you left Moscow, the satellite that you launched to impress us flew over France 18 times without my permission. How do I know you don't have a camera on your satellite to take pictures of our country? Eisenhower grinned at de Gaulle, who had relieved him. At this time, Khrushchev raised his hands above his head and said: "God testifies to me that my hands are clean." Do you think I would do something like this? Khrushchev ended his speech by issuing a statement saying that Eisenhower was no longer welcome in the Soviet Union.
Eisenhower then spoke. He said that there was no need for Khrushchev to go to such extremes and cancel his invitation; He had come to Paris to participate in serious discussions, and he hoped that the Conference would now move on to substantive issues. Khrushchev and the Soviet delegation angrily walked out of the conference room. As a result, the meeting ended unhappily. It was Eys's last summit during his time in the White House, and it was the most unproductive of the meeting.
On the day after Christmas 1960, Eisenhower wrote to his gang and several other close friends with the same content. He began: "Throughout my life, until my return from World War II as an 'important man,' my contemporaries called me 'Ike'. He continued, "Now I ask that, as my right, you call me by my nickname from January 21, 1961. I no longer want to be deprived of the privileges enjoyed by my other friends. "
Of course, no former president will become an ordinary citizen. Eisenhower had received a snowflake invitation to speak to this club or that charity, to this group or that university, for $1,000 or more. Some publishers in the United States, given Eisenhower's continued fame, the "turbulent years" he had just led, and the great success of Expedition to Europe, wanted to publish his White House memoirs. Eisenhower decided to hand over to "Double Day" , mainly because of his friendship with its president, Ger Black. He did not sign a contract with the publisher, but made an informal arrangement with Black, trusting that Blake would treat him fairly, even generously. There was no blanket deal like the book "Expedition to Europe," and this time Eisenhower could collect royalties on a regular basis.
As a former president, Eisenhower received a $25,000 a year pension, plus $50,000 in office expenses, which is much higher than what he earned as a five-star general. The special act reinstated his military rank, and Congress stipulated that he should receive the full pension and allowances of the president. Also, he kept Sergeant Deray and Sergeant Monet, as well as Colonel Schultz, as his assistants, whose compensation was deducted from $50,000 in office expenses.
At 8:30 p.m. on January 17, 1961, Eisenhower went to radio and television to deliver his farewell speech. His theme was the Cold War. He spoke of war and peace, of "a police state and freedom." He declared: "We are faced with a hostile ideology of atheism on a global scale, ruthless in its ends and insidious in its means. He said the dangers it posed were "endless." This means that many crises, and many appeals that come with them, are spent ever-increasing sums of money to find a "magic solution." Eisenhower said that all such recommendations "must be based on ... The need to strike a balance between the price paid and the benefits you hope to receive... to measure".
Eisenhower finally apologized: "Disarmament ... Still desperately needed... Since this need is so acute and obvious, I admit that it is with a sense of affirmative disappointment that I have abdicated my responsibilities in this regard. As someone who has witnessed the horrors and the constant sorrow of war — and as someone who understands that another war will completely destroy civilization that has been built so slowly and painstakingly over thousands of years — I hope that tonight I can say that lasting peace is in sight. "
He concluded his speech by praying that "peoples will be able to live together in peace guaranteed by the binding forces of mutual respect and fraternity." "
The day of the inauguration of the new president has arrived. Eisenhower was inevitably leaving the White House.
A few days before Jan. 20, Henry Liston came to the Oval Office to present a report from the National Targets Committee. That's what Eisenhower specified a year ago. Today, the report is outdated and no one is interested in it, but it must be taken and a picture taken. While doing so, Eisenhower heard the hammering of hammers across Pennsylvania Avenue, where a review stand for the official inauguration of the president was being built. Eisenhower said: "You see, Henry, it's like watching them put up the gallows on death row. "
On the morning of January 20, it snowed heavily, and the president's inauguration ceremony was held on this day. Eisenhower spent most of the morning leaning on an empty safe to reminisce with Ann Whiteman. The servants lined up, and Eisenhower and Marmi walked past them and bid them farewell. Many had tears on their faces. The Kennedy family, the Johnsons, and a small group of Democrat entourage came for a brief meeting. At noon, in front of Justice Earl Warren, the oldest person to serve as president so far gave way to the youngest person elected. After the ceremony, when all attention was on the Kennedies, the Eisenhowers quietly stepped back through the side door. Then, depart for Gettysburg and follow the path they know very well to return home to the farm.
After the years of war, after serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, president of Columbia University in New York, supreme Allied commander in Paris and president for eight years, Eisenhower imagined his retirement. He had all kinds of ideas: buying a ranch in Texas, setting up a summer estate in Wisconsin, sightseeing, talking to Mami about the past and the present, fishing by a creek... He insisted that after 50 years of service to his country, he was exhausted and needed rest. No longer attending meetings, no longer giving speeches, no longer participating in the handling of urgent national issues, you can write your own memoirs in the green mountains and rivers.
Mount Vernon in Eisenhower was his farm in Gettysburg. Both he and Mami loved the farm. In addition to winter, the climate is mild and pleasant, and the location is ideal. They live in the countryside, but are close to Washington and New York to visit from time to time, and friends visit on weekends. The farm's location on the edge of the ancient battlefield reinforces the sense of being part of the continuity of American history and allows Eisenhower to have endless reverie about the "end of the change in the way it is played" at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The farm covers an area of 246 acres. In addition, Eisenhower leased 305 acres. He bought part of the land because he liked to live where his ancestors settled in the 18th century, and because he was happy to have the opportunity to restore the land to its former richness and fertility. He rotated crops and pastures, mainly maize, oats, soybeans and sorghum. He uses this forage to raise a hundred good breeding angus cattle in the winter, which is his main cash income. He also kept horses for his grandchildren to gallop, dogs to amuse them, and 14 Holstein cows to feed his Angus calves. The house looks like an immigrant from the outside, but the interior is completely modern. The glass corridor is the best place to read and paint. Throughout his presidency, Eisenhower rarely saw Marmie during the day; In Gettysburg, Eisenhower spent a long time with Mami in the sunny corridor overlooking the green fields.
After six months of "peace of mind", Eisenhower worked with his son John, Samuel A. Smith, senior editor of Double Day Press. With the help of S. Vaughn, he began writing memoirs of The White House Years. Despite help, it is much more difficult to write a presidential memoir than "Expedition to Europe." "Expedition to Europe" is a story of victory and happy ending; However, the problems written in the White House memoirs have not yet been solved, and no one can predict how it will end, which adds a certain difficulty to his work. After four years of hard work, the two-volume "White House Years" was completed. The first volume was published on November 9, 1963, subtitled Delegated Reform; The second volume was published in 1965, subtitled "The Movement for Peace". Prominent political commentator James Reston wrote a praise opinion in The New York Times. The first edition of "Double Day Press" printed 125,000 copies and began to sell well. But the assassination of President Kennedy two weeks after the publication of Delegated Reform overwhelmed public interest in Ai's achievements and sales declined. "Campaign for Peace" never reached sales of "Expedition to Europe". Following The White House Years, Eisenhower wrote the autobiographical "Leisurely Words; Talk to Friends", this book has a large circulation. The New York Times commented: "'Leisurely Words' breathlessly brings to life the image of one of the most enduring and popular heroes of our time. "
As he grew older, Eisenhower's health became less and less. On his 70th birthday, Westmoreland, who had recently been promoted to chief of staff of the Army, came to visit. Eisenhower congratulated Westmoreland on his promotion and urged him to take care of the Army. That afternoon, the Army Marching Band serenaded Eisenhower's room outside. Eisenhower came to the window in a wheelchair and smiled and waved a small five-star flag in thanks. It was obvious that his body was extremely weak, and everyone burst into tears when they saw it. However, he was calm and pleasant. He told his son, John, he was relieved that parliament had passed a law providing lifetime secret service to the widow of the former president. "This August," he said, "the only thing I could feel at ease about when I might go to see God was Mami." At least this law reassures me in this regard. "
As death drew nearer, he thought more and more about his family. On Thanksgiving Day in 1968, Mami made arrangements for everyone in the family to join him at a turkey feast. His daughter-in-law looked at him and felt fierce. Ike covered the army with a single quilt and described it as withered. The dead gray face and blue eyes were surprising. "
On March 24, 1969, Eisenhower suffered a serious heart attack. His heart was failing. Doctors began delivering oxygen to his nostril cannula. He realized that his life was coming to an end. He told John to "take good care of his mother." By March 28, his condition had deteriorated further, but Ike was still struggling desperately, shouting, "Close the shutter!" The light irritated his eyes. The shutters were closed, and the room was almost dark. Eisenhower looked at Mami, squeezed her hand, and said softly, "Honey, we're breaking up, God has called me." With that, his heart stopped beating.
Eisenhower's life was over, but his name is associated with the most important event in history, the defeat of German fascism. During the difficult war years, Ike, as commander-in-chief of the Allied European Expeditionary Force, made an important contribution to winning the war. Since then, his name has been widely praised by people around the world. After the war, from 1953 to 1961, as President of the United States, Eisenhower's name was associated with "brinkmanship of war" and "Cold War policy". Many facts show that Eisenhower was the "unswerving" defender of the policy of the monopoly bourgeoisie in the United States. The American people and the people of the world have their own views on his merits and deeds. However, as a famous general of World War II, the people will always miss him!