Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) nicknamed "Ike", was 34th US President 1953-1961.

He was a
military academy graduate, career Army officer and served as Supreme Commander, European Allied
Forces in World War II. He was later US Army Chief of Staff, supreme commander of NATO forces and
President of prestigious Columbia University before successfully running for US President. One of
Eisenhower's enduring achievements is the US interstate roadway system.

Q: General Eisenhower, if you do not mind this, we are glad to welcome you aboard.
Ike: Careful there, young man, I'm no sailor.

Q: Did your career as a military man properly prepare you to run for President and did you plan for
that while still in the Army?
Ike: Yes, of course it prepared me. Such experiences assist nearly any position with responsibility like
that but no, I had no political aspirations during my military career.

Q: Did you have any concern that your elected office would worry military commanders given your
experience in a previous position?
Ike: No. I learned to delegate long before that.

Q: This was your only run for elected office, correct?
Ike: That's right. I do not consider my life to have ever been as a politician.

Q: Given it as your business, how would you change it? What would you differently to avoid it?
Ike: What I would do now, if within my ability or what would I have done as General Eisenhower?
Two very different approaches, as you can appreciate.

Q: OK, first as General and then President Eisenhower, what would you have done differently?
Ike: Provide more deterrence. The aggressor best responds to threat of force, given it as their stock-in-
trade, to sound business-like. I understand the view that the USA has been an aggressor but as General
Eisenhower, the USA had not been. Preemptive action there was and there is a point-of-view that such
actions were war aggression. Given the ability versus what was used, not so, and I don't see events since
then as being caused by or fueled by the USA's aggression.

I would have been more forceful in the use of threats as a deterrent. This would not be popular or well
received but it would have the proper effect to deter war.

Q: You already know this would meet with vigorous disagreement, that appearing aggressive raises
the risk.
Ike: This is often said by those who enjoy the security and peace war has provided, those who also
have not been forced to wage it.

Q: Now, as President the national leader; what would be done?
Ike: Speak to threats directly and if necessary, to the peoples of the aggressor.

Q: That would supremely difficult, and I know so little about it but I'm sure you'd have an enormously
difficult time doing that.
Ike: It's much less expensive than a war and must be given attention. The true aggressor nation must
dupe a large part of its population. No matter the tyrannical grip, enough popular dissent will dissuade the
fiercest potential foe. This approach could have then been taken and even better today, utilize many
methods to communicate the message.

Q: I can hear the denunciations of how this is interference with internal affairs.
Ike: If those internal affairs end up starting a war, intervention is far more likely and far worse, besides.

Q: Peace through strength?
Ike: Until a greater consciousness comes to the world, and it is coming quickly, my suggestions work.

Q: What was your spiritual mission, what you hoped to learn and take with you in your true heavenly
home that this life on Earth was planned to do?
Ike: It was threefold; demonstrate political achievement without a political career. This would
personally give me a glimpse into challenges from a place few world leaders arrive. The second aspect
was face failure and choose to fight it and learn what that feels like. The third, suffer great loss.

Q: What failure did you face? What loss?
Ike: Loss of my toddler son as a young father. The failure I faced was stagnation through the middle
part of my career in the Army. I learned the pain of rejection and perseverance in its face.

Q: What advice would you offer upcoming US presidents?
Ike: I'd offer it to the current one also; no matter a position taken, opposition will rise. The leader must
be a great communicator, greater than I was in my time in The White House, and make time to explain
ideas and efforts to this opposition. The leader must have the strength of conviction to tirelessly repeat the
message in light of detractors. Success comes from disagreement; it must happen and must be embraced.
The leader must actively seek out disagreement and listen to it patiently, and thoroughly explain. This is
my advice.

Q: What regrets do you have from the life as General and then President Eisenhower?
Ike: I believe the war in Europe could have been stopped faster and I didn't approach American
political leadership as well as I could have; I could have made my case better and ended the conflict as
much as a year earlier and saved nearly all the lives lost over that period. I regret not doing this.

Q: What makes you most proud?
Ike: Mamie, my wife.

Q: General, do you have a message for humanity?
Ike: Yes. If you feel there has been a lot of change in recent years and it is overwhelming or you
believe it has not been fast enough, I will say it will be too fast for nearly all people whose attention on
change is strong, agreement or otherwise.

These changes have the great chance of causing disappointment to fear; they are not happening for either
reason. They happen to advance you. They occur to improve, uplift and enlighten but the things they must
replace for it to happen, let not your focus be on what is easily seen as loss. See renewal and
improvement. These are what come now to humanity.

Q: Mr. Eisenhower, thank you.
Ike: My humble honor to you, to revisit Dwight Eisenhower.