James Forrestal Quotes

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. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.

The Defense Department has a great deal of influence on foreign policy, and State has very little impact on defense policy.

The Military Industrial Complex. President Eisenhower had it wrong. It’s the Military Industrial Congressional Complex.

No foreigner has a place asking another people, another country, to change their constitution.

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.

Groups that advocate open government have argued that it's vital to know the names of White House visitors, who may have an outsized influence on policy matters.

In their hours of timidity the Congress becomes subservient to the importunities of organized minorities that the President comes more and more to stand as the champion of the rights of the whole country.

The ideal weapons system is built in 435 congressional districts, and it doesn't matter whether it works or not.

No nation, no matter how destitute, likes to be told how much military "security" to buy.

Armchair generals assume that nations decide on their foreign policy objectives and then subordinate everything else to achieving them. Life is more complicated. Threats, opportunities and risks are always uncertain, but the economic costs of maximum preparedness are definite.

There is a rank due to the United States among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure the peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.

The very existence of the Nation was threatened. Threatened on all sides, from the interior and exterior. From the interior, by the sterile conflicts of politicians who sacrificed the country and their compatriots to their own interests. Nothing counted for them but power...and what the exercise of power could bring them. Fill their own pockets, exploit the Congo and the Congolese, this was their trademark. Given such examples, both national and provincial administrations were mired in inertia, inefficiency, and worse yet, corruption. At all levels, many of those in our country who held a morsel of public power allowed themselves to be corrupted, served individuals and companies who paid bribes and neglected the others... ...certain politicians, to maintain themselves in power or to regain it, did not hesitate to seek help from foreign powers... ...the social, economic and financial situation of the country is catastrophic

The existence of an immensely powerful military-industrial complex constitutes a danger to democracy, both internationally and domestically, because it follows its own logic and operates independently of popular participation.

Trump's alliance with Russia's Vladimir Putin, in defiance of America's own intelligence community, the Department of Justice, and the bipartisan report of the Senate Intelligence Committee, forces us to face that the fundamental principles of our nation are under attack.

In short, I will never allow partisanship to undermine our national security when the lives of countless people lay in the balance. If that earns me enemies in Washington or at the State Department, then so be it.

And Oliver North was really a good soldier, up to the last moment, shoving memos into the shredder and defending the policy to the end.

Everything in our foreign and domestic policy is a question of issue for the American people to vote on.

Foreign policy is really domestic policy with its hat on.

What I say is, national defense is the most important thing we do in Washington, but there's still waste in the military budget.

We need to stop spending money on those weapons systems that do not advance national security.

Eisenhower warned us about the military-industrial complex and the damage it could do to society.

Sadly we have government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, and for the lobbyists. That is no way to run the Senate.

There’s a real fundamental need for us. You think we have a bad system now? Without us lobbyists, just see what kind of government we would have them

I noticed that the highly organized lobbies in Washington were producing results regardless of the justice or injustice of their demand.

We must have a defense industry, we cannot depend on other countries for our defense. A defense industry in a small country like ours has to export to stay alive.