Learning from Eisenhower: A Call to Protect Free Expression

“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book….”

These timeless words were spoken by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the commencement exercises at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire on June 14, 1953. His message resonated with graduates and faculty alike, highlighting the importance of safeguarding the free exchange of ideas. Eisenhower, though not a political radical, was acutely aware of the dangers posed by authoritarian regimes that suppress intellectual freedom.

Eisenhower's distinguished military career began after graduating from West Point, ultimately leading him to the position of Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II, where he fought against fascism.

The Dangers of Censorship

German Jewish author Heinrich Heine foresaw the perils of censorship, writing in 1821: “It was just the prelude… Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people too.” The Nazis and conservative university students in Germany embodied this prophecy, targeting Jewish organizations and libraries, confiscating and destroying books they deemed "un-German." On May 10, 1933, a chilling event unfolded. Led by Nazi leaders, students ignited over 25,000 volumes in Berlin’s Opernplatz, while Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda, rallied the crowd against "decadence and moral corruption."

The bonfire included works from a range of authors, among them psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, bisexual writer Thomas Mann, and physicist Albert Einstein. Books by revolutionaries and dissenters, including Karl Marx and Bertolt Brecht, were also targeted. Heinrich Heine, ironically, was among the burned authors.

A Lesson for Our Times

Just days earlier, Nazi storm troopers had invaded The Institute for Sexual Sciences in Berlin, founded by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a gay Jewish sexuality researcher. The institute's extensive research on sexuality and gender, a precursor to the work of the Kinsey Institute in the United States, was destroyed, labeled by Nazis as "an international center of the white-slave trade." It was a brutal assault on knowledge and progress.

During their reign, the Nazis burned an estimated 100 million books across Europe, in an attempt to erase diverse thought and history. Eisenhower, reflecting on these atrocities, urged the Dartmouth graduates to protect the diversity of thought. “Even if they think ideas that are contrary to ours, their right to say them, their right to record them, and their right to have them at places where they are accessible to others is unquestioned, or it isn’t America,” he said.

A Call for Inclusion

In our present day, we must heed Eisenhower’s wisdom as we confront new challenges to intellectual freedom. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, although not inciting literal book burnings, has initiated the removal of books from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Nimitz Library, under the guise of redefining diversity, equity, and inclusion. Unfortunately, this includes works that address the Holocaust, the Black experience, women, and LGBTQ+ communities.

This initiative contradicts the academy's mission to cultivate competent, compassionate leaders for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Prior to Hegseth’s tenure, even displays honoring female Jewish graduates faced removal, erasing critical narratives from the academy’s history.

The Responsibility to Preserve Diversity

The U.S. Naval Academy, founded on October 10, 1845, serves as a liberal arts institution for future officers, offering courses like “Critical Conversations About Literature Renaissance Mind” and “American Literature, 1945-Present.” Its graduates are tasked with upholding U.S. values worldwide.

Hegseth’s actions, including the demotion of qualified officers of color and women, undermine this mission. His focus on eliminating diverse ideas, rather than defending the nation from actual threats, risks repeating past mistakes. As evidenced by the "Signalgate" scandal, where national security was jeopardized by poor judgment, we are reminded of the importance of prioritizing real security challenges over ideological purges.

As we reflect on Eisenhower’s words, we are reminded of our duty to protect intellectual freedom and diversity of thought. By fostering an inclusive society that values all voices, we honor Eisenhower’s legacy and uphold the principles of democracy.

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