Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-328) and index.

January 17, 1961: President Eisenhower delivered a speech three days before President-elect Kennedy's inauguration: three days that were the culmination of a lifetime of service that took Eisenhower from rural Kansas to West Point, to the battlefields of World War II, and finally to the Oval Office. As president, Eisenhower--former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces during World War II--guided the U.S. out of war in Korea, through the threat of nuclear war with Russia, and into one of the greatest economic booms in world history. In his last address to the nation, Eisenhower looked to the future, warning U.S. citizens against the dangers of elevating partisanship above national interest, the expansion of the military-industrial complex, debt-heavy government budgets, and the creeping political power of lobbyists and other special interests. Eisenhower intensely advised president-elect Kennedy in the time between his speech and the other man's inauguration, and continued to offer advice and counsel during Kennedy's time in office. Dwight Eisenhower left the public stage at the end of these three days in January 1961 having done more than perhaps any other modern U.S. citizen to set the nation "on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment." Baier explores how his legacy resonates today, explains how Eisenhower embodied the qualities of political leadership that many in the U.S. are seeking at the present, and illuminates how the man still offers lessons for our own time.