Death of Dwight Eisenhower (1969)

General Eisenhower died today. His death was peaceful and natural. He was 78 years old, and it was the end of a life so filled with accomplishment and achievement and honors that even though it was a long life, it could hardly have held anymore. Down to the end, he remained one of the most popular of all Americans. Last year, it was widely said, and perhaps accurately, that if he had been a little younger and healthier, and had it been legally possible, he could have been elected president again. He survived seven heart attacks, a stroke, and a variety of surgery. But finally, today, his heart was so weakened it could no longer function, and he died of congestive heart failure. The announcement came from General Frederick Hughes, Commandant of the Walter Reed Army Hospital. General of the Army Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, died quietly at 1225 this afternoon after a long and heroic struggle against overwhelming illness. His passing was peaceful, and he experienced no distress. Mrs. Eisenhower and the immediate family were nearby. President Nixon, former Presidents Truman and Johnson, and General Eisenhower's brothers have been notified. The Commanding General, Military District of Washington, has responsibility for all the arrangements for the state funeral. It is the wish of the Eisenhower family that in lieu of flowers, friends will recall charities of their choice, or those of prime interest to General Eisenhower during his lifetime. These are as follows, and they will be handed out to you. The Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Eisenhower College, People to People Program, Freedom's Foundation, and the Dwight David Eisenhower Research Fund for Cerebral Palsy. President Nixon went out to the hospital when he heard the news. NBC News correspondent Douglas Kiker has been standing by at the hospital these last several days, and here is his report. President Nixon left the White House as soon as he learned of the death, and went to the hospital to pay his respects to the Eisenhower family. With him was the First Lady and their daughter Patricia. They stayed half an hour. Later, the President proclaimed Monday as a national day of mourning. Then, accompanied by his wife, he left Washington to spend the weekend at Camp David, a presidential retreat in nearby Maryland. There was no surprise, really no shock, here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when General Eisenhower's death was announced this afternoon. He was a very sick man, and a very great man, and he had been so close to death so many times before that all the arrangements had been made far in advance. His family, his friends, all his old comrades were prepared for it. The General's fatal illness began 13 days ago, congestive heart failure. That means simply that his heart gave out on him, that his heart, so weakened by seven previous heart attacks, simply lacked the strength to pump the blood his body needed. When that happens, the lungs and the chambers slowly fill up with blood, and the body slowly becomes congested with salt water. So for 13 days, General Eisenhower fought death, but every day he grew progressively weaker, and reports on his condition grew progressively bleaker. Until last night, when unexpectedly, there seemed to be some slight improvement. The doctor said he was resting more comfortably, breathing easier, and that the slow deterioration of his heart appeared to have halted. But this morning was a different matter. The doctor said his condition had considerably worsened overnight. A little later, they said his course was continuing almost imperceptibly downhill, and then a little later came the announcement of death. Douglas Kiker, NBC News, at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Here are the funeral plans. Tomorrow, the General's body will be taken to the Washington National Cathedral. There'll be a brief service for the family, and it'll lie in repose there for 24 hours. Sunday afternoon, it'll be moved by hearse from the cathedral toward the Capitol until it reaches the White House, where it'll be transferred to a horse-drawn caisson, and will then go to the Capitol to lie in state in the rotunda until Monday. On Monday, back to the cathedral for a funeral service, then to the railroad station for a special train carrying it to Abilene, Kansas, which the General always called home. All of this will be seen live on NBC television. There in Abilene, about halfway across the country, he will be buried on Wednesday. Chet? Two former American presidents today issued messages of condolence and tribute to the late 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Former President Johnson said America will be a lonely land without him, but America will always be a better nation because Ike was with us when America needed him. Former President Truman said General Eisenhower and I became political opponents, but before that we were comrades in arms, and I cannot forget his services to his country and to Western civilization. President de Gaulle of France announced that he will attend General Eisenhower's funeral. U.N. Secretary General Thomp called him one of the great leaders of our time, and the blue and white U.N. flag was lowered to half-staff this afternoon. General Omar Bradley recalled his old West Point classmate a dedicated, completely selfless American. British Field Marshal Lord Montgomery said, I am very distressed. I want to be left alone now. And in New York, restaurant owner John Schwartz, General Eisenhower's mess sergeant, said, When I opened my restaurant in 1946, he came, and I have pictures of him here smiling. General Eisenhower suffered the first of his seven heart attacks in 1955 during his first presidential term. He also had iliitis and in 1957 a stroke while still in office.