
In his famous 1961 farewell address to the nation, then-President Dwight Eisenhower stated that “[while] holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.”
Eisenhower’s concerns stemmed from a growing number of powerful interest groups, mainly in science and the military. He feared that their emerging influence would erode the nation’s freedom and liberty under false concerns and pretenses. While he made clear that these individuals’ presence was necessary for America’s prosperity, he believed their power, if left unchecked, would move national decision-making outside of the three prongs of government the Founding Fathers established.