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ABILENE, Kan. - A special Eisenhower Administration 50 year retrospective program on President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech will be held Thursday, December 8 at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center Auditorium.
"Atoms for Peace" was the title of a speech delivered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the United Nations General Assembly on December 8, 1953. The United States then launched an "Atoms for Peace" program that supplied equipment and information to schools, hospitals and research institutions within the U.S. and throughout the world.
"President Eisenhower was perhaps the greatest proponent of the commercial and private use of atomic power," states David Haight, retired archivist, Eisenhower Presidential Library.
Haight's program will examine the background of the speech and the follow up and results during the Eisenhower administration. His presentation will include projected images and slides. Historic documents will also be on display. A question and answer session will follow.
In June 2011, Haight originally delivered his "Atoms for Peace" presentation to 90 people (from 25 different countries) at Kansas State University's 8th International Topical Meeting on Industrial Radiation and Radioisotope Measurement Application.
Haight received a Bachelor's Degree in social studies from Southwestern State College, Weatherford, Oklahoma, and an M.A. in history from Wichita State University. He spent more than 37 years as an archivist at the Eisenhower Presidential Library before retiring in August 2008.
Haight's functions included archival processing, conducting reference service, descriptive work and helping with the Library's declassification program. He now serves as a volunteer with a focus on declassification and related matters. He is well-known for his expertise on intelligence and foreign relations records.
This program is part of the 50 year retrospective on the Eisenhower Administration in conjunction with the "Eisenhower: Agent of Change" temporary exhibit, on display through Jan. 29, 2012. To supplement the exhibit, many public programs, including a film series, are scheduled throughout the year. To see the event schedule, visit www.eisenhower.archives.gov or become a fan on Facebook.
These programs and exhibits are only made possible through private donations to the Eisenhower Foundation. Special thanks to the Hall Family Foundation, Emma Balsiger Foundation, Robert M. Beren Foundation, Inc., and Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Charitable Trust for their generous support of the "Eisenhower: Agent of Change" exhibit. If you would like to learn how you can support programs and exhibits, please contact the Eisenhower Foundation at 785.263.6700. |
