Channels, Spring 2019

Channels • 2019 • Volume 3 • Number 2 Page 45 nonetheless pursued. However, the Korean War – which Truman relied upon the UN Participation Act to prosecute – displayed Truman’s shortcomings in the arena of foreign policy. Despite the fact that the UN sanctioned the use of armed forces in retaliation to North Korea’s “hostilities,” Truman still lacked congressional approval for the use of American armed forces in the Korean War. 59 Continuing, Truman never sought retroactive congressional authorization or support for his actions, just as Lincoln did in the initial outbreak of the Civil War. President Eisenhower had just won an Allied victory across Europe as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. His ability to bring complete, and unconditional victory for the Allied Powers was viewed as a sweeping success, and lead to an incredible chance for him to secure eight years in the White House. His constitutional outlook concerning his role as commander in chief was both remarkable and reserved. Eisenhower’s Attorney General Herbert Brownwell Jr. spoke of Eisenhower’s governing philosophy on war powers: [His] view of the president’s place within a constitutional system of government allowed him to understand the rightful roles that the various institutions and political actors occupy in our political system so that he did not overextend the scope of presidential interest across the whole gamut of governmental activities. Moreover, it fostered an understanding of a need to establish a sense of comity with those individuals in the other branches with whom a president must necessarily deal. 60 Eisenhower repeatedly rejected unilateral action absent congressional authorization, most notably in the Indochina crises. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the nation highlighted, too, his concerns over the growth and expansion of the “industrial military complex” at the expense of America’s political institutions. 61 President John F. Kennedy combined the policies of the Monroe Doctrine and the Truman Doctrine: He pushed for self-determination of the Western Hemisphere and for the rest of the world to remain out of its affairs, while calling for a strong-line against communist aggression. In his presidential inaugural address, President Kennedy stated, “Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression and subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.” 62 He also renewed America’s commitment to the United Nations, taking the helm of establishing America’s new foreign policy. Unfortunately, he also brought the United States and the world closer to an all- out nuclear war than any other president had done so before or afterwards. Kennedy’s response to the situation in Cuba is notable, as he relied on his own constitutional authority to act concerning the Cuban Missile Crisis. In response to questions on his authority as president, Kennedy replied, “I have full authority now to take such action” to quarantine Cuba. 63 Though the Cuba Resolution was passed on October 3, 1961, it did not “authorize presidential 59 Fisher, Presidential War Power , 99. 60 Fisher, Presidential War Power , 116-117. 61 Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Farewell Address.” Eisenhower Presidential Library. https://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/DocumentCenter/View/2448/Reading-Copy-of-the-Speech- PDF?bidId= 62 Kennedy, John F. “John F. Kennedy’s First Inaugural Address.” Evolving Presidency , edited by Michael Nelson, Los Angeles: Sage Books, 2016. Pages 174-177. 63 Fisher, Presidential War Power , 124.