The Sound of Eisenhower

Dan Lipcan and Laura Mittendorfer
April 6, 2016

Eisenhower stairs

General and Mrs. Eisenhower leave The Met after the former president was made an honorary fellow for life for his efforts to save art treasures overseas during World War II.

«This weekend marked the 70th anniversary of the ceremony in which The Met awarded an honorary fellowship for life to then-General Dwight D. Eisenhower. This award was bestowed on the former president on the occasion of the Museum's 75th anniversary for his role in supporting the work of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, better known as the "Monuments Men," in its efforts to safeguard and repatriate works of art threatened during World War II.»

Some of the archival material from the proceedings on April 2, 1946, is available online in our Digital Collections, including sound recordings and photographs. In 2010, Museum Archives took the lead in having these assets digitized through a grant from the Monuments Men Foundation.

Crowd at The Met

The Met's Great Hall, filled with spectators for the ceremony

Over 10,000 people crowded into the Museum to watch the ceremony. Although not all could fit in the Great Hall, loudspeakers were installed throughout the building so that everyone could hear. There were several different speakers, including Cardinal Spellman, then the archbishop of New York, and Thomas J. Watson, our library's namesake. All of their contributions can be heard online.

Eidenhower award

Seated, from left to right: Cardinal Spellman, General Eisenhower, Mrs. Eisenhower, and Mr. Roland O. Redmond, vice president of Museum. Standing, from left to right: Mrs. Alexander Dean Surles, wife of general Surles of General Eisenhower's office; Jarmila Novotna, Metropolitan Opera soprano, who sang the national anthem; and Thomas J. Watson

Francis Henry Taylor, director of the Museum, declared that the award was, "in a sense, more than a gesture by the entire academic world to the man who, more responsible than any other, has made it possible for the world of great civilization in the past to continue for future generations."

Jarmila Novotná, a famed soprano at the Metropolitan Opera, sang the Star-Spangled Banner.

General Eisenhower spoke, expressing his appreciation: "I am grateful to the directors of the Metropolitan Museum for their generosity in having accorded me an honorary membership for my small part in protecting these monuments. The credit belongs to the officers and men of the combat echelons whose veneration for priceless treasures persisted even in the heat and fears of battle."

Eisenhower speech

Gen. Eisenhower addresses the crowd at the ceremony. Among those seen on the platform are: Cornelius N. Bliss, a trustee of Museum; Grover Whalen; Archbishop Athenagoras of the Greek Orthodox Church; Walter S. Gifford, president of American Telephone and Telegraph Co. and a trustee of Museum; and, at far right, Francis Henry Taylor, The Met's director.

The original analog sound recordings are contained on 78-rpm aluminum-based 12-inch lacquer discs and were transferred to digital files by Seth B. Winner Sound Studios in an effort to preserve and provide ongoing access to these valuable artifacts. While the transcripts of and quotes from these speeches are moving to read, nothing quite conveys the feeling as well as the sound of the people themselves—their voices, accents, and intonations—and the applause and laughter of the audience.

Eisenhower LP

One of the 78-rpm aluminum-based 12-inch lacquer discs containing speeches from the ceremony

Related Content
Now at The Met: "In the Footsteps of the Monuments Men: Traces from the Archives at the Metropolitan Museum" (January 31, 2014)

Dan Lipcan

Dan Lipcan is an associate Museum librarian in the Thomas J. Watson Library.

Laura Mittendorfer

Laura.Mittendorfer is a former intern in the Thomas J. Watson Library.