factories, even from democrats who place principle above party, from all the people of america, the thunder grows. a century has brought the threat of a new slavery, but there is a new lincoln to meet the challenge. statesman, soldier, citizen, mr. american, dwight david eisenhower. ♪♪ ♪♪

>> mrs. eisenhower, your excellencies, friends of dwight david eisenhower in america and throughout the world, we gather today in mourning but also in gratitude. we mourn dwight eisenhower's death, but we are grateful for his life. we gather also conscious of the fact that in paying tribute to dwight eisenhower, we celebrate greatness. when we think of his place in history, we think inevitably of the other giants of those days of world war ii, and we think of the qualities of greatness and what his were that made his unique among all. once, perhaps without intending to do so, he himself put his finger on it. it was 1945, shortly after ve

day at a ceremony in london's historic guild hall. the triumphant supreme commander of the allied forces in europe was officially given the freedom of the city of london. in an eloquent address that day, dwight eisenhower said, i come from the heart of america. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> he did come from the heart of america. not only from its geographical heart but from its spiritual heart. dwight eisenhower touched something fundamental in america which only a man of immense force of mind and spirit could have brought so vibrantly alive. he was a product of american soil and of its ideals, driven

by a compulsion to do right and to do well. a man of deep faith who believed in god and trusted in his will. a man who truly loved his country and for whom words like "freedom" and "democracy" were not cliches. he exemplified what millions of parents hoped, that their sons would be, strong and courageous and honest and compassionate. and with his own great qualities of heart, he personified the best in america. ♪♪ >> his great love of people was rooted in his faith. he had a deep faith in the goodness of god and in the essential goodness of man as a creature of god. it is, i think, a special

tribute to dwight eisenhower that despite all of his honors, despite all of his great deeds and his triumphs, we find ourselves today thinking first not of his deeds but of his character. ♪♪

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> dwight eisenhower was that rarest of men, an authentic hero. wars bring the names of many men into the headlines and of those, some few become national or even international heroes. but as the years then passed, their fame goes down. but not so with dwight eisenhower. as the years passed, his stature

grew. commander of the mightiest expeditionary force ever assembled, receiver of the surrender of the german armies in world war ii, president of columbia university, supreme commander of nato, 34th president of the united states, the honors, the offices were there in abundance. every trust that the american people had it in their power to bestow, he was given.

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♪♪ >> each of us here will have a special memory of dwight

eisenhower. i can see him now standing erect, straight, proud and tall, 16 years ago, as he took the oath of office as the 34th president of the united states of america. and yet, he always retained a saving humility. his was the humility not of fear but of confidence. he walked with the grade of the world and he knew that the greater human. his was the humility of man before god and before the truth. his was the humility of a man, too proud to be arrogant. he restored calm to a divided nation. he gave americans a new measure

of self-respect. he invested his office with dignity and respect and trust. he made americans proud of their president, proud of their country, proud of themselves. and if we in america were proud of dwight eisenhower, it was partly because he made us proud of america. he came from the heart of america, and he gave expression to the heart of america, and he touched the hearts of the world. many leaders are known and respected outside their own countries. very few are loved outside their own countries. dwight eisenhower was one of those few. he was probably loved by more people in more parts of the world than any president america has ever had.

he captured the deepest feelings of free men everywhere. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

>> some men are considered great because they lead great armies or they lead powerful nations. for eight years now, dwight eisenhower has neither commanded an army nor led an issue. yet he remained through his final days the world's most admired and respected man, truly the first citizen of the world. so, today, we render our final salute. it is a fond salute to a man we loved and cherished. it is a grateful salute to a man whose whole extraordinary life was consecrated to service. it is a profoundly respectful

salute to a man larger than life who by any standard was one of the giants of our time. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> his life reminds us that there is a moral force in this world more powerful than the might of arms or the wealth of nations. this man, who led the most powerful armies that the world has ever seen, this man who led

the most powerful nation in the world, this essentially good and gentle and kind man, that moral force was his greatness. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

>> for a quarter of a century, to the very end of his life, dwight eisenhower exercised a moral authority without parallel in america and in the world. and america and the world is better because of it. i know mrs. eisenhower would permit me to share with you the last word he spoke on the day he died. he said, i've always loved my wife. i've always loved my children. i've always loved my grandchildren. and i have always loved my country. that was dwight eisenhower.

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♪♪ ♪♪ weekends on c-span2 bring you the best in american history and nonfiction books. saturday, on american history tv, at 2:00 p.m. eastern, on the presidency, a 1988 oval office conversation between president ronald reagan and the bbc's

godfrey hodgson on restoring the u.s. economy, u.s.-soviet rerelations and iran-contra and at 4:40 p.m., as the u.s. continues to withdraw from afghanistan, we look back nearly 40 years at the country's history with two u.s. information agency films. afghanistan: 1982, the struggle for freedom continues, which chronicles the aftermath of the soviet invasion of afghanistan. and afghanistan, a new generation, on the challenges facing afghan children who grew up as refugees in pakistan. then former cia officer dwayne evans talks about his book about his tour of duty in southern afghanistan. shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. book tv features leading authors discussing their latest nonfiction books. on sunday, at 12:45 eastern, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell shares what's on his reading list. then at 2:00 p.m. eastern, author discussions on

afghanistan, including wesley morgan with his book "the hardest place: the american military adrift in afghanistan's pech valley." national security analyst peter bergen talks about his book and from freedom fest, libertarian institute director scott horton that the war on terror has been counterproductive and too costly to continue in his book, "enough already." watch american history tv and book tv every weekend on c-span2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or visit c-span.org. general dwight d. eisenhower ordered that the horrors of the holocaust be documented as world war ii came to an end, determined that the evidence be preserved for future generations. it was a signature move by the man who later occupied the white house. next, on the presidency, his granddaughter, susan ei