History in Pictures- General Douglas MacArthur's Farewell Address to the Joint Meeting of the U. S. Congress April 19, 1951.

1951 had not been a good year for Douglas MacArthur: after almost losing a war in Korea it seemed he had already won, he was dismissed by President Truman, making headlines around the world. But for thirty-seven minutes on April 19, he held America in the palm of his hand. MacArthur's address before a joint session of Congress, one of the great moments in the early days of television, offered him a unique opportunity to tell his side of the story. He did not disappoint.

Critics and much of the public soon saw through the holes in his arguments. But his final words, drawing the curtain on an unparalleled military career, surely rank as one of the great exit lines in American history.

In the address General MacArthur said that "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."

Click here for General MacArthur's speech in its entirety