Scribd Logo
Importer

Bienvenue sur Scribd !

  • John F. Kennedy On Peace - American University Commencement - 1963

    Transféré par

    A.J. MacDonald, Jr.
    19 vues7 pages
    I have, therefore, chosen this time and place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth too rarely perceived. And that is the most important topic on earth: peace. What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children ­­ not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time. I speak of peace because of the new face of war. Total war makes no sense in an age where great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age where a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn.

    Titre original

    John F. Kennedy on Peace - American University Commencement - 1963

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Formats disponibles

    PDF, TXT ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd

    Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

    Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

    Signaler ce document
    I have, therefore, chosen this time and place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth too rarely perceived. And that is the most important topic on earth: peace. What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children ­­ not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time. I speak of peace because of the new face of war. Total war makes no sense in an age where great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age where a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn.

    Droits d'auteur :

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Téléchargez comme PDF, TXT ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd
    Signaler comme contenu inapproprié
    19 vues7 pages

    John F. Kennedy On Peace - American University Commencement - 1963

    Transféré par

    A.J. MacDonald, Jr.
    I have, therefore, chosen this time and place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth too rarely perceived. And that is the most important topic on earth: peace. What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children ­­ not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time. I speak of peace because of the new face of war. Total war makes no sense in an age where great powers can maintain large and relatively invulnerable nuclear forces and refuse to surrender without resort to those forces. It makes no sense in an age where a single nuclear weapon contains almost ten times the explosive force delivered by all the allied air forces in the Second World War. It makes no sense in an age when the deadly poisons produced by a nuclear exchange would be carried by wind and water and soil and seed to the far corners of the globe and to generations yet unborn.

    Droits d'auteur :

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Téléchargez comme PDF, TXT ou lisez en ligne sur Scribd
    Signaler comme contenu inapproprié
    sur 7

    AmericanRhetoric.

    com
    John F.Kennedy
    AmericanUniversityCommencementAddress

    Delivered10June1963

    AUTHENTICITYCERTIFIED:Textversionbelowtranscribeddirectlyfromaudio

    PresidentAnderson,membersofthefaculty,boardoftrustees,distinguishedguests,myold colleague,SenatorBobByrd,whohasearnedhisdegreethroughmanyyearsofattending nightlawschool,whileIamearningmineinthenext30minutes,distinguishedguests,ladies andgentlemen: ItiswithgreatpridethatIparticipateinthisceremonyoftheAmericanUniversity,sponsored bytheMethodistChurch,foundedbyBishopJohnFletcherHurst,andfirstopenedby PresidentWoodrowWilsonin1914.Thisisayoungandgrowinguniversity,butithasalready fulfilledBishopHurst'senlightenedhopeforthestudyofhistoryandpublicaffairsinacity devotedtothemakingofhistoryandtotheconductofthepublic'sbusiness. Bysponsoringthisinstitutionofhigherlearningforallwhowishtolearn,whatevertheircolor ortheircreed,theMethodistsofthisareaandthenationdeservethenation'sthanks,andI commendallthosewhoaretodaygraduating.ProfessorWoodrowWilsononcesaidthatevery mansentoutfromauniversityshouldbeamanofhisnationaswellasamanofhistime, andIamconfidentthatthemenandwomenwhocarrythehonorofgraduatingfromthis institutionwillcontinuetogivefromtheirlives,fromtheirtalents,ahighmeasureofpublic serviceandpublicsupport. "Therearefewearthlythingsmorebeautifulthanauniversity,"wroteJohnMasefieldinhis tributetoEnglishuniversitiesandhiswordsareequallytruetoday.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page1

    AmericanRhetoric.com
    Hedidnotrefertotowersortocampuses.Headmiredthesplendidbeautyofauniversity, becauseitwas,hesaid,"aplacewherethosewhohateignorancemaystrivetoknow,where thosewhoperceivetruthmaystrivetomakeotherssee." Ihave,therefore,chosenthistimeandplacetodiscussatopiconwhichignorancetoooften aboundsandthetruthtoorarelyperceived.Andthatisthemostimportanttopiconearth: peace.WhatkindofpeacedoImeanandwhatkindofapeacedoweseek?NotaPax AmericanaenforcedontheworldbyAmericanweaponsofwar.Notthepeaceofthegraveor thesecurityoftheslave.Iamtalkingaboutgenuinepeace,thekindofpeacethatmakeslife onearthworthliving,andthekindthatenablesmenandnationstogrow,andtohope,and buildabetterlifefortheirchildrennotmerelypeaceforAmericansbutpeaceforallmen andwomen,notmerelypeaceinourtimebutpeaceinalltime. Ispeakofpeacebecauseofthenewfaceofwar.Totalwarmakesnosenseinanagewhere greatpowerscanmaintainlargeandrelativelyinvulnerablenuclearforcesandrefuseto surrenderwithoutresorttothoseforces.Itmakesnosenseinanagewhereasinglenuclear weaponcontainsalmosttentimestheexplosiveforcedeliveredbyallthealliedairforcesin theSecondWorldWar. Itmakesnosenseinanagewhenthedeadlypoisonsproducedbyanuclearexchangewould becarriedbywindandwaterandsoilandseedtothefarcornersoftheglobeandto generationsyetunborn. Todaytheexpenditureofbillionsofdollarseveryyearonweaponsacquiredforthepurposeof makingsureweneverneedthemisessentialtothekeepingofpeace.Butsurelythe acquisitionofsuchidlestockpileswhichcanonlydestroyandnevercreateisnotthe only,muchlessthemostefficient,meansofassuringpeace.Ispeakofpeace,therefore,as thenecessary,rationalendofrationalmen.Irealizethepursuitofpeaceisnotasdramaticas thepursuitofwar,andfrequentlythewordsofthepursuersfallondeafears.Butwehaveno moreurgenttask. Somesaythatitisuselesstospeakofpeaceorworldlaworworlddisarmament,andthatit willbeuselessuntiltheleadersoftheSovietUnionadoptamoreenlightenedattitude.Ihope theydo.Ibelievewecanhelpthemdoit.ButIalsobelievethatwemustreexamineourown attitudes,asindividualsandasaNation,forourattitudeisasessentialastheirs. Andeverygraduateofthisschool,everythoughtfulcitizenwhodespairsofwarandwishesto bringpeace,shouldbeginbylookinginward,byexamininghisownattitudetowardsthe possibilitiesofpeace,towardstheSovietUnion,towardsthecourseofthecoldwarand towardsfreedomandpeacehereathome. Firstexamineourattitudetowardspeaceitself.Toomanyofusthinkitisimpossible.Too manythinkitisunreal.Butthatisadangerous,defeatistbelief.Itleadstotheconclusionthat warisinevitable,thatmankindisdoomed,thatwearegrippedbyforceswecannotcontrol. Weneednotacceptthatview.Ourproblemsaremanmadetherefore,theycanbesolvedby man.Andmancanbeasbigashewants.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page2

    AmericanRhetoric.com
    Noproblemofhumandestinyisbeyondhumanbeings.Man'sreasonandspirithaveoften solvedtheseeminglyunsolvable,andwebelievetheycandoitagain.Iamnotreferringto theabsolute,infiniteconceptofuniversalpeaceandgoodwillofwhichsomefantasiesand fanaticsdream.Idonotdenythevalueofhopesanddreamsbutwemerelyinvite discouragementandincredulitybymakingthatouronlyandimmediategoal. Letusfocusinsteadonamorepractical,moreattainablepeace,basednotonasudden revolutioninhumannaturebutonagradualevolutioninhumaninstitutionsonaseriesof concreteactionsandeffectiveagreementswhichareintheinterestofallconcerned.Thereis nosingle,simplekeytothispeacenograndormagicformulatobeadoptedbyoneortwo powers.Genuinepeacemustbetheproductofmanynations,thesumofmanyacts.Itmust bedynamic,notstatic,changingtomeetthechallengeofeachnewgeneration.Forpeaceisa processawayofsolvingproblems. Withsuchapeace,therewillstillbequarrelsandconflictinginterests,astherearewithin familiesandnations.Worldpeace,likecommunitypeace,doesnotrequirethateachmanlove hisneighbor,itrequiresonlythattheylivetogetherinmutualtolerance,submittingtheir disputestoajustandpeacefulsettlement.Andhistoryteachesusthatenmitiesbetween nations,asbetweenindividuals,donotlastforever.Howeverfixedourlikesanddislikesmay seem,thetideoftimeandeventswilloftenbringsurprisingchangesintherelationsbetween nationsandneighbors.Soletuspersevere.Peaceneednotbeimpracticable,andwarneed notbeinevitable.Bydefiningourgoalmoreclearly,bymakingitseemmoremanageableand lessremote,wecanhelpallpeopletoseeit,todrawhopefromit,andtomoveirresistibly towardsit. Andsecond,letusreexamineourattitudetowardstheSovietUnion.Itisdiscouragingtothink thattheirleadersmayactuallybelievewhattheirpropagandistswrite.Itisdiscouragingto readarecent,authoritativeSoviettextonmilitarystrategyandfind,onpageafterpage, whollybaselessandincredibleclaims,suchastheallegationthatAmericanimperialistcircles arepreparingtounleashdifferenttypesofwar,thatthereisaveryrealthreatofapreventive warbeingunleashedbyAmericanimperialistsagainsttheSovietUnion, andthatthepolitical aimsandIquote"oftheAmericanimperialistsaretoenslaveeconomicallyandpolitically theEuropeanandothercapitalistcountriesandtoachieveworlddominationbymeansof aggressivewar." Truly,asitwaswrittenlongago:"Thewickedfleewhennomanpursueth." YetitissadtoreadtheseSovietstatements,torealizetheextentofthegulfbetweenus.But itisalsoawarning,awarningtotheAmericanpeoplenottofallintothesametrapasthe Soviets,nottoseeonlyadistortedanddesperateviewoftheotherside,nottoseeconflictas inevitable,accommodationasimpossible,andcommunicationasnothingmorethanan exchangeofthreats.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page3

    AmericanRhetoric.com
    Nogovernmentorsocialsystemissoevilthatitspeoplemustbeconsideredaslackingin virtue.AsAmericans,wefindcommunismprofoundlyrepugnantasanegationofpersonal freedomanddignity.ButwecanstillhailtheRussianpeoplefortheirmanyachievementsin scienceandspace,ineconomicandindustrialgrowth,inculture,inactsofcourage. Amongthemanytraitsthepeoplesofourtwocountrieshaveincommon,noneisstronger thanourmutualabhorrenceofwar.Almostuniqueamongthemajorworldpowers,wehave neverbeenatwarwitheachother.Andnonationinthehistoryofbattleeversufferedmore thantheSovietUnionintheSecondWorldWar.Atleast20millionlosttheirlives.Countless millionsofhomesandfamilieswereburnedorsacked.Athirdofthenation'sterritory, includingtwothirdsofitsindustrialbase,wasturnedintoawastelandalossequivalentto thedestructionofthiscountryeastofChicago. Today,shouldtotalwareverbreakoutagainnomatterhowourtwocountrieswillbethe primarytarget.Itisanironicbutaccuratefactthatthetwostrongestpowersarethetwoin themostdangerofdevastation.Allwehavebuilt,allwehaveworkedfor,wouldbedestroyed inthefirst24hours.Andeveninthecoldwar,whichbringsburdensanddangerstosomany countries,includingthisNation'sclosestallies,ourtwocountriesbeartheheaviestburdens. Forwearebothdevotingmassivesumsofmoneytoweaponsthatcouldbebetterdevotedto combatignorance,poverty,anddisease.Wearebothcaughtupinaviciousanddangerous cycle,withsuspicionononesidebreedingsuspicionontheother,andnewweaponsbegetting counterweapons.Inshort,boththeUnitedStatesanditsallies,andtheSovietUnionandits allies,haveamutuallydeepinterestinajustandgenuinepeaceandinhaltingthearmsrace. AgreementstothisendareintheinterestsoftheSovietUnionaswellasours.Andeventhe mosthostilenationscanbereliedupontoacceptandkeepthosetreatyobligations,andonly thosetreatyobligations,whichareintheirowninterest. Soletusnotbeblindtoourdifferences,butletusalsodirectattentiontoourcommon interestsandthemeansbywhichthosedifferencescanberesolved.Andifwecannotend nowourdifferences,atleastwecanhelpmaketheworldsafefordiversity.Forinthefinal analysis,ourmostbasiccommonlinkisthatweallinhabitthissmallplanet.Weallbreathe thesameair.Weallcherishourchildren'sfutures.Andweareallmortal. Third,letusreexamineourattitudetowardsthecoldwar,rememberingwe'renotengagedin adebate,seekingtopileupdebatingpoints.Wearenotheredistributingblameorpointing thefingerofjudgment.Wemustdealwiththeworldasitis,andnotasitmighthavebeen hadthehistoryofthelast18yearsbeendifferent.Wemust,therefore,persevereinthe searchforpeaceinthehopethatconstructivechangeswithintheCommunistblocmightbring withinreachsolutionswhichnowseembeyondus.Wemustconductouraffairsinsuchaway thatitbecomesintheCommunists'interesttoagreeonagenuinepeace.Andaboveall,while defendingourownvitalinterests,nuclearpowersmustavertthoseconfrontationswhichbring anadversarytoachoiceofeitherahumiliatingretreatoranuclearwar.Toadoptthatkindof courseinthenuclearagewouldbeevidenceonlyofthebankruptcyofourpolicyorofa collectivedeathwishfortheworld.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page4

    AmericanRhetoric.com
    Tosecuretheseends,America'sweaponsarenonprovocative,carefullycontrolled,designed todeter,andcapableofselectiveuse.Ourmilitaryforcesarecommittedtopeaceand disciplinedinselfrestraint.Ourdiplomatsareinstructedtoavoidunnecessaryirritantsand purelyrhetoricalhostility.Forwecanseekarelaxationoftensionswithoutrelaxingourguard. And,forourpart,wedonotneedtousethreatstoproveweareresolute.Wedonotneedto jamforeignbroadcastsoutoffearourfaithwillbeeroded.Weareunwillingtoimposeour systemonanyunwillingpeople,butwearewillingandabletoengageinpeacefulcompetition withanypeopleonearth. Meanwhile,weseektostrengthentheUnitedNations,tohelpsolveitsfinancialproblems,to makeitamoreeffectiveinstrumentforpeace,todevelopitintoagenuineworldsecurity systemasystemcapableofresolvingdisputesonthebasisoflaw,ofinsuringthesecurity ofthelargeandthesmall,andofcreatingconditionsunderwhicharmscanfinallybe abolished.AtthesametimeweseektokeeppeaceinsidethenonCommunistworld,where manynations,allofthemourfriends,aredividedoverissueswhichweakenWesternunity, whichinviteCommunistintervention,orwhichthreatentoeruptintowar.OureffortsinWest NewGuinea,intheCongo,intheMiddleEast,andtheIndiansubcontinent,havebeen persistentandpatientdespitecriticismfrombothsides.Wehavealsotriedtosetanexample forothers,byseekingtoadjustsmallbutsignificantdifferenceswithourownclosest neighborsinMexicoandCanada. Speakingofothernations,Iwishtomakeonepointclear.Weareboundtomanynationsby alliances.Thosealliancesexistbecauseourconcernandtheirssubstantiallyoverlap.Our commitmenttodefendWesternEuropeandWestBerlin,forexample,standsundiminished becauseoftheidentityofourvitalinterests.TheUnitedStateswillmakenodealwiththe SovietUnionattheexpenseofothernationsandotherpeoples,notmerelybecausetheyare ourpartners,butalsobecausetheirinterestsandoursconverge.Ourinterestsconverge, however,notonlyindefendingthefrontiersoffreedom,butinpursuingthepathsofpeace. Itisourhope,andthepurposeofalliedpolicy,toconvincetheSovietUnionthatshe,too, shouldleteachnationchooseitsownfuture,solongasthatchoicedoesnotinterferewiththe choicesofothers.TheCommunistdrivetoimposetheirpoliticalandeconomicsystemon othersistheprimarycauseofworldtensiontoday.Fortherecanbenodoubtthatifall nationscouldrefrainfrominterferingintheselfdeterminationofothers,thepeacewouldbe muchmoreassured. Thiswillrequireanewefforttoachieveworldlaw,anewcontextforworlddiscussions.Itwill requireincreasedunderstandingbetweentheSovietsandourselves.Andincreased understandingwillrequireincreasedcontactandcommunication. OnestepinthisdirectionistheproposedarrangementforadirectlinebetweenMoscowand Washington,toavoidoneachsidethedangerousdelays,misunderstandings,andmisreadings ofothers'actionswhichmightoccuratatimeofcrisis.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page5

    AmericanRhetoric.com
    WehavealsobeentalkinginGenevaaboutourfirststepmeasuresofarm[s]controls designedtolimittheintensityofthearmsraceandreducetheriskofaccidentalwar.Our primarylongrangeinterestinGeneva,however,isgeneralandcompletedisarmament, designedtotakeplacebystages,permittingparallelpoliticaldevelopmentstobuildthenew institutionsofpeacewhichwouldtaketheplaceofarms.Thepursuitofdisarmamenthas beenaneffortofthisGovernmentsincethe1920's.Ithasbeenurgentlysoughtbythepast threeadministrations.Andhoweverdimtheprospectsaretoday,weintendtocontinuethis efforttocontinueitinorderthatallcountries,includingourown,canbettergraspwhatthe problemsandpossibilitiesofdisarmamentare. Theonlymajorareaofthesenegotiationswheretheendisinsight,yetwhereafreshstartis badlyneeded,isinatreatytooutlawnucleartests.Theconclusionofsuchatreaty,sonear andyetsofar,wouldcheckthespiralingarmsraceinoneofitsmostdangerousareas.It wouldplacethenuclearpowersinapositiontodealmoreeffectivelywithoneofthegreatest hazardswhichmanfacesin1963,thefurtherspreadofnucleararms.Itwouldincreaseour securityitwoulddecreasetheprospectsofwar.Surelythisgoalissufficientlyimportantto requireoursteadypursuit,yieldingneithertothetemptationtogiveupthewholeeffortnor thetemptationtogiveupourinsistenceonvitalandresponsiblesafeguards. I'mtakingthisopportunity,therefore,toannouncetwoimportantdecisionsinthisregard. First,ChairmanKhrushchev,PrimeMinisterMacmillan,andIhaveagreedthathighlevel discussionswillshortlybegininMoscowlookingtowardsearlyagreementonacomprehensive testbantreaty.OurhopemustbetemperedOurhopesmustbetemperedwiththecaution ofhistorybutwithourhopesgothehopesofallmankind.Second,tomakeclearourgood faithandsolemnconvictionsonthismatter,InowdeclarethattheUnitedStatesdoesnot proposetoconductnucleartestsintheatmospheresolongasotherstatesdonotdoso.We willnotWewillnotbethefirsttoresume.Suchadeclarationisnosubstituteforaformal bindingtreaty,butIhopeitwillhelpusachieveone.Norwouldsuchatreatybeasubstitute fordisarmament,butIhopeitwillhelpusachieveit. Finally,myfellowAmericans,letusexamineourattitudetowardspeaceandfreedomhereat home.Thequalityandspiritofourownsocietymustjustifyandsupportoureffortsabroad. Wemustshowitinthededicationofourownlivesasmanyofyouwhoaregraduating todaywillhaveanopportunitytodo,byservingwithoutpayinthePeaceCorpsabroadorin theproposedNationalServiceCorpshereathome.Butwhereverweare,wemustall,inour dailylives,liveuptotheageoldfaiththatpeaceandfreedomwalktogether.Intoomanyof ourcitiestoday,thepeaceisnotsecurebecausefreedomisincomplete.Itistheresponsibility oftheexecutivebranchatalllevelsofgovernmentlocal,State,andNationaltoprovide andprotectthatfreedomforallofourcitizensbyallmeanswithinourauthority.Itisthe responsibilityofthelegislativebranchatalllevels,wherevertheauthorityisnotnow adequate,tomakeitadequate.Anditistheresponsibilityofallcitizensinallsectionsofthis countrytorespecttherightsofothersandrespectthelawoftheland.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page6

    AmericanRhetoric.com
    Allthisisnotunrelatedtoworldpeace."Whenaman'sway[s]pleasetheLord,"theScriptures tellus,"hemakethevenhisenemiestobeatpeacewithhim."Andisnotpeace,inthelast analysis,basicallyamatterofhumanrights:therighttoliveoutourliveswithoutfearof devastationtherighttobreatheairasnatureprovidedittherightoffuturegenerationstoa healthyexistence? Whileweproceedtosafeguardournationalinterests,letusalsosafeguardhumaninterests. Andtheeliminationofwarandarmsisclearlyintheinterestofboth.Notreaty,however muchitmaybetotheadvantageofall,howevertightlyitmaybeworded,canprovide absolutesecurityagainsttherisksofdeceptionandevasion.Butitcan,ifitissufficiently effectiveinitsenforcement,anditissufficientlyintheinterestsofitssigners,offerfarmore securityandfarfewerrisksthananunabated,uncontrolled,unpredictablearmsrace. TheUnitedStates,astheworldknows,willneverstartawar.Wedonotwantawar.Wedo notnowexpectawar.ThisgenerationofAmericanshasalreadyhadenoughmorethan enoughofwarandhateandoppression. Weshallbepreparedifotherswishit.Weshallbealerttotrytostopit.Butweshallalsodo ourparttobuildaworldofpeacewheretheweakaresafeandthestrongarejust.Wearenot helplessbeforethattaskorhopelessofitssuccess.Confidentandunafraid,wemustlaboron nottowardsastrategyofannihilationbuttowardsastrategyofpeace.

    TranscriptionbyMichaelE.Eidenmuller. PropertyofAmericanRhetoric.com. Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.

    Page7

    Vous aimerez peut-être aussi