American University Commencement.docx
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American University Commencement.docx
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AmericanUniversityCommencement
JohnF.Kennedy:
AmericanUniversityCommencementAddress
delivered
10
June
1963
AUTHENTICITYCERTIFIED:
Text
versionbelow
transcribed
directly
from
audio
PresidentAnderson,membersofthefaculty,boardoftrustees,distinguishedguests,myold
colleague,
SenatorBobByrd,who
hasearnedhisdegreethroughmanyyearsofattending
nightlawschool,whileIamearningmineinthenext
30minutes,distinguishedguests,ladies
andgentlemen:
It
iswithgreatpridethatIparticipateinthisceremonyoftheAmerican
University,sponsored
bytheMethodistChurch,foundedbyBishopJohnFletcherHurst,andfirstopenedby
President
WoodrowWilson
in1914.Thisisayoungandgrowinguniversity,butithasalready
fulfilledBishopHurst'senlightenedhopeforthestudyofhistoryandpublicaffairsinacity
devotedto
themakingofhistoryandto
theconductofthepublic'sbusiness.
Bysponsoringthisinstitutionofhigherlearningforallwhowish
to
learn,whatevertheircolor
ortheircreed,
theMethodistsofthisareaandthenationdeservethenation'sthanks,andI
commendallthosewhoaretodaygraduating.ProfessorWoodrow
Wilsononcesaidthat
every
man
sentoutfromauniversityshouldbeamanofhisnationaswellasamanofhistime,
andIamconfident
that
themenandwomenwhocarrythehonorofgraduatingfromthis
institutionwillcontinuetogivefromtheirlives,fromtheirtalents,ahighmeasureofpublic
serviceandpublicsupport.
Transcriptionby
Michael
E.Eidenmuller.Property
ofAmericanR..Copyright2006.Allrightsreserved.
Page
1
AmericanR
"Therearefew
earthlythingsmorebeautiful
thanauniversity,"wroteJohnMasefieldinhis
tributetoEnglishuniversitiesand
hiswordsareequallytruetoday.Hedidnotreferto
towersortocampuses.Headmiredthesplendidbeautyofauniversity,becauseitwas,he
said,"aplacewherethosewhohateignorancemaystriveto
know,wherethosewhoperceive
truthmaystriveto
makeotherssee."
Ihave,therefore,chosenthistimeandplaceto
discussatopiconwhichignorancetoooften
aboundsandthetruth
toorarelyperceived.
Andthatisthemostimportant
topiconearth:
peace.What
kindofpeacedoImeanandwhat
kindofapeacedoweseek?
NotaPax
AmericanaenforcedontheworldbyAmericanweaponsofwar.Not
thepeaceofthegraveor
thesecurityoftheslave.Iamtalkingaboutgenuinepeace,
thekindofpeacethatmakeslife
onearthworth
living,andthekindthatenablesmenandnationstogrow,andtohope,and
buildabetterlifefortheirchildren
not
merelypeaceforAmericansbutpeaceforall
men
andwomen,not
merelypeaceinourtimebutpeaceinall
time.
Ispeakofpeacebecauseofthenewfaceofwar.Totalwarmakesnosenseinanagewhere
greatpowerscan
maintain
largeandrelativelyinvulnerablenuclearforcesandrefuseto
surrenderwithoutresortto
thoseforces.It
makesnosenseinanagewhereasinglenuclear
weaponcontainsalmosttentimestheexplosiveforcedeliveredbyall
thealliedairforcesin
theSecondWorldWar.
It
makesnosenseinanagewhen
thedeadlypoisonsproducedbyanuclearexchangewould
becarriedbywindandwaterandsoilandseed
tothefarcornersoftheglobeandto
generationsyet
unborn.
Todaytheexpenditureofbillionsofdollarseveryyearonweaponsacquiredforthepurposeof
makingsureweneverneedthemisessential
to
thekeepingofpeace.
But
surelythe
acquisitionofsuchidlestockpileswhich
canonlydestroyandnevercreateis
not
the
only,muchlessthemostefficient,meansofassuringpeace.Ispeakofpeace,therefore,as
thenecessary,rationalendofrational
men.Irealizethepursuitofpeaceisnotasdramaticas
thepursuitofwar,andfrequentlythewordsofthepursuersfallondeafears.Butwehaveno
moreurgenttask.
Somesaythat
itisuselesstospeakofpeaceor
worldlaworworlddisarmament,andthatit
willbeuselessuntiltheleadersoftheSovietUnionadoptamoreenlightenedattitude.Ihope
theydo.Ibelievewecan
helpthemdo
it.ButI
alsobelievethatwemustreexamineourown
attitudes,asindividualsandasaNation,forourattitudeisasessentialastheirs.
Andeverygraduateofthisschool,everythoughtful
citizenwhodespairsofwarandwishesto
bringpeace,shouldbeginbylookinginward,by
examininghisownattitudetowardsthe
possibilitiesofpeace,towardstheSoviet
Union,towardsthecourseofthecoldwarand
towardsfreedomandpeacehereat
home.
Firstexamineourattitudetowardspeaceitself.Toomanyofusthinkitisimpossible.
Too
manythinkit
isunreal.But
that
isadangerous,defeatist
belief.It
leadsto
theconclusionthat
warisinevitable,thatmankindisdoomed,
thatwearegrippedbyforceswecannot
control.
Transcriptionby
Michael
E.Eidenmuller.Property
ofAmericanR..Copyright2006.Allrightsreserved.
Page
2
AmericanR
Weneednotacceptthatview.Ourproblemsaremanmade.therefore,
theycanbesolvedby
man.Andman
canbeasbigashewants.Noproblemofhuman
destinyisbeyondhuman
beings.Man'sreasonandspirit
haveoften
solvedtheseeminglyunsolvable,andwebelieve
theycando
itagain.Iamnot
referringto
theabsolute,
infiniteconceptofuniversalpeaceand
goodwillofwhichsomefantasiesandfanaticsdream.
Ido
notdenythevalueofhopesand
dreamsbutwemerelyinvitediscouragementandincredulitybymakingthatouronlyand
immediategoal.
Let
usfocusinsteadonamorepractical,moreattainablepeace,basednotonasudden
revolutioninhumannaturebutonagradualevolutioninhuman
institutionson
aseriesof
concreteactionsandeffectiveagreementswhichareintheinterestofallconcerned.Thereis
nosingle,simplekeytothispeace.nograndormagicformulatobeadoptedbyoneortwo
powers.Genuinepeacemustbetheproductof
manynations,thesumofmanyacts.Itmust
bedynamic,not
static,changingtomeetthechallengeofeach
new
generation.Forpeaceisa
processa
wayofsolvingproblems.
Withsuchapeace,
therewillstillbequarrelsandconflictinginterests,astherearewithin
familiesandnations.Worldpeace,likecommunitypeace,doesnotrequirethateach
man
love
hisneighbor,itrequiresonlythat
theylivetogetherinmutual
tolerance,submittingtheir
disputestoajustandpeacefulsettlement.Andhistoryteachesusthatenmitiesbetween
nations,asbetween
individuals,do
not
lastforever.Howeverfixedourlikesanddislikesmay
seem,thetideoftimeandeventswilloftenbringsurprisingchangesintherelationsbetween
nationsandneighbors.Soletuspersevere.Peaceneednotbeimpracticable,andwarneed
notbeinevitable.Bydefiningourgoalmoreclearly,bymakingitseemmoremanageableand
lessremote,wecan
helpallpeopletoseeit,to
drawhopefromit,andtomoveirresistibly
towardsit.
Andsecond,letusreexamineourattitudetowardstheSovietUnion.It
isdiscouragingtothink
that
theirleadersmayactuallybelievewhattheirpropagandistswrite.
It
isdiscouragingto
readarecent,authoritativeSoviettextonmilitarystrategyandfind,onpageafterpage,
whollybaselessandincredibleclaims,suchastheallegation
thatAmericanimperialistcircles
arepreparingtounleashdifferent
typesofwar,that
thereisaveryrealthreatofapreventive
warbeingunleashedbyAmericanimperialistsagainst
theSoviet
Union,andthat
thepolitical
aimsand
Iquote"
oftheAmerican
imperialistsaretoenslaveeconomicallyandpolitically
theEuropeanandothercapitalistcountriesandtoachieveworlddominationbymeansof
aggressivewar."
Truly,asitwaswritten
longago:
"Thewickedfleewhen
no
manpursueth."
Yet
it
issadtoreadtheseSovietstatements,to
realizetheextentofthegulfbetween
us.But
itisalsoawarning,awarningto
theAmericanpeoplenot
tofallintothesametrapasthe
Soviets,notto
seeonlyadistortedanddesperateviewoftheotherside,not
toseeconflictas
inevitable,accommodationasimpossible,andcommunicationasnothingmorethanan
exchangeofthreats.
Transcriptionby
Michael
E.Eidenmuller.Property
ofAmericanR..Copyright2006.Allrightsreserved.
Page
3
AmericanR
Nogovernmentorsocial
systemisso
evil
thatitspeoplemustbeconsideredaslackingin
virtue.AsAmericans,wefindcommunismprofoundlyrepugnantasanegationofpersonal
freedomanddignity.Butwecan
still
hail
theRussianpeoplefortheirmanyachievementsin
scienceandspace,ineconomicandindustrialgrowth,inculture,inactsofcourage.
Amongthemanytraitsthepeoplesofourtwocountrieshaveincommon,noneisstronger
thanourmutualabhorrenceofwar.Almost
uniqueamongthemajorworldpowers,wehave
neverbeenatwarwitheachother.Andno
nation
inthehistoryofbattleeversufferedmore
than
theSoviet
UnionintheSecond
WorldWar.
At
least
20million
losttheirlives.Countless
millionsofhomesandfamilieswereburnedorsacked.
Athirdofthenation'sterritory,
includingtwothirdsofitsindustrialbase,wasturnedintoawastelanda
lossequivalent
to
thedestructionofthiscountryeastofChicago.
Today,shouldtotalwareverbreakoutagainn
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