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