Protestant Council: Family Of Man Award Dinner, 1963-011-08, President John F. Kennedy

You Now is the time for all good. Sam I know does more good in New York City than any ten people here. But I would like to hope that this gathering of distinguished guests tonight is an indication of a greater desire for a dedication to the words to the greatest book that was ever written. I'd like to feel that this might be a symbol for the rest of the world in this ecumenical year which is so important to us all.

Or after all with all the great philosophers, the sociologists of our past decade, the Deed century, we found none who have been able to compete with the words of the Bible. And when you think of the terms of man's relationship with man is expressed by God in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, it is indeed a position which has never been equaled in terms of our own love for one another for our own abilities to work together for a goal which is the only goal that any free society can work for. And when you follow God's laws, you find that man made laws or minimized an importance all the time and need it's impossible to legislate morals. And if this distinguished group left here tonight as I hope they will, for the dedication to live up to the words of the greatest book of the world, this would be a tremendous influence for good.

And would be a great help to our distinguished President in his program in the years to come. I hope that this will be the theme and that our hopes and joys for this great world of ours will be all recognized to joint effort. Now it's a great privilege for me to introduce an old friend who will be really the Master of Sermon is the evening. As many of you know I started out as a Methodist and Mrs. Champion and I have attended Ralph Soxman's Church when he was Minister of Price Church. I felt sometimes that I had made a great mistake taking another card and would like to go back. Unfortunately Ralph never asked me to join.

But he's one of our finest citizens. He's done more good than anybody I know in my own immediate association. He's one of the finest influences in the Church. He's been one of the finest influences in many civic affairs. Past President of the Protestant Council, Minister of Maritus, Christ Church will now preside and it gives me a great deal of pleasure to present to you Dr. Ralph Soxman. Mr. President, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Ambassador and Mr. Champion. Not quite sure where a banker fits in this protocol but I've got him in. It's a high honor for me to welcome you to a history-making event. This is the largest dinner I believe ever given for a philanthropic or religious cause.

Under the auspices of the Protestant Council of New York, but it's entirely tonight, non-partisan and interfaith. Council has just one great overall objective. It is to redeem sinners. We're glad to see so many of you here tonight. This is not a political convention where you kindly grow quiet if possible. It is not possible for me to introduce the guests at the two rows in the desks and it is not necessary because they are so well known.

On their names appear on the printed program, I'm not sure that will help you much because if you do not know them already, it's proof you can't read. So don't lose hope, however, if you are too illiterate to read the program. Recognize the speakers because we, at least I personally, subscribe to the creed which was enunciated a few days ago by Ambassador Stephenson in Dallas, Texas. He is reported to have said that he believed in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance. If you do not, if you are too ignorant to know these at the guest tables tonight, just don't lose hope. You may be redeemed and recognize them in the next world, whichever one they get to anyway.

While there are no introductions of the days, there are one or two explanations I must make. This is a new venture. He is chairman this year, Mr. Manchi, who sits in front of me, was the honored guest this year before and he was the chairman last year. I'm not in on the committee arrangements and I do not know what understanding they have with our guest of honor tonight.

I was told they thought he might be a little too busy next November to come here and be chairman, but if he finds his work a little less severe than he expected next fall, we'd be glad to have him come. I will not press any further. Another explanation. Last two years ago, we had Mr. James P. Mitchell, former member of President Eisenhower's Cabinet, Republican. Last year, we had Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who is most of you know, is also a Republican, distinguished governor. This year, it was thought that since we are utterly nonpartisan, we should turn a bit democratic.

So we have gone democratic tonight and changed the price of the dinner from $50 to $100 a week. Under Mr. Leida's door of leadership, this has been so successful. I am going to suggest to the committee that they look up another democratic custom, which I've read $1,000 a plate. Since our income taxes will all be reduced next year, I suppose we'd gladly pay $1,000 a plate. There's just a little mixture of emotion in my own feeling tonight.

I enjoy the success of these dinners and the great occasion of having a great president here tonight. But I remember a conversation I had in 1952 with a taxi driver. He was doing the presidential campaign and we were riding along and talking about the campaign and he said, you know, the presidency is one job I wouldn't want. I was startled and he gave the reason. He said there would be nothing to look forward to. So tonight, having introduced business tycoons and members of the cabinet and governor, I'm at the ceremony where our guest of honor is the president of the United States. I have nothing more to look forward to. I'll see you're glad of that. But anyway, I know that I'm as near to the presidency tonight as I'll ever be. It's a bit hard to take.

But we are here for something far more important than explanations or introductions. We are here for the inauguration of a great new venture, the society for the family of man. This is more than a goodwill gathering of different faiths. We can generate a certain amount of goodwill by fellowship conferences and good dinners. But that's man made. Tonight we're recognizing and trying to symbolize something that's God made, the family of man. We want to understand ourselves that when we see rights for our fellow men and we're not going against the grain of human nature, we're going in line with God's own plan. And the design of the medal to be given tonight has been made by Mr. Sidney Simon, who I think has gotten that conception very vividly.

He began winning fellowships and awards when he was 23. He has gone on winning I think about all the awards and honors that flesh can be earned. He has been a judge on many award jurors. He has taught in several schools and he has created now this symbol of the family of man. If Mr. Simon is present and I believe he is, will he stand up and take a bow? We have also a guest that I would like to recognize because he gave somewhat of the concept of this family of man in the exhibit which he put on at the Museum of Modern History in I think 1955. That exhibit I believe is the first exhibit to be taken beyond the Iron Curtain. Mr. Edward Steichen has paintings in the museums of Paris and the Metropolitan in New York.

He's a pioneer in the photographic art and he's our great contributor by Mr. Steichen here. I'm sure he is. I would like to recognize Mr. Joe Fiorillo, who has been the moving genius along with the staff council in this concept but he refuses to stand up. I want simply to pay my tribute to him, these are the council staff. You've already heard what a great factor Mr. Samuel Lightestoff has been so we owe him our great honor to him. Now I want to introduce the leader of us all in the Protestant Council, Dr. Dan Potter. We got him from Massachusetts and I was on the committee that helped to get him.

We thought that if anyone could improve in any way the spiritual conditions of Massachusetts he would make a clean sweep in New York and he has done it. Only this great gathering is evidence of it but he has worked that reached as a quarter of a million of our people in New York in welfare work. He has the great project that the world's fair council now is trying to build a proper symbol out there also at Idlewide. He's a Presbyterian minister and could go back any time to the Presbyterian pastorate but money does not tempt him. He is having once had residents near Boston. I have no doubt he's had many opportunities to go to Washington but he prefers hard work and stays here.

I have great pleasure in presenting Dan Potter wise enough to be understanding courageous in his convictions and yet courteous with those who differ big enough to be modest. Thank you very much Dr. Sockman, Mr. President, Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Mayor. It's always so happy to have Susan Wagner with us and all of our occasions. It's wonderful. Mr. Ambassador, distinguished guests here at the day and ladies and gentlemen. This night is a night of realization. The realization of a dream that has been at least a decade long. Your presence here tonight has really made that dream come true.

We started a couple of years ago at the Waldorf Astoria. We outgrew that hotel. We then went to the Astor Hotel as you know last year with our guest of honor being the chairman of our dinner tonight. George champion that we outgrew the Astor Hotel. My real problem is with the great crowd here tonight and the fact that yesterday we had to stop receiving reservations. Where are we going to go from here? It's really a wonderful feeling to know that there is this growing upsurge within our community of cooperation and of interest in each other. Our special thanks of course goes to the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. His willingness tonight to accept this award and be here humbles all of us. We are also extremely grateful to the mayor of our city, Mayor Wagner, without his help, without his intercession. We wouldn't have this affair tonight. And of course the work of George champion and Sam Leiter's Dorf and Dr. Gensolving and Dallas Sherman who is chairman of our Board of Directors and all of the corporations and individuals who have worked so hard to make this the greatest dinner, largest and most successful as kind anywhere in America.

And my thanks go to all of you. I want to say again special tribute in another way to Mr. Leiter's Dorf. I've already applauded him a couple of times, but not many of you know here tonight that Sam Leiter's Dorf personally took more tables at this dinner than any other single person. But beyond this, he also engaged, employed a number of staff persons, sent them to the Protestant Council. He took care of the payroll of them and these more than a half a dozen persons worked with us for almost two months. And I want to salute you. And even though as a staff person, the one who is most responsible staff wise for this dinner is not willing to stand up, he certainly does deserve a hand because the one mind behind all of this who's worked for more than a year is Joe Ferello.

I want to salute you. Let us give him a hand. Now very briefly, since our dinner last fall, the Council's program has advanced on virtually every front. Time does not permit detailed report, but let me refer to two areas, the delinquency prevention program and interfaith cooperation. In the area of delinquency prevention, a special word of thanks is due to the President of the United States for the federal group use projects that are operating here in New York City and a special tribute to Mayor Wagner and the New York City Youth Board, whose executive director Arthur Rogers is here tonight. I am convinced that without the youth board and the voluntary agencies that have cooperated with it, the streets in the areas of high delinquency in this city would this very night be running with blood.

Not all the tensions are solved by any means. Just a few days ago, Cleveland Lasseter, who is our executive in charge of the Council's delinquency prevention services, placed this report on my desk, I quote, last night at 9.30pm, one of the boys we were serving at our youth center at Jane's Church, went across the street for soda. As he returned, a gang from a neighboring community pounced upon him, beat him, and stabbed him in the back. He made his way into the church where he collapsed, and before an ambulance could be secured, he was pronounced dead. This is in 1963, and this is in civilized New York City. Without these centers with trained group workers strategically placed throughout the city, this incident would be multiplied nightly by gang warfare as it was some 10 years ago. The Council has 17 of these youth centers, now and three new contracts were signed with the workers beginning this month, serving teenagers regardless of their rates, or their creed, or their national origin, for they are all part of the family of man.

Most of you here tonight live outside of the inner city and its problems, but not outside of its influence. What happens in the inner city eventually affects the entire metropolitan area. Your support of the Council strengthens it to serve for you in these critical neighborhoods. Those with means have moved out to the suburbs, and they have left many of the churches and many of the synagogues with heavy financial burdens, with little hope of meeting the needs in those neighborhoods, without outside help. But delinquency prevention, of course, is only one of the many phases of your Council's program. The Board of Directors is giving major attention to its building program. We are in the midst of building the $3 million dollar center at the World's Fair, to emphasize the important contributions that religion has made to the greatness of America. And the $1 million dollar chapel at the Idlewile Airport to extend a friendly hand to the visitors from overseas.

But more important than physical buildings is our helping to rebuild the moral character of America. Dr. Sockman recently quoted this statement, which was found in variety, the Bible of show business. And I quote, silently, contagiously, sometime inside and sometime outside the law, the national cheating habit deepens. Contract kickbacks, shady deals, political grafting, media payoffs, business embezzlement, income concealment, labor feather betting, capital price fixing, farm over payments, shoddy workmanship, venial journalism, academic cribbing, and perhaps worst of all, an American stampede away from responsibility. To meet this challenge, there must be closer working partnership between the Roman Catholic, the Jewish, and the Protestant communities working for the sake of the whole community, the whole family of man. And this I submit is the new thrust in this new day. Again, appreciation is due to our mayor for mayor Wagner inaugurated the Committee of Religious Leaders.

150 leaders officially appointed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the diocese of Brooklyn, the New York Board of Rabbis, the Queens Federation of Churches, and the Protestant Council of City of New York. These are banded together to help lift the moral and ethical climate of our megalophilus in many of the strategic areas. To make our city a nation a better place in which to live and work is everybody's business. And we must find more and more areas in which the major religious forces in the nation can work together with a major business and political forces. This is one of the principal reasons that tonight at this dinner, the Protestant Council is launching the new family of man and presenting the first family of man award to the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. At future dinners, excuse me for speeding on in contact of our time, at future dinners special awards will be presented in the areas of world peace, human relations, mass communications, and education. This society will express the determination of the council to cooperate on the broadest base possible in building a better society for all the children in this nation regardless of their race, creed, or national origin.

I close with this very simple notation in our ballot sheet, July 11, 1963, paid $260 to Charles Rollerson, funeral director for the funeral service and burial expenses of Miss Anne, who had no known relatives. Though she was not a member of their church, the members of Ephesus Church ministered to her at King's County Hospital until her death. There were no funds available for funeral expenses. The Protestant Council was requested to provide a decent burial. The request was granted. We can only provide compassion and service because you are here tonight. Your care, your prayers, and your help. May God bless you all, and thank you for all of your help. I am under a bit of restraint in introducing the next speaker.

About two weeks ago, I was at a college where Mr. Jim Farley, who was at the day, was given another of his many honorary degrees. Mr. Farley was called on to say something, and he said he would like to get through Congress a law limiting toastmasters to 30 seconds because they were introducing speakers that everybody knew. He developed his point so thoroughly, so effectively that he left the toastmaster less than 30 seconds to introduce the next speaker. He has impressed me with this problem. I present the mayor of New York, who is known to everyone in America.

He often said that the mayor of New York has the second most important and also most difficult political office in America. And mayor Wagner rises to both the responsibility, and I think to the sign that he recognizes the burden of it. I think mayor Wagner has the most politically photogenic face I've ever seen. He always looks those big, large, round, honest eyes as if he were appealing for help. And he usually gets it. We're a bit uncertain. Recent press reports as to what his future may be. But if I were a bidding man, I'd lay an off-track bet on the fact that mayor Wagner will be in some race for something before long.

He's so much in our foreground. We may forget his background. Distinguished parentage. Educated at Yale. Various commissions than as President of the Bureau of Manhattan. And for the last 10 years now has been our mayor. Working at nights, long hours to cure our troubles. He believes in New York than the people of New York believe in him. I'm honored to present his honor and mayor of New York City. Thank you very much, my good friend. Spockman and other distinguished members of the clergy. I glad you didn't bring up any great detail off-track betting.

Mr. President, Governor Stevenson, Mr. George Champion, Mr. Sam Lightestoff and ladies and gentlemen. New York's $8 million are truly dignified by this occasion. This launching of the society for the family of man. Everywhere we look at home or abroad, the human situation in the most fundamental senses, most precarious. The situation challenges us in all of its aspects from the world, the national and the local point of view. Mankind cries for the need for dedication, vision and sacrifice for all of the high and noble values of our time and of all times. These times call for leadership. They also call for concrete examples. An old French proverb says, precept begins, example accomplishes.

We need the example of all peoples of all races, all colors and creeds, working together and doing things together. We need the most compassionate approach to the social, personal and individual problems of those left behind in the ruthless race of living, the tender young, the helpless old. We need a rededication to faith and hope and charity by all of us individually and all of us together. This I know and gather is the basic purpose of this society. New York City is proud to bear witness to the valor as well as to the value of the works of this council and this society. And before reading the official proclamation of the city of New York, I say to you, as Paul said to the Galileans, let us not be weary in well doing for induced season, we shall read.

And I compliment you and I may be a little prejudice on the award tonight to a great American and one we're very proud president of the United States. And now I'm delighted to read this proclamation and presented to Dr. Kim Salving, which is as follows. The new society for the family of man known as Pasa Patria to be established on Friday, November 8th by the Protestant Council of the City of New York will reward excellence and achievements in the areas of world peace, human relations, mass media and education. And whereas to the family of man society, the Protestant Council declares itself to do more in its services to the community in order to establish criteria of excellence in human behavior, effort and behavior. And whereas the society for the family of man is dedicated to lifting the moral ethical and democratic climate of our city and nation, and we expect that groups of all faiths sharing these same concerns will join the council.

And now therefore I, Robert F. Wagner, Mayor of the City of New York to hereby proclaim November 8th, 1963 as family of man day in New York City and direct the attention of all citizens to this important event in the life of our community. And I'm delighted to make this presentation of this proclamation to our good friend Dr. Kim Salving. Thank you very much. Heart of the matter of the evening. I'm so enthusiastic about this new society, I could say more myself, but I might steal his thunder and he's an Episcopalian rector who needs all the thunder that he has. And his parish had to fill the place of Bishop Dunnigan. They looked far and wide to find a worthy successor.

And they found in Dr. Kim Salving a man who had ministered to the students of Amherst by a church there to the students of Princeton by his pastor there, the city of Boston by his great church there. He's an interpreter of souls and of the gospel. He was my neighbor for 13 years, been my friend for 30 years. He still carries on so youthfully and youthfully that I feel sure that when the role is called up Yonder, he'll be here. Dr. Kim Salving. Dr. Zarazわか Wong. Dr. Thakman. Dr. Strider. Dr. Andangs. Dr. Biden. Dr.anna Donagan. Dr. Le Delphine. Dr. Methodman. Dr. Hassan. Dr. Moncer. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr தakman. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr THakman. Dr. Dr δÖMURД. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr M appreciated. Dr. Dr. Dr motherfucker. Dr. Dr. Dr Dr 검 Asgor. Dr. Dr Dr. Dr. Dr Dr. Dr Dr. Dr. Dr Dr. Drрос Ziewas says Dr. Dr.

share the question of the propriety of a quite ordinary clergyman having the honor of presenting the award. We Protestants are not supposed to have much experience of holding a full house, but tonight I feel in the midst of a royal straight flush in the presence of so many dignitaries. Mr. President, we are signalizing your presence to launch or to bring to birth tonight the family of

man, which has nothing to do with planned parenthood, but there's an ambitious undertaking. The New York City gathering people from every race and national origin into a somewhat workable harmony, would you agree, Mr. Mayor, is in itself now as the locus of the United Nations a prophecy of the family of man. However, we realize that the basis for the family of man has not been established by men, but by God. For its original recognition in history, we are eternally indebted to the Hebrew insight that man was made after the image and likeness of God. For every human being upon earth is held in the heart and compassion of God, which fact

confers upon all men their dignity and equality. A variant reading in a translation of the New Testament reports after watching one of Jesus' typical works of mercy, that quote, they were amazed at the great heartedness of God. To date, no branch of the church which bears his name is so broad and inclusive in scope, has to be able to give full witness to the purpose of the original announcement at Christmas that the good tidings shall be to all people. This unity has ever mod the record of mankind because of human pride and exclusiveness. But in our century, new and compelling factors, such as the means of total thermonuclear destruction, the Cold War, the population explosion, the belated recognition

of the enormity of man's inhumanity through racial prejudice, require that we find all men as our brothers or else perished together in common destruction. Dr. Sarkman identified us at the outset as sinners, but I heard recently him quoted as saying that probably the trouble with the world was that the good people in the world seemed to grow tired of being good before the bad people in the world grew tired of being bad. A striking factor of this dinner, Mr. President, is that the Protestant Council honors you, our first Roman Catholic president, perhaps somewhat in acknowledgment of gratitude that you, a man of destiny, have helped many break out of their prejudices and suspicions to realize what we should ever have known that we in the United States are all one people. Your administration...

Your administration has partly coincided with that of one who made an incredible alteration of the climate of our time. I refer, as you already guessed, to that veritable saint of God, his Holiness Pope John the 23rd. For he has given us new hope not only of the ultimate reunion of Christendom, but for brotherliness and mutual respect for the priorities of all men. The Protestant Council of New York City, having had considerable experience of interfaith cooperation in many vital services, is launching tonight the society for the family of man, resolved to invite

from every group and indeed from every individual, cooperative concern for all human needs, not only physical but moral and spiritual, that recognizing it as a matter of family concern we made together quickly reverse the recent widely noticed frightening deterioration and deed, degradation of our moral values, to which Dan Potter already referred. Future awards for the society of man will seek to encourage and do honor, prominent service in such areas as the world peace, human relations, education and mass media. What could be more suspicious than it that you, President Kennedy, have accepted our invitation to be the original recipient of this significant award? It would be an impertinence on my part for one so obscure to even try to appraise your contribution in the fields of world peace while

protecting the free world from the present threat of war, of civil rights and of race relations, of the development of world resources and of international understanding. Mr. President, when listening to your eloquent, inaugural address, I recall a sense of awe that any man should be willing, prepared, dedicated and able to assume the leadership and defense of the United States and of the whole free world in an almost unimaginably demanding, dangerous epoch of history. Subsequently, I have often wondered what it must mean to you to know that you are regularly in our prayers, sir, that Almighty God may bless, protect, guide, strengthen and inspire you. Whatever our private political persuasions or critical

independence of judgment, you may be assured of the solidarity of our loyalty and support. You are our president. You are the man called, yes, I believe of God Almighty, to lead America in this era, so precarious, yet pregnant with unprecedented opportunities, toward the fulfillment of what was intended by God from the beginning of time, the realization of the whole family of man. APPLAUSE One face of this medallion carries simply the words in Greek Pasa Patria. When the other side is engraven, Protestant Council of the City of New York, the family of man

award to John F. Kennedy, November 8th, 1963, in recognition of creative leadership and dedicated service. It is a high honor to give you honor. APPLAUSE Thank you. From the consolving, Dr. Sockman, from the potter, Father Morgan, Rabbi Rosenblum, Mr. Mayor, Governor Stevenson, Mr. Champion, Mr. Lighter's

Law, distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen. I had wondered what I would do when I retired from the presidency whenever that time might come. Dr. Sockman was the first man to suggest work as challenging as the presidency in becoming chairman of the Protestant Council's annual dinner, and I'm very grateful to you. I'm also... I also regret very much that another honored guest of this dinner on a previous occasion is not with us tonight. I follow his career with more interest than he might imagine. In his quest for the presidency, Governor Rockefeller, follows the example of other distinguished New Yorkers Wendell Wilkie, Thomas Dewey, Richard Nixon,

and I wish him some margin of success. I'm gratified to receive this award from the council, and I'm impressed by what you're doing here in the city. And I think that the words of Reverend Potter, they're a very careful reflection by us all. The United States is not in the position which England was when Benjamin Disraeli described it as two nations divided, the rich and the poor. This is generally a prosperous country, but there is a stream of poverty that runs across the United States, which is not exposed to the lives of good many of us, and therefore we're relatively unaware of it, except statistically. It's concentrated to some measure in the large cities from which, as he said,

so many people are moving out. It's concentrated in some of our rural areas. New York Times, two weeks ago, I think, had an article by Mr. Bigot on a desperate poverty in several rural counties of Eastern Kentucky, schools which were without windows, some cases, even with occasional teachers, counties without resources to even distribute the surplus food that we make available. And what is true in some of the older coal mining areas of the United States is very true in our cities. And we see it in some statistics where we have a mental retardation rate for our children of three times out of Sweden, where we have an infant mortality rate behind half the countries of Europe, where we have about eight million young boys and girls in the next years, in this decade, who will drop out of school, and a good many of them out of work, and this council, and the religious leaders of the Catholic faith and the Jewish faith,

have a great responsibility not only for the moral life of the community, but also for the well-being of those who have been left behind. We are attempting in cooperation with the state and the city, as Reverend Potter described, to carry out a pilot program here in the city of New York. But it's only a beginning, and there are hundreds of thousands without resources, and we have a responsibility to all of them. We have it in Washington. The schools were integrated a few years ago, about half the population of Washington is Negro, today 85 percent of the children in the schools of Washington are Negro. Others, whites who are more prosperous generally have moved away and left the problem behind. So I commend this council for its concern for the family of man here in the city of New York, and I hope that its efforts will be matched by others and other cities across the country. And that we will remember that, in this very rich, constantly increasing prosperity that there are some who,

for whom we have a responsibility. I want to speak tonight very briefly, however, about the family of man beyond the United States. Just as the family of man is not limited to a single race or religion, neither can it be limited to a single city or country. The family of man is more than three billion strong. It lives in more than 100 nations. Most of its members are not white. Most of them are not Christians. Most of them know nothing about free enterprise or due process of law or the Australian ballot. If our society is to promote the family of man, let us realize the magnitude of our task. This is a sobering assignment. For the family of man in the world today is not fairing very well. The members of a family should be at peace with one another, but they are not.

And the hostilities are not confined to the great powers of the East and the West. On the contrary, the United States and the Soviet Union each fully aware of their mutually destructive powers and their worldwide responsibilities and obligations have, on occasion, sought to introduce a greater note of caution in their approach to areas of conflict. Yet lasting peace between East and West would not bring peace to the family of man. Within the last month, the past four weeks, the world is witnessed active or threatened hostilities in a dozen or more disputes, independent of the struggle between communism and the free world, disputes between Africans and Europeans in Angola, between North African neighbors in the Maghreb, between two Arab states over Yemen,

between India and Pakistan, between Indonesia and Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, Ethiopia and Somalia, and a long list of others. In each of these cases of conflict, neither party can afford to divert to these needless hostilities, the precious resources that their people require, in almost every case, the parties to these disputes are more in common ethnically and ideologically than do the Soviet Union and the United States. Yet they often seem less able and less willing to get together and negotiate. In almost every case, their continuing conflict invites outside intervention and threatens worldwide escalation. Yet the major powers are hard put to limit events in these areas. As I said recently at the United Nations,

even little wars are dangerous in this nuclear world. The long labor of peace is an undertaking for every nation, large and small for every member of the family of man. In this effort, none of us can remain unaligned. To this goal, none can be uncommitted. If the family of man cannot achieve greater unity and harmony, the very planet which serves as its home may find its future in peril. But there are other troubles besetting the human family. Many of its members live in poverty and misery and despair. More than one out of three, according to the FAO, suffers from malnutrition or undernutrition or both. While more than one in ten live below the breadline, two out of every five adults on this planet

are, according to UNESCO, illiterate. One out of eight suffers from tricoma or lives in an area where malaria is still a clear and present danger. Ten million nearly as many men, women and children as inhabit this city and Los Angeles combined, still suffer from leprosy. And countless others suffer from yours or tuberculosis or intestinal parasites. For the blessings of life have not been distributed evenly to the family of man. Life expectancy in this most fortunate of nations has reached the biblical three-score years in ten. But in the less developed nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the overwhelming majority of infants cannot expect to live even two-score years and five. In those vast continents, more than half the children of primary school age are not in school.

More than half the families live in substandard dwellings. More than half the people live on less than $100 a year. Two out of every three adults are illiterate. The family of man can survive differences of race and religion. Contrary to the assertions of Mr. Khrushchev, it can accept differences of ideology, politics, and economics. But it cannot survive in the form in which we know it, a nuclear war, and neither can it long endure the growing gulf between the rich and the poor. The rich must help the poor. The industrialized nations must help the developing nations. And the United States, along with its allies, must do better. It's not worse by its foreign aid program, which is now being subjected to such intense debate

in the Senate of the United States. To often we advance the need of foreign aid, only in terms of our economic self-interest. To be sure, foreign aid is in our economic self-interest. It provides more than a half a million jobs for workers in every state. It finances a rising share of our exports and builds new and growing export markets. It generates the purchase of military and civilian equipment by other governments in this country. It makes possible the stationing of three and one-half million troops along the Communist periphery at a price one-tenth, the cost of maintaining a comparable number of American soldiers. And it helps to stave off the kind of chaos or communist takeover or communist attack

that would surely demand our critical and costly attention. The Korean conflict alone, forgetting for a moment, the thousands of Americans who lost their lives cost four times as much as our total worldwide aid budget for the current year, but foreign aid is not advanced only out of American economic self-interest. The gulf between rich and poor, which divides the family of man, is an invitation to agitate us, subversors, and aggressors. It encourages the ambitions of those who desire to dominate the world, which threatens the peace and freedom of us all. Never has there been any question in my mind, President Eisenhower said recently, as to the necessity of a program, of economic and military aid, to keep the free nations of the world

from being overrun by the communists. It is that simple. This is not a partisan matter for 17 years through three administrations. This program has been supported by presidents and leaders of both parties. It is being supported today in the Congress, by those in leadership on both sides of the aisle, who recognize the urgency of this program in the achievement of peace and freedom. Yet there are still those who are unable or unwilling to accept these simple facts who find it politically convenient to denounce foreign aid on the one hand and in the same sentence, to denounce the communist menace. I do not say that there have been no mistakes in aid administration. I do not say it is purchased for us, lasting popularity, or servile satellites. I do say it is one essential instrument

in the creation of a better, more peaceful world. I do say that it has substituted strength for weakness all over the globe, encouraging nations struggling to be free to stand on their own two feet. And I do not say that nearly because others may not bear their share of the burden that it is any excuse for the United States not to meet its responsibility. So those who say it has been a failure, how can we measure success? By the economic viability of 14 nations in Western Europe, Japan, Spain, Lebanon, where our economic aid after having completed its task has ended by the refusal of a single one of the more than 50 new members, a single one of the more than 50 new members of the United Nations to go the communist route by the reduction of malaria

in India, for example, from 75 million cases to 2000, by the 18,000 classrooms and 4 million textbooks bringing learning to Latin America under the infant alliance for progress. Nearly two years ago, my wife and I visited Bogota, Columbia, where a vast new alliance for progress housing project was just getting underway. Earlier this year, I received a letter from the first resident of this 1200 new home development. Now we wrote, we have dignity and liberty, dignity and liberty. These words of the foundation as they've been since 47 of the mutual security program, for the dignity and liberty of all free men, of a world of diversity, where the balance of power is clearly on the side of free nations is essential to the security of the United States

and a weakened and watered down the pending program to confuse and confine its flexibility with rigid restrictions and rejections. Well, not only harm our economy, it will hamper our security. It will waste our present investment, and it will, above all, forfeit our obligation to our fellow men, obligations that stem from our wealth and strength, from our devotion to freedom, and from our membership in the family of men, I think we can meet those obligations. I think we can afford to fulfill these commitments around the world when 90% of them are used to purchase goods and services here in the United States, including, for example, one-third of this nation's total fertilizer exports, one-fourth of our iron and steel exports, around the world, one-third of our locomotive exports,

a cut of $1 billion. And our total foreign aid program may save $100 million in our balance of payments, but it costs us $900 million in exports. I think the American people are willing to shoulder this burden, contrary to repeated warnings, prophecies, and expressions of hope in the 17 years since the Marshal Plan began, I know of no single officeholder who has ever defeated because he supported this program. And the burden is less today than ever before, despite the fact that this year's aid request is about $1 billion less than the average request of the last 15 years that 4% to many members of Congress today complained that 4% of our federal budget is too much to give to this program,

yet in 1951, that program amounted to nearly 20% of our budget, 20% in 1951, and 4% today. They refused today to vote more than $4 billion to this effort. This Congress has already reduced this year's aid budget, $600 million, below the amount recommended by the Clay Committee. Is this nation stating it cannot afford to spend an additional $600 million to help the developing nations of the world become strong and free and independent, and amount less than this country's annual outlay for lipstick, face cream, and chewing gum? Are we saying that we cannot help 19 needy neighbors in Latin America and do as much for the 19 as the Communist bloc is doing for the island of Cuba alone? Applause Some say they're tiring of this task

or tired of world problems and their complexities, or tired of hearing those who receive our aid disagree with us. But are we tired of living in a free world? We expect that world overnight to be like the United States. Are we going to stop now, merely because we have not produced complete success? I do not believe our adversaries are tired, and I cannot believe that the United States of America in 1963 is fatigued. Surely the Americans of the 1960s can do half as well as the Americans of the 1950s. Surely we're not going to throw away our hopes and means for peaceful progress in an outburst of irritation and frustration. I do not want it said of us, but T.S. Eliot said of others some years ago, these were a decent people. They're only monument,

the asphalt road, and a thousand lost golf balls. I think we can do better than that. My fellow Americans, I hope we will be guided by our interests. I hope we will recognize that the struggle is by no means over, that it's essential that we not only maintain our effort, but that we persevere, that we not only endure Mr. Faulkner's words, but also prevail, it is essential and short. That the word go forth from the United States to all who are concerned about the future of the family of man that we are not weary in well-doing, and we shall, I am confident, if we maintain the pace, we shall, in due season, reap the kind of world we deserve, and deserve the kind of world we will have. Thank you. APPLAUSE