| Mr. Vice President, Mr. Chief Justice, and fellow citizens,
I accept with humility the honor which the American people have conferred upon me. I
accept it with a deep resolve to do all that I can for the welfare of this Nation and for
the peace of the world. |
| In performing the duties of my office, I need the
help and prayers of every one of you. I ask for your encouragement and your support. The
tasks we face are difficult, and we can accomplish them only if we work together. |
| Each period of our national history has had its
special challenges. Those that confront us now are as momentous as any in the past. Today
marks the beginning not only of a new administration, but of a period that will be
eventful, perhaps decisive, for us and for the world. |
| It may be our lot to experience, and in large measure
to bring about, a major turning point in the long history of the human race. The first
half of this century has been marked by unprecedented and brutal attacks on the rights of
man, and by the two most frightful wars in history. The supreme need of our time is for
men to learn to live together in peace and harmony. |
| The peoples of the earth face the future with grave
uncertainty, composed almost equally of great hopes and great fears. In this time of
doubt, they look to the United States as never before for good will, strength, and wise
leadership. |
| It is fitting, therefore, that we take this occasion
to proclaim to the world the essential principles of the faith by which we live, and to
declare our aims to all peoples. |
| The American people stand firm in the faith which has
inspired this Nation from the beginning. We believe that all men have a right to equal
justice under law and equal opportunity to share in the common good. We believe that all
men have the right to freedom of thought and expression. We believe that all men are
created equal because they are created in the image of God. |
| From this faith we will not be moved. |
| The American people desire, and are determined to
work for, a world in which all nations and all peoples are free to govern themselves as
they see fit, and to achieve a decent and satisfying life. Above all else, our people
desire, and are determined to work for, peace on earth—a just and lasting
peace—based on genuine agreement freely arrived at by equals. |
| In the pursuit of these aims, the United States and
other like-minded nations find themselves directly opposed by a regime with contrary aims
and a totally different concept of life. |
| That regime adheres to a false philosophy which
purports to offer freedom, security, and greater opportunity to mankind. Misled by this
philosophy, many peoples have sacrificed their liberties only to learn to their sorrow
that deceit and mockery, poverty and tyranny, are their reward. |
| That false philosophy is communism. |
| Communism is based on the belief that man is so weak
and inadequate that he is unable to govern himself, and therefore requires the rule of
strong masters. |
| Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the
moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with
reason and justice. |
| Communism subjects the individual to arrest without
lawful cause, punishment without trial, and forced labor as the chattel of the state. It
decrees what information he shall receive, what art he shall produce, what leaders he
shall follow, and what thoughts he shall think. |
| Democracy maintains that government is established
for the benefit of the individual, and is charged with the responsibility of protecting
the rights of the individual and his freedom in the exercise of his abilities. |
| Communism maintains that social wrongs can be
corrected only by violence. |
| Democracy has proved that social justice can be
achieved through peaceful change. |
| Communism holds that the world is so deeply divided
into opposing classes that war is inevitable. |
| Democracy holds that free nations can settle
differences justly and maintain lasting peace. |
| These differences between communism and democracy do
not concern the United States alone. People everywhere are coming to realize that what is
involved is material well-being, human dignity, and the right to believe in and worship
God. |
| I state these differences, not to draw issues of
belief as such, but because the actions resulting from the Communist philosophy are a
threat to the efforts of free nations to bring about world recovery and lasting peace. |
| Since the end of hostilities, the United States has
invested its substance and its energy in a great constructive effort to restore peace,
stability, and freedom to the world. |
| We have sought no territory and we have imposed our
will on none. We have asked for no privileges we would not extend to others. |
| We have constantly and vigorously supported the
United Nations and related agencies as a means of applying democratic principles to
international relations. We have consistently advocated and relied upon peaceful
settlement of disputes among nations. |
| We have made every effort to secure agreement on
effective international control of our most powerful weapon, and we have worked steadily
for the limitation and control of all armaments. |
| We have encouraged, by precept and example, the
expansion of world trade on a sound and fair basis. |
| Almost a year ago, in company with 16 free nations of
Europe, we launched the greatest cooperative economic program in history. The purpose of
that unprecedented effort is to invigorate and strengthen democracy in Europe, so that the
free people of that continent can resume their rightful place in the forefront of
civilization and can contribute once more to the security and welfare of the world. |
| Our efforts have brought new hope to all mankind. We
have beaten back despair and defeatism. We have saved a number of countries from losing
their liberty. Hundreds of millions of people all over the world now agree with us, that
we need not have war—that we can have peace. |
| The initiative is ours. |
| We are moving on with other nations to build an even
stronger structure of international order and justice. We shall have as our partners
countries which, no longer solely concerned with the problem of national survival, are now
working to improve the standards of living of all their people. We are ready to undertake
new projects to strengthen the free world. |
| In the coming years, our program for peace and
freedom will emphasize four major courses of action. |
| First, we will continue to give unfaltering support
to the United Nations and related agencies, and we will continue to search for ways to
strengthen their authority and increase their effectiveness. We believe that the United
Nations will be strengthened by the new nations which are being formed in lands now
advancing toward self-government under democratic principles. |
| Second, we will continue our programs for world
economic recovery. |
| This means, first of all, that we must keep our full
weight behind the European recovery program. We are confident of the success of this major
venture in world recovery. We believe that our partners in this effort will achieve the
status of self-supporting nations once again. |
| In addition, we must carry out our plans for reducing
the barriers to world trade and increasing its volume. Economic recovery and peace itself
depend on increased world trade. |
| Third, we will strengthen freedom-loving nations
against the dangers of aggression. |
| We are now working out with a number of countries a
joint agreement designed to strengthen the security of the North Atlantic area. Such an
agreement would take the form of a collective defense arrangement within the terms of the
United Nations Charter. |
| We have already established such a defense pact for
the Western Hemisphere by the treaty of Rio de Janeiro. |
| The primary purpose of these agreements is to provide
unmistakable proof of the joint determination of the free countries to resist armed attack
from any quarter. Each country participating in these arrangements must contribute all it
can to the common defense. |
| If we can make it sufficiently clear, in advance,
that any armed attack affecting our national security would be met with overwhelming
force, the armed attack might never occur. |
| I hope soon to send to the Senate a treaty respecting
the North Atlantic security plan. |
| In addition, we will provide military advice and
equipment to free nations which will cooperate with us in the maintenance of peace and
security. |
| Fourth, we must embark on a bold new program for
making the benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress available for the
improvement and growth of underdeveloped areas. |
| More than half the people of the world are living in
conditions approaching misery. Their food is inadequate. They are victims of disease.
Their economic life is primitive and stagnant. Their poverty is a handicap and a threat
both to them and to more prosperous areas. |
| For the first time in history, humanity possesses the
knowledge and the skill to relieve the suffering of these people. |
| The United States is pre-eminent among nations in the
development of industrial and scientific techniques. The material resources which we can
afford to use for the assistance of other peoples are limited. But our imponderable
resources in technical knowledge are constantly growing and are inexhaustible. |
| I believe that we should make available to
peace-loving peoples the benefits of our store of technical knowledge in order to help
them realize their aspirations for a better life. And, in cooperation with other nations,
we should foster capital investment in areas needing development. |
| Our aim should be to help the free peoples of the
world, through their own efforts, to produce more food, more clothing, more materials for
housing, and more mechanical power to lighten their burdens. |
| We invite other countries to pool their technological
resources in this undertaking. Their contributions will be warmly welcomed. This should be
a cooperative enterprise in which all nations work together through the United Nations and
its specialized agencies wherever practicable. It must be a worldwide effort for the
achievement of peace, plenty, and freedom. |
| With the cooperation of business, private capital,
agriculture, and labor in this country, this program can greatly increase the industrial
activity in other nations and can raise substantially their standards of living. |
| Such new economic developments must be devised and
controlled to benefit the peoples of the areas in which they are established. Guarantees
to the investor must be balanced by guarantees in the interest of the people whose
resources and whose labor go into these developments. |
| The old imperialism—exploitation for foreign
profit—has no place in our plans. What we envisage is a program of development based
on the concepts of democratic fair-dealing. |
| All countries, including our own, will greatly
benefit from a constructive program for the better use of the world's human and natural
resources. Experience shows that our commerce with other countries expands as they
progress industrially and economically. |
| Greater production is the key to prosperity and
peace. And the key to greater production is a wider and more vigorous application of
modern scientific and technical knowledge. |
| Only by helping the least fortunate of its members to
help themselves can the human family achieve the decent, satisfying life that is the right
of all people. |
| Democracy alone can supply the vitalizing force to
stir the peoples of the world into triumphant action, not only against their human
oppressors, but also against their ancient enemies—hunger, misery, and despair. |
| On the basis of these four major courses of action we
hope to help create the conditions that will lead eventually to personal freedom and
happiness for all mankind. |
| If we are to be successful in carrying out these
policies, it is clear that we must have continued prosperity in this country and we must
keep ourselves strong. |
| Slowly but surely we are weaving a world fabric of
international security and growing prosperity. |
| We are aided by all who wish to live in freedom from
fear—even by those who live today in fear under their own governments. |
| We are aided by all who want relief from the lies of
propaganda—who desire truth and sincerity. |
| We are aided by all who desire self-government and a
voice in deciding their own affairs. |
| We are aided by all who long for economic
security—for the security and abundance that men in free societies can enjoy. |
| We are aided by all who desire freedom of speech,
freedom of religion, and freedom to live their own lives for useful ends. |
| Our allies are the millions who hunger and thirst
after righteousness. |
| In due time, as our stability becomes manifest, as
more and more nations come to know the benefits of democracy and to participate in growing
abundance, I believe that those countries which now oppose us will abandon their delusions
and join with the free nations of the world in a just settlement of international
differences. |
| Events have brought our American democracy to new
influence and new responsibilities. They will test our courage, our devotion to duty, and
our concept of liberty. |
| But I say to all men, what we have achieved in
liberty, we will surpass in greater liberty. |
| Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will
advance toward a world where man's freedom is secure. |
| To that end we will devote our strength, our
resources, and our firmness of resolve. With God's help, the future of mankind will be
assured in a world of justice, harmony, and peace. |
