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.
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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.