Inaugural Address | Page 3

bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any
friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge. . .and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share: we
pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United. . .there is little we cannot
do in a host of co-operative ventures. Divided. . .there is little we can
do. . .for we dare not meet a powerful challenge, at odds, and split
asunder. To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free:
we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have
passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall
not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall
always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom. . .and
to remember that. . .in the past. . .those who foolishly sought power by
riding the back of the tiger ended up inside. To those people in the huts
and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass
misery: we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for
whatever period is required. . .not because the Communists may be
doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a
free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few

who are rich.
To our sister republics south of our border: we offer a special pledge. . .
to convert our good words into good deeds. . .in a new alliance for
progress . . .to assist free men and free governments in casting off the
chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become
the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall
join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the
Americas. . .and let every other power know that this hemisphere
intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states: the United Nations. . . our
last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced
the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support. . .to prevent
it from becoming merely a forum for invective. . .to strengthen its
shield of the new and the weak. . . and to enlarge the area in which its
writ may run.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversaries,
we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the
quest for peace; before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by
science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are
sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will
never be employed. But neither can two great and powerful groups of
nations take comfort from our present course. . .both sides
overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by
the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that
uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of Mankind's final war.
So let us begin anew. . .remembering on both sides that civility is not a
sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never
negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides
explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems
which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and
precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms. . .and bring the
absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all
nations. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of

its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts,
eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and
commerce. Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the
command of Isaiah. . .to "undo the heavy burdens. . . let the oppressed
go free."
And if a beachhead of co-operation may push back the jungle of
suspicion. . . let both sides join in creating not a new balance of
power. . . but a new world of law. . .where the strong are just. . . and the
weak secure. . .and the peace preserved. . . .
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be
finished in the first one thousand days. . . nor in the life of this
administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let
us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens. .