US Presidency
1982

At the end of just one day of battle, 10,500 Americans were wounded, missing, or killed in what became known as the Normandy landing. The statue atop that cliff is called The Spirit of American Youth Rising From the Waves. Its image of sacrifice is almost too powerful to describe. The pain of war is still vivid in our national memory. It sends me to this special session of the United Nations eager to comply with the plea of Pope Paul VI when he spoke in this chamber nearly 17 years ago. If you want to be brothers, His Holiness said, let the arms fall from your hands. Well, we Americans yearn to let them go. But we need more than mere words, more than empty promises before we can proceed. We look around the world and see rampant conflict and aggression. There are many sources of this conflict, expansionist ambitions, local rivalries, the striving to obtain justice and security. We must all work to resolve such discords by peaceful means and to prevent them from escalation.