We believe that all men are entitled to the blessings of liberty. The reasons are deeply imbedded in history and tradition and the nature of man. But it cannot continue. Our Constitution, the foundation of our Republic, forbids it. The principles of our freedom forbid it.
Morality forbids it.
And the law I will sign tonight forbids it. That law is the product of months of the most careful debate and discussion. It was proposed more than one year ago by our late and beloved President John F. Kennedy. It received the bipartisan support of more than two-thirds of the Members of both the House and the Senate. An overwhelming majority of Republicans as well as Democrats voted for it.