Evening star., 1950-04-23
Text Of Secretary Achesons Foreign Policy Speech Editors

is no miracle that will make il
disappear from the earth.
Six Lines of Action.
Having recognized this truth. We
need not for a moment be dis
couraged or downhearted. We
have open to us, and we are now
pursuing, many lines Of actor
that will meet the challenge con-
fronting us. May I mention six
lines of action.
Our first line of action-and
this seems to me the basis of al
the others I shall discuss-is tc
demonstrate that our own faith
in freedom is a burning and q
fighting faith. We are children
of freedom. We cannot be safe
except in an environment of free
dom. We believe in freedom as
fundamentally as we believe any
thing in this world. We believe
in it for everyone in our country
And we don't restrict this belief
to freedom for ourselves. We be-
lieve that all people in the world
are entitled. to as much freedom
to develop in their own way. as
We want ourselves.
If we are clear about this. if
we are full of passion about this.
then we have in our hearts and
minds the most dynamic and
revolutionary concept in human
history, and one which properly
strikes terror to every dictator.
to every tyrant who would at
tempt to regiment and depress
men anywhere.
Why do I put a strong belief
in freedom first in the order of
an American program of action?
Because it is fundamental, be-
cause the second line of action
flows from it. AS the President
said to you so forcefully on
Thursday. the United States must,
with a thousand voices and with
all the resources of modern
science, preach this doctrine
throughout the world. The world
must hear what America is
about. what America believes,
what freedom is, what it has
done for many, what it can do
for all.
We must use every means we
know to communicate the value
of freedom to the four corners
of the earth. Our message must
go out through leaflets, through
our free press, radio programs and
films, through exchange of STU
dents and teachers with other
countries, and through hundred
other ways. And this doctrine of
freedom will carry conviction be-
cause it comes not out of the
Government alone, but out of the
hearts and souls of the people of
the United States.
Because 1t is the authentic
voice of America, freedom will
ring around the world. President
Truman has told you of his plans
for an expanded information pro-
gram-a campaign of truth.
know we can count on your help
in this, because the turning point
in the whole information program
dates from the action of this very
association just three years ago.
Thirdly, it is not enough that
one should have a faith and should
make that faith articulate. It is
also essential that we. and those
who think like us, should have
the power to make safe the area
in which we carry that faith into
action. This means that we must
look to our defenses. 1t means
that we must organize our de-
fenses wisely and prudently, with
all the ingenuity and all the meth
ods in which we are best versed
to make ourselves strong.
Effort to Raise Standards.
Every element of promise is
present in our situation. We have
the ingenuity; we have the pro-
ductive power: we have the de-
termination; we have the re-
sources. But this is not a subject
on which I am competent to dwell
at length. The Presidents chief
advisers in this field are our Sec
retary of Defense and our service
secretaries, in whom we can have
complete faith and confidence.
Fourthly. beyond faith and
preachment and defense there lies
the necessity of translating all of
these into terms of the daily lives
Of hundreds of millions of peoples
who live in this free world of ours.
I am talking about the effort we
are now making to help create a