Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-25
Text of Eisenhower Talk
Backing Trade Program

Every day. in our newspapers,
we are confronted with what is
probably the greatest paradox of
history.
Out of an instructive realiza-
ton of the horror of nuclear war,
the hunger of virtually every hui
man being on this planet is for
tranquil security, for an oppor-
tunity to live and let live, for
freedom, for peace. And yet, de-
flying this universal hunger, Ger
tain relationships have engaged
in a deliberately conceived drive
which periodically creates alarms
and fears of war.
In our uneasy postwar world.
crises are a recurrent interna-
tional diet; their climaXeS come
and go. But SO they have-in
some degree-since the begin
ming of organized society. BY
their effect on human action, the
peril within them is either mag
nified or diminished.
A crisis may be fatal when,
by it, unstable men are stam-
peded into headlong panic. Then
-bereft of common sense and
wise judgment-they hastily re-
sort to armed force in the hope
of crushing a threatening foe.
although thereby they impov-
erish the world and may forfeit
the hope for enduring peace.
"A crisis may likewise be dead
ly when inert men-unsure of
themselves and their cause-are
smothered by it in despair.
Then, grasping at any straw of
appeasement. they sell thou
sand tomorrows for the pottage
of brief escape from reality.
Crisis Is Also Challenge
But a crisis is also the sharp
est goad to the creative energies
of men, when they recognize it
as a challenge to their every re-
source, and move to meet it in
faith, in thought, in courage.
Then, greatly aroused - yet
realizing that beyond the i'm
mediate danger lie vast horizons
they can act for today in the
light of generations still to come.
The American people, 164 mil
lion of us. must recognize that
the unprecedented crises of these
days packed with danger
though they be-are in fullest
truth challenges that can be
met and will be met to the
lasting good of our country and
the world.
Two great detectives are
mountain peaks that tower
above the foothills of lesser goals.
One is global peace based on
justice, mutual respect and CO.
operative partnership among the
nations. The other is an ex-
banding American economy
whose benefits, widely shared
among all our citizens, will make
us even better able to cooperate
with other friendly nations in
their economic advancement and
our common prosperity.
The fundamental hazard to
the achievement of both objec-
tives is the implacable enmity of
goddess communism. That hazard
becomes the more fearsome as
we are guilty of failure among
ourselves; failure to seek out
and face facts courageously;
failure to make required sacri-
fees for the common good; fail
ure to look beyond our selfish
interests Of the moment: failure
to seek long-term betterment for
all our citizens.
Must Assure Own Safety
Recognizing the ruthless pur-
poses of international commun-
ism, we must assure, above all
else, our own national safety. At
the same time we must continue
to appeal to the sense of logic
and decency of all peoples to
work with us in the development
of some kind of sane agreement
for peace.
When a nation speaks alone,
however, its appeal may fall on
deaf ears. Many nations must
combine their voices to pene-
trate walls of fear and prejudice
and ignorance.
A principal objective of our
foreign policy, therefore, is the
construction of the strongest
possible coalition among free ma
tions. The coalition must possess
spiritual, intellectual, material
strength.
In things spiritual, the COM
mon effort must be inspired by
fairness and justice by national
pride and self-respect. by the in
alienable rights of the individual
who-made in the image Of his
Creators endowed with a dig
nltv and destiny unreasonable
by the materialistic ysrdstick Of
communism.
III things intellectual the Goa
lition, must manifest such COM