Word
Gems
What is a
man but the sum of his thoughts?
Deception
& Propaganda
JFK:
- The "Conspiracy
Theories" Speech
- November 18, 1961
- Editor's note: The Founding Fathers designed a system of government built upon
the concept of adversarial interaction. But critics out-of-power were meant to be the
"loyal opposition," each one an American, all working for the common good. We
sense that this is not the case today. We see men without honor, small men with even
smaller ideas, grasping at big ambitions, willing to make any claim, hoping to make
themselves appear great by diminishing another. JFK's speech of over 40 years ago speaks
to this demagoguery, of 1961 and today.
In recent months I have spoken many times about how difficult and dangerous a
period it is through which we now move. I would like to take this opportunity to say a
word about the American spirit in this time of trial.
In the most critical periods of our nation's history, there have always been those
fringes of our society who have sought to escape their own responsibility by finding a
simple solution, an appealing slogan, or a convenient scapegoat.
Financial crises could be explained by the presence of too many immigrants or too
few greenbacks.
War could be attributed to munitions makers or international bankers.
Peace conferences failed because we were duped by the British or tricked by the
French or deceived by the Russians.
It was not the presence of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe that drove it to
communism, it was the sell-out at Yalta. It was not a civil war that removed China from
the free world, it was treason in high places. At times these fanatics have achieved a
temporary success among those who lack the will or the vision to face unpleasant tasks or
unsolved problems.
But in time the basic good sense and stability of the great American consensus has
always prevailed.
- Now we are face to face once again with a period of
heightened peril. The risks are great, the burdens heavy, the problems incapable of swift
or lasting solution. And under the strains and frustrations imposed by constant tension
and harassment, the discordant voices of extremism are heard once again in the land. Men
who are unwilling to face up to the danger from without are convinced that the real danger
comes from within. They look suspiciously at their neighbors and their leaders. They call
for a 'man on horseback' because they do not trust the people. They find treason in our
finest churches, in our highest court, and even in the treatment of our water.
They equate the Democratic Party with the welfare state, the welfare state with
socialism, and socialism with communism. They object quite rightly to politics' intruding
on the military -- but they are anxious for the military to engage in politics.
But you and I and most Americans take a different view of our peril. We know that
it comes from without, not within. It must be met by quiet preparedness, not provocative
speeches.
And the steps taken this year to bolster our defenses -- to increase our missile
forces, to put more planes on alert, to provide more airlift and sealift and ready
divisions -- to make more certain than ever before that this nation has all the power it
will need to deter any attack of any kind -- those steps constitute the most effective
answer that can be made to those who would sow the seeds of doubt and hate.
- So let us not heed these counsels of fear and suspicion. Let
us concentrate more on keeping enemy bombers and missiles away from our shores, and
concentrate less on keeping neighbors away from our shelters. Let us devote more energy to
organize the free and friendly nations of the world, with common trade and strategic
goals, and devote less energy to organizing armed bands of civilian guerrillas that are
more likely to supply local vigilantes than national vigilance.
- Let our patriotism be reflected in the creation of confidence
rather than crusades of suspicion. Let us prove we think our country great by striving to
make it greater. And, above all, let us remember that, however serious the outlook, the
one great irreversible trend in world history is on the side of liberty -- and so, for all
time to come, are we.
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