Commencement Address at Western Michigan College of Education By Commissioner Of Education Earl McGrath, Personal Responsibility For National Security
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OCR Page 1 of 14PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR NATIONAL SECURITY*
Members of the Class of 1951:
The general rejoicing normal on occasions like this is doubtless
somewhat dulled by a lurking apprehension about the troubled condition
of the world and the tenseness of international relations. Many of our
people feer that the future is dark. To some, another global war
appears inevitable. To their way of thinking it seems futile to try
to plan their lives beyond a few weeks at a time. Under the circum-
stances, their best plan seems to be to drift with the current of
everyday events. In my judgment, present circumstances do not justify
such a dismal view. There are bright spots in the present scene. If
each of us assumes a personal responsibility to understand and to take
part in the direction of public affairs, our age may yet excel all
others in human freedom and general well-being.
The Nation is rapidly girding itself to stop aggression against
the free peoples of the world. Our armed forces, together with the
fighting men of other UN nations, are repelling the aggressors in Korea.
More important than these present successes, however, is the fact that
our military and industrial machines are being geared up to any possible
future emergency. Our goal of complete preparedness has, to be sure,
not been reached. But we are well on the way. The military forces are
rapidly expanding. Because of the adaptability and efficiency of our
industrial enterprise, all forms of armament and the other machinery
of war are beginning to flow from our factories in abundance. Speaking
*Commencement address by Earl James McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of
Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C., at Western
Michigan College of Education, Kalamazoo, Michigan, June 16, 1951,
9:30 a.m. E.S.T.
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