Commencement Address at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute By Commissioner Of Education Earl McGrath, Personal Responsibility For National Security

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For Release Upon Delivery ADVANCE RELEASE P.M. newspapers of June 8, 1951 PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR NATIONAL SECURITY* by Earl James McGrath U. S. Commissioner of Education Federal Security Agency Members of the Class of 1951: The general rejoicing normal on occasions like this is doubtless some- what dulled by a lurking apprehension about the troubled condition of the world and the tenseness of international relations. Many of our people feel 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 circumstances, "their best plan seems to be to drift with the current of everyday events. In my judgment, present circum- stances do not justify such a dismal view. There are bright spots in the present scene. If each of us assumés 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.u 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 facto- ries in abundance. The North Atlantic community of nations is swiftly creat- ing a force capable of resisting aggression in Western Europe. Our industrial potential is being realized with amazing speed. Speaking about our productive capacity; Willian C. Foster, Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Admin- istration, recently said that: *Commencement address at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, June 8, y 1951, 2:30 p.m. E.D.T. -