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Hay Whitney, of the class of 1926-and sometimes I also displease
table challenges. But its problems are not our problems. Their age
Henry Luce of the class of 1920, not to mention also William F.
is not our age. As every past generation has had to disenthrall itself
Buckley, Jr., of the class of 1950. I even have some trouble with my
from an inheritance of truism and stereotype, so in our own time
Yale advisors. I get along with them, but I am not always sure how
we must move on from the reassuring repetition of stale phrases to
they get along with each other.
a new, difficult but essential confrontation with reality.
So this Administration which aims at peaceful cooperation
For the great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie-
among all Americans has been the victim of a certain natural pug-
deliberate, contrived and dishonest-but the myth-persistent,
nacity developed in this city among Yale men. Now that I, too, am
persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of
a Yale man, it is time for peace. Last week at West Point, in the
our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpre-
historic tradition of that Academy, I availed myself of the powers
tations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of
of Commander-in-Chief to remit all sentences of offending cadets.
thought.
In that same spirit, and in the historic tradition of Yale, let me now
offer to smoke the clay pipe of friendship with all of my brother
Eli's, and I hope that they may be friends not only with me but even
with each other.
I have been checking to see what earlier links existed between
Mythology distracts us everywhere-in government as in busi-
the institution of the Presidency and Yale. I found that a member
ness, in politics as in economics, in foreign affairs as in domestic
of the class of 1878, William Howard Taft, served one term in the
policy. But today I want to particularly consider the myth and
White House as preparation for becoming a member of this faculty.
reality in our national economy. In recent months many have come
And a graduate of 1804, John C. Calhoun, regarded the Vice Pres-
to feel, as I do, that the dialogue between the parties-between busi-
idency as too lowly a station for a Yale alumnus-and became the
ness and government-is clogged by illusion and platitude and fails
only man in history ever to resign that office.
to reflect the true realities of contemporary American society.
I speak of these matters here at Yale because of the self-evident
truth that a great university is always enlisted against the spread of
illusion and on the side of reality. No one has said it more clearly
than your President Griswold: "Liberal learning is both a safe-
Calhoun in 1804 and Taft in 1878 graduated into a world very
guard against false ideas of freedom and a source of true ones."
different from ours today. They and their contemporaries spent
Your role as university men, whatever your calling, will be to in-
entire careers stretching over 40 years in grappling with a few dra-
crease each new generation's grasp of its new duties.
matic issues on which the nation was sharply and emotionally di-
vided, issues that occupied the attention of a generation at a time:
the National Bank, the disposal of the public lands, nullification or
union, freedom or slavery, gold or silver.
Today these old sweeping issues very largely have disappeared.
There are three great areas of our domestic affairs in which,
The central domestic issues of our time are more subtle and less
today, there is a danger that illusion may prevent effective action.
simple. They relate, not to basic clashes of philosophy or ideology,
They are, first, the question of the size and the shape of govern-
but to ways and means of reaching common goals-to the search for
ment's responsibilities; second, the question of public fiscal policy;
sophisticated solutions to complex and obstinate issues. The world
and third, the matter of confidence, business confidence or public
of Calhoun, the world of Taft had its own hard problems and no-
confidence-or simply confidence in America. I want to talk about
Document source description
This file contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning President Kennedy's remarks at the 1962 Yale University graduation ceremony. In his speech the President thanks the University for the honorary degree bestowed upon him, and discusses three areas of domestic concern where the prevalence of myth dangerously impedes progress: fiscal policy, confidence in an administration, and the concept of "big government." Materials in this folder include various memoranda of suggested talking points, a draft by Special Assistant to the President and speechwriter Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., a press copy, and a reading copy of the speech with handwritten notations by the President, as well as a luncheon menu, program for the commencement exercises, and an additional transcript of the speech published by Yale University.
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"ocrText": "Hay Whitney, of the class of 1926-and sometimes I also displease\ntable challenges. But its problems are not our problems. Their age\nHenry Luce of the class of 1920, not to mention also William F.\nis not our age. As every past generation has had to disenthrall itself\nBuckley, Jr., of the class of 1950. I even have some trouble with my\nfrom an inheritance of truism and stereotype, so in our own time\nYale advisors. I get along with them, but I am not always sure how\nwe must move on from the reassuring repetition of stale phrases to\nthey get along with each other.\na new, difficult but essential confrontation with reality.\nSo this Administration which aims at peaceful cooperation\nFor the great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie-\namong all Americans has been the victim of a certain natural pug-\ndeliberate, contrived and dishonest-but the myth-persistent,\nnacity developed in this city among Yale men. Now that I, too, am\npersuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of\na Yale man, it is time for peace. Last week at West Point, in the\nour forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpre-\nhistoric tradition of that Academy, I availed myself of the powers\ntations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of\nof Commander-in-Chief to remit all sentences of offending cadets.\nthought.\nIn that same spirit, and in the historic tradition of Yale, let me now\noffer to smoke the clay pipe of friendship with all of my brother\nEli's, and I hope that they may be friends not only with me but even\nwith each other.\nI have been checking to see what earlier links existed between\nMythology distracts us everywhere-in government as in busi-\nthe institution of the Presidency and Yale. I found that a member\nness, in politics as in economics, in foreign affairs as in domestic\nof the class of 1878, William Howard Taft, served one term in the\npolicy. But today I want to particularly consider the myth and\nWhite House as preparation for becoming a member of this faculty.\nreality in our national economy. In recent months many have come\nAnd a graduate of 1804, John C. Calhoun, regarded the Vice Pres-\nto feel, as I do, that the dialogue between the parties-between busi-\nidency as too lowly a station for a Yale alumnus-and became the\nness and government-is clogged by illusion and platitude and fails\nonly man in history ever to resign that office.\nto reflect the true realities of contemporary American society.\nI speak of these matters here at Yale because of the self-evident\ntruth that a great university is always enlisted against the spread of\nillusion and on the side of reality. No one has said it more clearly\nthan your President Griswold: \"Liberal learning is both a safe-\nCalhoun in 1804 and Taft in 1878 graduated into a world very\nguard against false ideas of freedom and a source of true ones.\"\ndifferent from ours today. They and their contemporaries spent\nYour role as university men, whatever your calling, will be to in-\nentire careers stretching over 40 years in grappling with a few dra-\ncrease each new generation's grasp of its new duties.\nmatic issues on which the nation was sharply and emotionally di-\nvided, issues that occupied the attention of a generation at a time:\nthe National Bank, the disposal of the public lands, nullification or\nunion, freedom or slavery, gold or silver.\nToday these old sweeping issues very largely have disappeared.\nThere are three great areas of our domestic affairs in which,\nThe central domestic issues of our time are more subtle and less\ntoday, there is a danger that illusion may prevent effective action.\nsimple. They relate, not to basic clashes of philosophy or ideology,\nThey are, first, the question of the size and the shape of govern-\nbut to ways and means of reaching common goals-to the search for\nment's responsibilities; second, the question of public fiscal policy;\nsophisticated solutions to complex and obstinate issues. The world\nand third, the matter of confidence, business confidence or public\nof Calhoun, the world of Taft had its own hard problems and no-\nconfidence-or simply confidence in America. I want to talk about"
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