Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "567833607",
    "label": "Friday, February 22, 1974, Reception--Comm. for Fairness to the Presidency",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/567833607"
}

{
    "id": "567833607",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/567833607",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Friday, February 22, 1974, Reception--Comm. for Fairness to the Presidency",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/567833607",
    "collections": [
        "White House Staff Member and Office Files (Nixon Administration)",
        "President's Personal Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-smof/595291/Batch0004/091/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05-001.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-smof/595291/Batch0004/091/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05-001.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-smof/595291/Batch0004/091/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05-001.jpg",
    "imageCount": 7,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/567833607",
    "naId": 567833607,
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 7,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/nixon/rn-smof/595291/Batch0004/091/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05/37-sf-smof-ppf-595291-091-05.pdf",
    "mediaId": "3e640f8b8d6aa252",
    "ocrText": "FOR RELEASE\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nFEBRUARY 22, 1974\nOFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nREMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT\nAT A RECEPTION FOR THE\nNATIONAL CITIZENS' COMMITTEE FOR FAIRNESS TO THE PRESIDENCY\nTHE STATE FLOOR\nAT 5:17 P.M. EDT\nRabbi Korff and all of our very distinguished\nguests and friends:\nI cannot tell you how much this tribute means\nto Mrs. Nixon and to me and to our two daughters and sons-in-law.\nI can only say that after I came into the room I heard what\nsome of you were shouting and then I saw Rabbi Korff hold\nup his hand like that. (Laughter). He should have held\nup his hand like that. (Laughter)\nBut what is more important than the numbers of\nyears or months that one serves in this office is what one\nis able to accomplish while he is here.\nThis is Washington's birthday, as we know, and\nit is, of course, highly symbolic that it is held, this\nmeeting, in the East Room with the famous portrait of George\nWashington and Martha Washington on each side of me as\nI speak.\nAt such a time we think of the history of our\ncountry, of those who made it, of the many who came here\nbefore Washington did and those who fought with him in the\ngreat battles of the Revoluntionary War. And we also think\nof the many who came here after Washington did. Some\nwere born here.\nMost Americans today, however, trace their back-\ngrounds to parents, grandparents, great grandparents who were\nnot born here, but chose to come here and that is part of\nthe greatness of America. It is the fact that out of this\nwhole wide world we were able to draw people of all races\nand all religions and all backgrounds and they created what\nis America today.\nAnd it is because America is in a sense a microcosm\nof the whole world that America has a special opportunity\nat this particular time in our history to lead the whole\nworld into an era of peace such as we have never known\nin this century and perhaps one such as has never been\nknown in the history of the world.\nMORE\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nPage 2\nMany would think that was an overly optimistic\ngoal for anyone to set for this Nation, and certainly when\nI came into office in 1969 it would have been thought to\nbe very foolish to suggest it, because at that time, as\nyou know, the United States was in confrontation with the\nSoviet Union, with no possibility of negotiation on nuclear\narms or any of the other difficult issues and many of them\nremain and will remain for some time.\nThe United States had no communication with one-\nfourth of the people in the world who live in what is called\nMainland China, the People's Republic of China, a part of\nthe world which militarily and economically is not a major\nfactor in the world. But 25 years from now, when this\npretty little girl standing in front of me with her blond\nhair will be perhaps 31 years of age, this Nation, the\nPeople's Republic of China, will be perhaps a decisive\nfactor in the world.\nAt that time when we came into office, there was\nno communication whatever and we were going down a track,\na track that inevitably would have led to a confrontation\nwith what is now, we in the United States, the world's\nmost prosperous Nation, with the People's Republic of\nChina, which is of course, then as now and will be then\nthe most populous nation in the world.\nAnd then, of course, the thing which concerned\nmost of us in 1969 was the fact that we had been at war\nfor such a long time. We supported our country in its\nefforts and yet we were concerned about the inability to\nbring a long and difficult and misunderstood war to a\nconclusion and we wondered if it would ever end, we wondered\nif the prisoners would ever come back.\nIt was a rather, it seemed, hopeless time for\nAmerica, just a short time ago, five years ago, in terms\nof the prospects for peace immediately, in other words,\nending a war in which we are in, in which 50,000 Americans\ndied, and an even more hopeless prospect of building after\nthat peace was achieved, for a permanent peace, or one\nthat had a chance to be permanent.\nLots of things have happened since then. That war\nhas been brought to an end. We have also witnessed another\nexplosion in the Mideast and we played a significant part\nin bringing that conflict to an end and are now trying to\nplay a significant part in building a permanent peace in\nwhich all the nations in that area may be secure in their\nindependence.\nAnd we continue, of course, to work with our\nfriends and allies in Europe, in Asia, in Latin America, and\nin Africa and we continue to communicate with those who\nhave systems of government totally different from ours, interests\ntotally different from ours, but with whom we must\ncommunicate or otherwise face the inevitable conflict\nwhich would destroy:them, but also us.\nMORE\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nPage 3\nAnd so, that is why the next three years are\nimportant. They are not important in terms of an\nindividual or his family. We matter to ourselves and\nperhaps to a few of our friends, and many of you who are\nhere today.\nBut what is more important is what we may be\nable to accomplish in these three critical years before\nAmerica celebrates its 200th anniversary and this is the\nmessage that I would like to leave with this group, who\nearlier today were so kind to attend the luncheon at which\nyou heard from so many fine supporters, the Vice President,\nand I understand Secretary Butz and Herb Stein and a number\nof others, Strom Thurmond and others who very graciously\ngave their support to this cause, but that is why over\nthese next three years I am determined to stay on the job\nand do the job because it has to be done.\nAnd so whatever the cost may be in criticism\nwhich I am somewhat experienced in learning to bear;\nwhatever the cost may be in terms of the emotional\ndistress that may be caused to an individual and his\nfamily, and to our official family and the rest, we have\na job to do. We intend to do it.\nBut in order to do it we need support. We need\nit as we know we have it from you. We need it from millions\nof other Americans, but I want you to know that what you\nare supporting is not a party, and not a man. The man is\nonly symbolic of a greater cause and the cause is greater\nthan the United States itself.\nOh yes, we have a lot of other good things that\nI hope by the 200th anniversary we can have. I hope we\ncan have a new program of medical care where everybody in\nAmerica who needs medical care can get it, and where\neveryone who does get it gets quality care rather than have\na huge Government bureaucracy superimposed on our system\nwhere we reduce the quality and spread the quantity. That\nisn't the American way of doing it.\nI hope by that time we can have in place, or\nstarted, a great, new transit system for this country, with\nour railroads on the way to health again and rapid transit\nfor our cities and the rest.\nI hope by that time we can have a new system that\nwill clean up the welfare mess in this country so that there\nwill be a reward so that basically it will never again be\nmore profitable to go on welfare than to go to work, because\nthat isn't what built America. That is what we have to\nhave in mind.\nMORE\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nPage 4\nI hope by that time that we will have a new\neducational system, an approach that will provide quality\neducation to every person in this country regardless of\nhis background, regardless of his financial condition --\nhis or hers -- so that the real quality can come to the\ntop and we don't find that some genius or someone who could\nfind an answer to one of the great maladies that affect\nus and mankind is found undiscovered because of our failure\nto allow him or her the chance to have the kind of education\nhe ought to have.\nI hope by that time that we can accomplish so\nmany good things in America, a clearer environment,\ncleaner air, that we can become more and more self-sufficient\nin energy so that we don't depend on any other country\nfor our source of energy.\nThese are some of the goals that we look at\ndomestically. But overriding them all is the goal that\nRabbi Korff has so eloquently addressed, not only on\nthis occasion but on the occasions since July when he,\non his own, without my knowledge, without asking to do so,\nproceeded to set up an organization in which so many of you\nhave participated and supported.\nBecause what we have to understand is this: We\ncan have the best jobs, and the best medical care, and\nthe best transit system and even a 25 cent:- fare or subway\nrate in New York City, or 10 cents, it isn't going to make\nany difference if we are not around to enjoy it all.\nWhat is really involved is are we going to build\na world of peace or are we not? We cannot now any more\nloosely talk about the fact that we can go through another\nmajor war. We can, but life will never be the same on this\nplanet and in the United States if it should ever come. We\nknow it, the Soviet leaders know it, the Chinese leaders\nknow it, the leaders of Europe know it, and even the leaders\nof the under-developed countries know it, and that brings\nus right back to this great house where Washington did\nnot live -- he planned it -- where Adams first lived and\nthe decisions made by men who will be here, whether now\nor in the future.\nI was very glad to note that Rabbi Korff has\ngiven as a designation for his organization, it is the\nsupport basically, or defense of the Presidency. That is\nwhat is involved. Not a Republican President or a\nDemocratic President, but the Presidency, whatever it is.\nBecause as we look back over the history of\nour country, many Presidents have -- every President that\nI know has -- have believed that America should serve\na role in building a peaceful world.\nMORE\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nPage 5\nWilson believed it in this century, Teddy Roosevelt\nbelieved it, Franklin Roosevelt believed it and that was true,\ntoo, of Dwight Eisenhower and all of the predecessors and\nof course I believe it, too, and I am sure whoever follows me,\nbe he Republican or Democrat, will have that as his goal.\nBut now is the time, one of the great watershed\nperiods in history, when great decisions must be made and if\nwe don't make them we will fail. Now is the time for the United\nStates, at a time when we are still the strongest Nation in\nthe world, when we are, by all odds, the richest Nation in\nthe world, when the United States is being tested to see\nwhether we will provide the leadership which only we can provide\nthat will build a world of peace for years to come.\nWe have ended a war, and everybody relaxes and says,\n\"Peace, isn't it wonderful.\" But wars have been ended before.\nWhat we are trying to do now is to build a new\nstructure of peace in which peoples with different governments\nthat are even antagonistic, who have philosophies that we\nmay completely disagree with, where peoples can still live\nin peace. That is what we are trying to do.\nWe have made progress toward that goal. I am\ndedicated to it. We cannot achieve that goal without a\nsound and strong American economy; we cannot achieve that\ngoal without the support of the American people and we cannot\nachieve that goal unless we have a strong respected\nAmerican President, and that is what this organization is\nall about.\nI cannot and would not pretend that I could predict\nthe future. I do not know what will happen, for example, in\nsome of the capitals of the world -- and I know most of the\nleaders of those capitals and those nations of the world --\nI cannot know and we do not know what will happen when some\nof the present leaders pass from the world scene, because\nmany of them are quite old.\nBut I do know this: That America is the key,\nAmerica provides the essential element that will build the\npeace.\nI know many Americans don't want it that way. If\nyou were to poll Americans today they would say, \"We have had\nenough of it. We went through World War I, we went through\nWorld War II, we went through Korea, we have gone through\nVietnam and all we got out of it were those who died, those\nwho came back after having suffered in prison camps, we\ndidn't get any territory, so let's just pay attention\nto things here at home. if\nMORE\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum\nPage 6\nThat would be all well and good except for one\nthing. Who else is going to do it? The British? The\nFrench? The Germans? The Italians? All of Europe?\nCould they get together to do it? The Japanese? You\nwant to leave it to the Russians? There it is.\nSo what we see is that only the United States --\nthis is the fate of this country, this is why we came into\nthe world, this is why Washington led 13 little colonies\nwith only three million people to victory in the Revolutionary\nWar, this is why Jefferson said, \"We act not for ourselves\nalone but for all mankind.\" This is why Lincoln said that\nAmerica was the \"last, best hope of earth.\", for peace,\nhe meant, and that is why I say today, in those times it\nwas not really true. It was in a symbolic sense. But\nAmerica wasn't strong enough when Washington was President\nto amount to that much in the world, and what we did or\ndidn't do didn't matter too much. It mattered to us\nbut not to others.\nIt wasn't even true when Lincoln was President\nwhen we were so divided, or thereafter. It wasn't even\ntrue when Theodore Roosevelt was President. It began\nto be true when Wilson was President, and of course became\nmore true when Franklin Roosevelt was President.\nBut even looking at those periods, then you\nhad the British Empire and you had the strong France\nand you had other free nations that might have taken\nthe mantle of world leadership.\nBut now, because of the great wars that have\nbeen fought, because of our strength and their weakness,\nit is all right here, right here in America, right here\nin Washington, and right here in the office of the Presidency.\nAnd I will simply say finally that I know that\nthis is, in a sense, a personal tribute and for that\nI am grateful, but what is more important, what this is,\nis a group of Americans, Republicans and Democrats,\nrecognizing that the office of the Presidency is too\nimportant, too important not only to the American people\nbut to the peace of the world, to have it weakened at\nthis critical time.\nAnd let me say, as long as I am here -- and I\nexpect to be here as long as I was elected for -- let\nme say that as long as I am here I shall continue to work\nday and night for the cause of a new America and a better\nAmerica at home, and for a new world in which Americans\nand all the three billion people in this world will\nhave a chance to grow up in peace and possibly even\nfriendship.\nThank you.\nEND\n(AT 5:37 P.M. EDT)\nReproduced at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum"
}