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リンドン・Ｂ・ジョンソン追悼演説
１９６３年１１月２７日
Congress following JFK Assassination,
November 27, 1963.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the House, Members of the Senate,
my fellow Americans:
All I have I would have given gladly not to be standing here today.
The greatest leader of our time has been struck down by the foulest deed
of our time. Today John Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in the immortal words
and works that he left behind. He lives on in the mind and memories of
mankind. He lives on in the hearts of his countrymen.
No words are sad enough to express our sense of loss. No words are strong
enough to express our determination to continue the forward thrust of America
that he began.
The dream of conquering the vastness of space--the dream of partnership
across the Atlantic--and across the Pacific as well--the dream of a Peace
Corps in less developed nations--the dream of education for all of our
children--the dream of jobs for all who seek them and need them--the dream
of care for our elderly--the dream of an all-out attack on mental illness--and
above all, the dream of equal rights for all Americans, whatever their
race or color--these and other American dreams have been vitalized by his
drive and by his dedication.
And now the ideas and the ideals which he so nobly represented must and
will be translated into effective action.
Under John Kennedy's leadership, this Nation has demonstrated that it has
the courage to seek peace, and it has the fortitude to risk war. We have
proved that we are a good and reliable friend to those who seek peace and
freedom. We have shown that we can also be a formidable foe to those who
reject the path of peace and those who seek to impose upon us or our allies
the yoke of tyranny.
This Nation will keep its commitments from South Viet-Nam to West Berlin.
We will be unceasing in the search for peace; resourceful in our pursuit
of areas of agreement even with those with whom we differ; and generous
and loyal to those who join with us in common cause.
In this age when there can be no losers in peace and no victors in war,
we must recognize the obligation to match national strength with national
restraint. We must be prepared at one and the same time for both the confrontation
of power and the limitation of power. We must be ready to defend the national
interest and to negotiate the common interest. This is the path that we
shall continue to pursue. Those who test our courage will find it strong,
and those who seek our friendship will find it honorable. We will demonstrate
anew that the strong can be just in the use of strength; and the just can
be strong in the defense of justice.
And let all know we will extend no special privilege and impose no persecution.
We will carry on the fight against poverty and misery, and disease and
ignorance, in other lands and in our own.
We will serve all the Nation, not one section or one sector, or one group,
but all Americans. These are the United States--a united people with a
united purpose. Our American unity does not depend upon unanimity. We have
differences; but now, as in the past, we can derive from those differences
strength, not weakness, wisdom, not despair. Both as a people and a government,
we can unite upon a program, a program which is wise and just, enlightened
and constructive.
For 32 years Capitol Hill has been my home. I have shared many moments
of pride with you, pride in the ability of the Congress of the United States
to act, to meet any crisis, to distill from our differences strong programs
of national action.
An assassin's bullet has thrust upon me the awesome burden of the Presidency.
I am here today to say I need your help; I cannot bear this burden alone.
I need the help of all Americans, and all America. This Nation has experienced
a profound shock, and in this critical moment, it is our duty, yours and
mine, as the Government of the United States, to do away with uncertainty
and doubt and delay, and to show that we are capable of decisive action;
that from the brutal loss of our leader we will derive not weakness, but
strength; that we can and will act and act now.
From this chamber of representative government, let all the world know
and none misunderstand that I rededicate this Government to the unswerving
support of the United Nations, to the honorable and determined execution
of our commitments to our allies, to the maintenance of military strength
second to none, to the defense of the strength and the stability of the
dollar, to the expansion of our foreign trade, to the reinforcement of
our programs of mutual assistance and cooperation in Asia and Africa, and
to our Alliance for Progress in this hemisphere.
On the 20th day of January, in 1961, John F. Kennedy told his countrymen
that our national work would not be finished in the first thousand days,
nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime
on this planet. But, he said, let us begin.
Today, in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans,
let us continue.
This is our challenge--not to hesitate, not to pause, not to turn about
and linger over this evil moment, but to continue on our course so that
we may fulfill the destiny that history has set for us. Our most immediate
tasks are here on this Hill.
First, no memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President
Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights
bill for which he fought so long. We have talked long enough in this country
about equal rights. We have talked for one hundred years or more. It is
time now to write the next chapter, and to write it in the books of law.
I urge you again, as I did in 1957 and again in 1960, to enact a civil
rights law so that we can move forward to eliminate from this Nation every
trace of discrimination and oppression that is based upon race or color.
There could be no greater source of strength to this Nation both at home
and abroad.
And second, no act of ours could more fittingly continue the work of President
Kennedy than the early passage of the tax bill for which he fought all
this long year. This is a bill designed to increase our national income
and Federal revenues, and to provide insurance against recession. That
bill, if passed without delay, means more security for those now working,
more jobs for those now without them, and more incentive for our economy.
In short, this is no time for delay. It is a time for action--strong, forward-looking
action on the pending education bills to help bring the light of learning
to every home and hamlet in America--strong, forward-looking action on
youth employment opportunities; strong, forward-looking action on the pending
foreign aid bill, making clear that we are not forfeiting our responsibilities
to this hemisphere or to the world, nor erasing Executive flexibility in
the conduct of our foreign affairs--and strong, prompt, and forward-looking
action on the remaining appropriation bills.
In this new spirit of action, the Congress can expect the full cooperation
and support of the executive branch. And in particular, I pledge that the
expenditures of your Government will be administered with the utmost thrift
and frugality. I will insist that the Government get a dollar's value for
a dollar spent. The Government will set an example of prudence and economy.
This does not mean that we will not meet our unfilled needs or that we
will not honor our commitments. We will do both.
As one who has long served in both Houses of the Congress, I firmly believe
in the independence and the integrity of the legislative branch. And I
promise you that I shall always respect this. It is deep in the marrow
of my bones. With equal firmness, I believe in the capacity and I believe
in the ability of the Congress, despite the divisions of opinions which
characterize our Nation, to act--to act wisely, to act vigorously, to act
speedily when the need arises.
The need is here. The need is now. I ask your help.
We meet in grief, but let us also meet in renewed dedication and renewed
vigor. Let us meet in action, in tolerance, and in mutual understanding.
John Kennedy's death commands what his life conveyed--that America must
move forward. The time has come for Americans of all races and creeds and
political beliefs to understand and to respect one another. So let us put
an end to the teaching and the preaching of hate and evil and violence.
Let us turn away from the fanatics of the far left and the far right, from
the apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of law, and
those who pour venom into our Nation's bloodstream.
I profoundly hope that the tragedy and the torment of these terrible days
will bind us together in new fellowship, making us one people in our hour
of sorrow. So let us here highly resolve that John Fitzgerald Kennedy did
not live--or die--in vain. And on this Thanksgiving eve, as we gather together
to ask the Lord's blessing, and give Him our thanks, let us unite in those
familiar and cherished words:
America, America,
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
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