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1962 - Presidential Speech: President Kennedy On Disarmament and Testing. 02Mar62 Pt 7 of 7 Continued... But this must be a fully effective treaty. We know now enough about broken negotiations, secret preparations & the advantage gained from a long test series never to offer again an uninspected moratorium. Some may urge us to try it again, keeping our preparations to test in a constant state of readiness. But in actual practice, particularly in a society of free choice, we cannot keep top-flight scientists concentrating on the preparation of an experiment which may or may not take place on an uncertain date in the undefined future. Nor can large technical laboratories be kept fully alert on a stand-by basis waiting for some other nation to break an agreement. This is not merely difficult or inconvenient. We have explored this alternative thoroughly & found it impossible of execution. In short, in the absence of a firm agreement that would halt nuclear tests by the latter part of April, we shall go ahead with our talks - striving for some new avenue of agreement - but we shall also go ahead w/ our tests. If, on the other hand, the Soviet Union should accept such a treaty in the opening month of talks, that single step would be a monumental step toward peace & both Prime Minister Macmillan & I would think it fitting to meet Chairman Khrushchev at Geneva to sign the final pact.
09:40:22 For our ultimate objective is not to test for the sake of testing. Our real objective is to make our own tests unnecessary, to prevent others from testing, to prevent the nuclear arms race from mushrooming out of control, to take the first steps toward general & complete disarmament. And that is why in the last analysis, it is the leaders of the Soviet Union who must bear the heavy responsibility of choosing, in the weeks that lie ahead, whether we proceed w/ these steps - or proceed with new tests.
09:41:01 If they are convinced that their interests can no longer be served by the present course of events, then it is my fervent hope that they will agree to an effective treaty. But if they persist in rejecting all means of true inspection, then we shall be left with no choice but to keep our own defensives arsenal adequate for the security of all free men.
09:41:28 It is our hope & prayer that these grim, unwelcome tests will never have to be made; that these deadly weapons will never have to be fired, & that our preparations for war will bring about the preservation of peace. Our foremost aim is the control of force, not the pursuit of force, in a world made safe for mankind. But whatever the future brings I am sworn to uphold & defend the freedom of the American people; and I intend to do whatever must be done to fulfill that solemn obligation.
Thank you - and good night. The End.
Diplomacy; Cold War; Broken Test Ban Agreements; Atmospheric Nuclear Testing Resumption;
NOTE: Any continuous 15 minutes of entire speech 09:10:45 - 09:42:21 sold at per reel rate.
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NOTE: FOR ORDERING See: www.footagefarm.co.uk or contact us at: Info@Footagefarm.co.uk 1962 - Presidential Speech: President Kennedy On Disarmament and Testing. 02Mar62 Pt 7 of 7 Continued... But this must be a fully effective treaty. We know now enough about broken negotiations, secret preparations & the advantage gained from a long test series never to offer again an uninspected moratorium. Some may urge us to try it again, keeping our preparations to test in a constant state of readiness. But in actual practice, particularly in a society of free choice, we cannot keep top-flight scientists concentrating on the preparation of an experiment which may or may not take place on an uncertain date in the undefined future. Nor can large technical laboratories be kept fully alert on a stand-by basis waiting for some other nation to break an agreement. This is not merely difficult or inconvenient. We have explored this alternative thoroughly & found it impossible of execution. In short, in the absence of a firm agreement that would halt nuclear tests by the latter part of April, we shall go ahead with our talks - striving for some new avenue of agreement - but we shall also go ahead w/ our tests. If, on the other hand, the Soviet Union should accept such a treaty in the opening month of talks, that single step would be a monumental step toward peace & both Prime Minister Macmillan & I would think it fitting to meet Chairman Khrushchev at Geneva to sign the final pact. 09:40:22 For our ultimate objective is not to test for the sake of testing. Our real objective is to make our own tests unnecessary, to prevent others from testing, to prevent the nuclear arms race from mushrooming out of control, to take the first steps toward general & complete disarmament. And that is why in the last analysis, it is the leaders of the Soviet Union who must bear the heavy responsibility of choosing, in the weeks that lie ahead, whether we proceed w/ these steps - or proceed with new tests. 09:41:01 If they are convinced that their interests can no longer be served by the present course of events, then it is my fervent hope that they will agree to an effective treaty. But if they persist in rejecting all means of true inspection, then we shall be left with no choice but to keep our own defensives arsenal adequate for the security of all free men. 09:41:28 It is our hope & prayer that these grim, unwelcome tests will never have to be made; that these deadly weapons will never have to be fired, & that our preparations for war will bring about the preservation of peace. Our foremost aim is the control of force, not the pursuit of force, in a world made safe for mankind. But whatever the future brings I am sworn to uphold & defend the freedom of the American people; and I intend to do whatever must be done to fulfill that solemn obligation. Thank you - and good night. The End. Diplomacy; Cold War; Broken Test Ban Agreements; Atmospheric Nuclear Testing Resumption; NOTE: Any continuous 15 minutes of entire speech 09:10:45 - 09:42:21 sold at per reel rate. NOTE: FOR ORDERING See: www.footagefarm.co.uk or contact us at: Info@Footagefarm.co.uk