Letter to Dr. Henry M. Wriston on the Progress Made by the Commission on National Goals.
[ Released July 22, 1960. Dated July 11, 1960 ]
Dear Henry:
I was very happy to receive your letter of June twenty-seventh outlining the progress and work of the Commission on National Goals. I am amazed at the speed with which you have put this project together, and I am, of course, pleased that you now think it will be possible to have a report by December.
Your recommendations, I am sure, will be most timely. I feel more strongly than ever that your committee has the opportunity to make an historic addition to our knowledge and understanding of the democratic processes and our national ideals and purposes.
Again, my sincerest thanks for undertaking this most vital assignment.
With warm regard,
Sincerely,
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Note: Dr. Wriston's letter stated that since the appointment of the Commission in February (see Items 29, 30) the members had held both full scale and informal meetings, appointed a small but highly competent staff, and adopted a set of procedures and a time schedule. Dr. Wriston further stated that the final report would be a unified and self-contained statement of the basic elements that, in their judgment, should be included in the national agenda over a workable time span, in most cases 5 to 10 years. "We intend to re-state what we conceive to be the ultimate goals of the nation," his letter continued, "but we shall give equal weight to practical measures and priorities of effort needed to make progress toward those goals to the limit of our powers."
The release containing the text of the letters announced that they would form the basis of conversations on July 22 between the President, Dr. Wriston, and frank Pace, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Commission.
The letters were released at the U.S. Naval Base, Newport, R.I.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Letter to Dr. Henry M. Wriston on the Progress Made by the Commission on National Goals. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/235086