Remarks to a Group of Methodist Ministers.

THAT is a wonderful letter, and I am pleased to have it. And he is just right about the necessity for the mobilization of the moral forces in the world against the unmoral forces. That is all we are trying to do.

There are forces in the world now that do not believe in our ethical and moral code. Their policy up to date has been to make agreements only to break them at their convenience, especially if it entails any hardship on their part. And I have been working with everything that I have to mobilize all the moral forces we have in the world for the welfare of the world as a whole.

The United States Government has no ambitions as a colonial power or as an exploiter of people or other races. Our only ambition is to see that the people in the world have the things that are necessary to make life worthwhile, and that they have and live by the moral code in which we believe.

That is the fundamental principle of the foreign policy of the United States. That has been the foreign policy of the United States. That has been the foreign policy of the United States since 1939, and I hope it will be a continuing policy of the United States as long as we are in business as a nation, because in 1920 I think the Almighty intended us to take leadership in the world to meet the very situation with which we are faced now. We didn't accept that invitation, and the Second World War was the result. Since the end of World War II we have been trying to assume our responsibility as a world power, and as a leader of the moral forces in the world which we believe are right and just. I hope we will continue to assume that leadership and do what we can to maintain peace in the world. The operations through which we are going now are being made in an endeavor to prevent a third world war, and God help us, because I hope we will never have another world war, with the terrible destructive weapons which we have now.

How much better to spend these immense sums of money for human welfare instead of immense sums of money to create engines of destruction, although under the conditions with which we are now faced we have got to have those engines of destruction, in order to maintain our own place in the world. And I hope you will all understand that and appreciate it.

I appreciate your coming in here, and I am glad to have the opportunity, in this short time, to explain to you my viewpoint on the conditions with which we are faced in the world at the present time.

I hope you will all consider that carefully, and pray over it. We pray here. It has been a pleasure to have you.