Remarks at a Testimonial Dinner in Honor of Representative St. George, Bear Mountain State Park, New York

Mrs. St. George, Senator Keating, and my friends:

It is indeed difficult, in the circumstances in which I find myself, to discover words that seem applicable to this situation. I am here as a member of the Class from West Point of 1915, my 45th anniversary. The members of my class and their wives and their widows, their children and their grandchildren, have been here in this inn, trying with me to recapture something of the atmosphere of 1915, the year we graduated.

You know at that moment, while the first European war had started, we were still cadets, and the world seemed reasonably quiet--indeed, almost leisurely in its approach to every question public or private. We had no sense of urgency or tension: the United States was a long way from this war. And we have been talking about those times, when our great preoccupation really was to find out whether the tactical officers could discover any of the offenses that we were guilty of committing. Fortunately for me, they didn't discover all of them.

Now tonight we meet at a time of bewilderment. I don't like this term, or the using of the term that we are living always in crisis. We are not. There is no nation in this world that dares at this moment to attack the United States, and they know it.

But we wonder what is the outcome of every decent, proper gesture we make to those that live in the other camp. They live in a closed society, secrecy of intent--which we try to penetrate, and in my opinion properly--but we are certain of this: our problem is not only keeping ourselves strong--and by strong I don't mean merely militarily; I mean spiritually, intellectually, scientifically, economically, and militarily. And then we must make certain that all of those people who live with us, in the hope that those concepts of human dignity and freedom and liberty are going to prevail in the world, will stand always by our side in the determination that freedom and liberty will eventually triumph over tyranny.

We have staunch allies. And as a matter of fact, many of the excesses, particularly the ill-tempered expressions of Mr. Khrushchev, has really brought the West closer together than I have known it, ever since I have been occupying my present office.

Now I am talking about matters, for this moment, that are not partisan. They are bipartisan. But I want to say this: it is a tremendous satisfaction to me to know that the Republican Party believes in the kind of things that I have tried so haltingly to express to you.

My colleagues here in Government, Senator Keating and your guest of honor, Mrs. St. George, have in every single vote that has anything to do with these important world questions, stood exactly in the ranks, exactly like any soldier would when asked by his commander to do so.

So I want to say to you a very simple word--and I promised my classmates I would only be 5 minutes, and I think I have used 10 minutes already, but I just want to ask you to do this: look at the records of your Republican representatives in the Congress. Do they represent what you understand to be firm, sound, middle-of-the-road government that refuses to make government a centralized government capable of governing your lives in every single item, refuses to accede to the doctrine of collectivity or centralization, or is it the kind of philosophy that says "We want to live in liberty, in freedom"?

This is the kind of thing they have been supporting and, therefore, you support it not because of a word Republican, or because of some particular or special vote. You support it because you believe in what they believe: that the Government of the United States intends to do its full duty by every one of its citizens, but it shall never--in the words of Abraham Lincoln--do those things for the individual that he can do better for himself.

Now I just have a simple request of you. If you believe in the basic principles these representatives of yours, congressional and senatorial, if you believe in those basic principles, then not merely do I ask you that you register and you vote--I know good Republicans will do that--I ask you to go out and work as you have never worked before.

Because I tell you, this kind of policy, internally and externally, is the thing that will keep America strong, safe, and sure--for you and every single person that comes behind you.

This is what I hope to do myself, so far as it is proper and the people who will meet within a few short weeks to take over the direction of campaigns--I am ready to do my part.

And I tell you this, it will be an honor to be associated with such people as you are, as you do your part.

Thank you and good night.