Remarks About a Proposed National Cancer Program.

Ladies and gentlemen:

You will recall that in the State of the Union Message, I announced a program of $100 million to find a cure for cancer. We have made progress in getting the Congress to approve that program, and we have no question at all but that Congressional approval will be forthcoming shortly.

In order to implement the program, the Secretary of HEW sent to the Congress today legislation that will set up a program, the cancer cure program, in the National Institutes of Health.

This, however, will differ from other programs in a very important respect. This program I have asked be the one program within the National Institutes of Health and within the whole health establishment of the United States that is independently budgeted and that is directly responsible to the President of the United States. I have assumed this responsibility, have asked this responsibility, because of a very deep personal concern about this problem, as many millions of American families have concern about the problem, and also because I believe that direct Presidential interest and Presidential guidance may hasten the day that we will find a cure for cancer.

A word with regard to what the problem is: One out of every four Americans may contract cancer during his life. That means that 50 million Americans of the 200 million in this country today will have cancer unless we make progress in finding a cure for cancer.

When we think of it in the numbers, that, of course, is sobering enough. But most of us think of it in terms of persons.

I remember perhaps my favorite aunt, my Aunt Elizabeth, died with cancer when she was just 38 years of age, and she was a wonderful person, so full of life, and my mother's, I think, favorite sister.

We also think of it in terms of other people we have known. I recall Senator Robert Taft, who died with cancer, and my last visit with him.

I recall John Foster Dulles, the many hours that I used to spend out at the Walter Reed Hospital in the days that he was withering away with cancer.

We could, each of us, in our lives think of personal examples of what this disease does and how it takes strong men and strong women and destroys them in a matter of a few weeks or months or, at best, a year. Now, there have been some very significant breakthroughs, breakthroughs that indicate that we can really look forward to the day that we can find a cure for cancer.

It doesn't mean it is going to come quickly. How quickly it will come will depend upon the amount of effort that is put in, and also depend upon the genius of those who are working on the problem.

But as far as the cure is concerned, and as far as the time when it is found, it will not fail because of lack of money.

If $100 million this year is not enough, we will provide more money. To the extent money is needed, it will be provided. It will not fail for lack of organization.

The organization is being set up. We will call upon all of the resources of the National Institutes of Health, and, of course, you cannot separate any one disease out without having the various experts in the other fields being able to make a contribution.

And finally, it will not suffer for lack of organization, being directed and having special Presidential interest.

So, our Presidential program for cancer cure is being launched today, and the Secretary of HEW will brief on the aspects of it.