John F. Kennedy: “But the world was not meant to be a prison in which man awaits his execution.”

And, while the occasion does not call for another recital of our blessings and assets, we do have no greater asset than the willingness of a free and determined people, through its elected officials, to face all problems frankly and meet…

Before my term has ended, we shall have to test anew whether a nation organized and governed such as ours can endure.

Our decision could well affect the unity of the West, the course of the Cold War, and the economic growth of our Nation for a generation to come.

And we will have forged across the Atlantic a trading partnership with vast resources for freedom.