On the recordMarch 2, 2007
46 years ago, President John F. Kennedy proposed to the Congress one of the most successful and influential programs in the history of our Nation. It was on March 1, 1961, that President Kennedy asked the Congress to establish the Peace Corps. In making that request, President Kennedy pointed out that the program would be of great benefit to struggling nations that were in ``urgent need for skilled manpower.'' The program has helped meet that need as more than 187,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps since its inception, in 139 countries. President Kennedy also explained that the program would benefit developed nations as well. ``The future of freedom around the world,'' President Kennedy explained, ``depend[s], in a very real sense, on the ability to build growing and independent nations where men can live in dignity, liberated from the bonds of hunger, ignorance, and poverty.''
Source
govinfo.gov
