John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I am highly gratified by the action of the Congress in enacting legislation authorizing the establishment of the Point Reyes National Seashore in the State of California.

I further request the union to withdraw all strike action during this period.

The Point Reyes National Seashore will preserve and make available to a great number of people the outstanding scenic and recreational characteristics of the area.

In this important industry, all parties have a responsibility to cooperate in achieving a settlement without any interruption of work.

The enactment of this legislation indicates an increased awareness of the importance of prompt action--and I emphasize that particularly with the population increases and these areas disappearing under that pressure.

I am appointing a Board of distinguished citizens to supplement continuing mediation efforts of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and, if necessary, to conduct hearings and to report its findings and recommendations to me and…

I congratulate the members of both parties who participated in enacting this very advantageous piece of national legislation.

This is especially true about those areas close to the major centers of population.

We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is…

It is essential that the United States be first, and therefore we depend upon you.

It is essential that the United States participate in this great adventure.

And it's going to take place in this decade.

I can imagine no action, no adventure which is more essential and more exciting than to be involved in the most important and significant adventure that any man has been able to participate in the history of the world.

I congratulate you on what you have done and I congratulate you on being part of this adventure.

The effort that we and you are making in common is to defend our countries, defend our peace, defend the vital interests of the free world in the strong belief that in time the disease of liberty, as Thomas Jefferson called it, will be…

We have a long way to go, but with your effort and commitment and the effort of all of our fellow Americans and their commitment, we shall be first.

I want to express our thanks to all of you.

But I believe that we are an advancing society, and I believe that we are on the rise, and I believe that their system is as old as time.

Gentlemen, we're proud to have you in the United States.

This kind of joint community effort, the community of free nations, would have been regarded as impossible 2 decades ago, but now we take it very much for granted.

We're confident that you will teach us as much as you will learn.

I want to express our great satisfaction in your presence here in the United States.

You're here on a most important mission, and that is one which is greatly identified with the traditional and present and future aspirations of free men and women.

We are glad you're here.

I don't think that we can exaggerate the great advantage which the Soviet Union secured in the fifties by being first in space.