If we are to keep the peace, we need an invulnerable missile force powerful enough to deter any aggressor from even threatening an attack that he would know could not destroy enough of our force to prevent his own destruction.
Kennedy emphasizes the importance of a strong missile defense to deter potential aggressors during the Cold War.
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More from John F. Kennedy
If they choose peaceful competition, they shall have it.
The modern globe is too small, its weapons are too destructive, and its disorders are too contagious to permit any other kind of victory.
Through hot wars and cold, through recession and prosperity, through the ages of the atom and outer space, the American people have never faltered and their faith has never flagged.
Today the United Nations is primarily the protector of the small and the weak, and a safety valve for the strong.