November 15, 1949
THANK YOU, Congressman Dawson. It is a pleasure to be introduced by a Congressman with whom I have worked so closely, and who is a real friend to all of us.
Mrs. Bethune, Madame Pandit, Dr. Bunche, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:
I am glad to be here with you tonight and to join with you in this observance of the fourth anniversary of the United Nations.
I note also that this is the 14th annual meeting of the National Council of Negro Women, and the last convention at which the founder-president, Mrs. Bethune, will preside.
A significant feature of your conventions for many years has been an evening devoted to the furtherance of international good will and understanding. This was true when the United Nations was in its formative stage during the proceedings at Dumbarton Oaks, and again at the time of the San Francisco meeting when the United Nations Charter was adopted.
Here in the United States, we have a special reason for the close and sympathetic interest with which we have followed the growth of the United Nations. In the early years of our own Federal Union, the separate States found it necessary to unite for mutual defense and the promotion of the common welfare. That was a hard task because local pride and local patriotism had led to the formation of regional blocs. Nevertheless, out of that first loose confederation of States our present Federal Union emerged, with a Constitution which has stood the test of time and has proved to be the instrument by which we have achieved the greatest welfare for the common man the world has ever seen.
We are too apt to forget how long it took, and how difficult it was, to get the States to unite in the United States as we know it now. Let us not be too impatient at the seemingly slow progress we are now making toward the goal of world peace--a goal which, despite all difficulties, we shall certainly attain.
In the course of time, I am sure that the same patience, the same tolerance, and the same respect for individual differences that enabled the thirteen States to become the United States of America, will lead to the fulfillment of the ideals expressed in the United Nations Charter.
I am confident that the United Nations will grow to the point where national interests will be harmonized in a drive toward the great objectives of lasting peace and prosperity for all mankind.
While the individual members of the United Nations are working to compose their differences by the peaceful processes of conciliation and negotiation, they are also moving vigorously toward the fulfillment of ideals which are deeply rooted in our own American history and tradition. Our own founding fathers were deeply concerned with the preservation of individual liberties under the Federal Union. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has formulated these principles in a great document which can apply to all the peoples of the earth--the Declaration of Human Rights.
The American people have had a traditional policy for the administration of territories of the world not yet ready for self-government. From the beginning, we have adopted the view that such territories as came into our possession were held by us as trustees, and that it was our duty to develop their economies and their political institutions to the point where their peoples, if they so desired, would be able to enter the family of nations on a basis of equal partnership.
No other great nation in the history of the world has done such a thing as that.
We welcome the recognition of this principle in the United Nations Charter, and are deeply interested in the encouragement it has provided to the political aspirations of many peoples. The great movement toward self-government, which is now going forward in many territories under United Nations auspices, is symbolized tonight by the presence of the United Nations Director of Trusteeship, Dr. Ralph Bunche.
The United Nations is already receiving new strength from lands whose peoples have achieved self-government under democratic institutions. The Government of India is already playing a leading role among the new nations of Asia, and I am delighted to see here tonight the gracious Ambassador of India, Madame Pandit.
Political independence has little meaning if it is not accompanied by a full economic development. There are vast areas of the world today where whole populations do not have the bare necessities of life, even though their countries are rich in natural resources. Such countries need capital for economic development, and they need the benefits of modern technology and engineering. These needs cannot be met by the old colonialism with its fostering of political dependency and its economic exploitation. The economic growth of these underdeveloped areas must and will move forward in the interest of the peoples of those areas, and in accordance with the principles of democratic fair dealing. Such a forward movement will serve not only the best interest of the more highly developed countries, but it will also serve the common interest of all nations in the continual improvement of the living standards of mankind. In these great enterprises, I know we shall have the continued support of the National Council of Negro Women.
Fourteen years ago, this organization was rounded by Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, who is retiring this year. I am sure that Mrs. Bethune's retirement as president of this organization will not mean her retirement from public life. That is something we should all hate to see. She brought to the National Youth Administration a conviction that its program must reach all young people regardless of race, religion, or color. She has been in the forefront of those who worked for better housing and for larger employment opportunities through improved training and through the extension of fair employment practices. Mrs. Bethune remained until recently the president of a unique educational institution, Bethune-Cookman College, which she rounded and developed to serve Negro youth, and which stands as a monument to her vision, her energy, and her faith.
All of us who are here tonight have a deep interest in that great enterprise--the extension of freedom and opportunity to all our citizens without racial or religious discrimination. The people of this country have made, and we are making, progress in this cause. We are awakened as never before to the true meaning of equality-equality in the economic world. We are going to continue to advance in our program of bringing equal rights and equal opportunities to all citizens. In that great cause there is no retreat and no retirement, and I know Mrs. Bethune is going to stand by me as she has from the beginning.
Mrs. Bethune, as you retire from the presidency of this organization, I join with your members in thanking you for your leadership, which will forever be an inspiration to those who seek to carry forward the noble purposes to which your life has been devoted.
NOTE: The President spoke at 9:05 p.m. in the Departmental Auditorium in Washington. In his opening remarks he referred to Representative William L. Dawson of Illinois; Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, retiring founder-president of the National Council of Negro Women; Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Ambassador of India to the United States; and Dr. Ralph Bunche, United Nations Director of Trusteeship.
