June 16, 1951
IT HAS BEEN very gratifying to me to sign the instrument of ratification of the Charter of the Organization of American States. This charter, drawn up and signed for the 21 American Republics by their representatives at the Bogota Conference in 1948, provides the constitutional basis for Western Hemisphere unity, through consultation and joint action, within the framework of the United Nations.
In the present period of world tension, that unity assumes an even greater importance. Fortunately, the organization which the countries of this hemisphere have developed since 1890 has now been given a permanent structure, in this charter, at a time when inter-American cooperation is increasingly important. The unity of the Western Hemisphere which found its full wartime expression in the Act of Chapultepec in 1945, was reaffirmed and implemented by the Rio Treaty in 1947. It was demonstrated more recently by the achievements of the Consultative Meeting of Foreign Ministers held in Washington a little over 2 months ago
The moral, material, and military strength of the Western Hemisphere is rooted in this unity in the cause of freedom. The destinies of our 21 nations are closely linked together for the security and for the well-being of our respective peoples. We are bound together by a common past and by common beliefs; we must move forward together working always in close cooperation.
The benefits of over a century of friendly association of the nations of the Western Hemisphere are today providing an example for free sovereign peoples over the world. If there ever was a time for such an example, it is now. The foundations of inter-American unity, which are mutual respect and dignity among countries of sovereign equality, are just as vital to the maintenance of world peace. This is the true meaning and significance of the policy of the good neighbor.
NOTE: The Charter of the Organization of American States was favorably considered by the Senate on August 28, 1950, and was ratified by the President on June 15, 1951. It entered into force on December 13, 1951, and was proclaimed by the President on December 27, 1951. The text of the Charter is printed in the United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (2 UST 2394).
IT HAS BEEN very gratifying to me to sign the instrument of ratification of the Charter of the Organization of American States. This charter, drawn up and signed for the 21 American Republics by their representatives at the Bogota Conference in 1948, provides the constitutional basis for Western Hemisphere unity, through consultation and joint action, within the framework of the United Nations.
In the present period of world tension, that unity assumes an even greater importance. Fortunately, the organization which the countries of this hemisphere have developed since 1890 has now been given a permanent structure, in this charter, at a time when inter-American cooperation is increasingly important. The unity of the Western Hemisphere which found its full wartime expression in the Act of Chapultepec in 1945, was reaffirmed and implemented by the Rio Treaty in 1947. It was demonstrated more recently by the achievements of the Consultative Meeting of Foreign Ministers held in Washington a little over 2 months ago
The moral, material, and military strength of the Western Hemisphere is rooted in this unity in the cause of freedom. The destinies of our 21 nations are closely linked together for the security and for the well-being of our respective peoples. We are bound together by a common past and by common beliefs; we must move forward together working always in close cooperation.
The benefits of over a century of friendly association of the nations of the Western Hemisphere are today providing an example for free sovereign peoples over the world. If there ever was a time for such an example, it is now. The foundations of inter-American unity, which are mutual respect and dignity among countries of sovereign equality, are just as vital to the maintenance of world peace. This is the true meaning and significance of the policy of the good neighbor.
NOTE: The Charter of the Organization of American States was favorably considered by the Senate on August 28, 1950, and was ratified by the President on June 15, 1951. It entered into force on December 13, 1951, and was proclaimed by the President on December 27, 1951. The text of the Charter is printed in the United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (2 UST 2394).