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The Promise. The fruit of success in all these tasks would present the world with the greatest task—and the greatest opportunity—of all. It is this: the dedication of the energies, the resources, and the imaginations of all peaceful nations to a new kind of war. This would be a declared, total war, not upon any human enemy, but upon the brute forces of poverty and need. The peace we seek . . . can be fortified —not by weapons of war—but by wheat and by cotton, by milk and by wool, by meat, timber and rice. These are words that translate into every language on earth . ..
This Government is ready to ask its people to join with all nations in devoting a substantial percentage of any savings achieved by real disarmament to a fund for world aid and reconstruction. The purposes of this great work would be: to help other peoples to develop the undeveloped areas of the world, to stimulate profitable and fair world trade, to assist all peoples to know the blessings of productive freedom . . .
The Challenge. Again we say: the hunger for peace is too great, the hour in history too late, for any government to mock men's hopes with mere words and promises and gestures. Is the new leadership of the Soviet Union prepared to use its decisive influence in the Communist world—including control of the flow of arms—to bring not merely an expedient truce in Korea but genuine peace in Asia? Is it prepared to allow other nations, including those in Eastern Europe, the free choice of their own form of governments? Is it prepared to act in concert with others upon serious disarmament proposals?
If not—where then is the concrete evidence of the Soviet Union's concern for peace? There is, before all peoples, a precious chance to turn the black tide of events. If we failed to strive to seize this chance, the judgment of future ages will be harsh and just. If we strive but fail, and the world remains armed against itself, it at least will need to be divided no longer in its clear knowledge of who has condemned humankind to this fate ...