FOR RELEASE: SUNDAYAM's, 12/18/66
REMARKS OF VI C:2:P J\ESIDENT HUBERTH. HUMPill\EY FOUR FREEDOMS A'ftTARD ITALIAN-.AMERICAN LAB OR OOUNCIL NEWYORK CI TY December 17, 1966
Mark Twain once observed: "It is nice to be honored, but nicer still to be honored by those who repr esent the things you believe in."
His words express my feelings today.
I am honored by the honorers -- the m~n and women of the It alian-American Labor Council, who represent the progressive spirit of democratic trade unionism.
And I am honored by this award -- which symbolizes the wisdom and vision of one of the greatest Americans of the Twentieth Century.
Franklin Roosevelt was a man who placed his faith and his heart, above all, with the people. The secret of America's success has always been in our most vital resource: Our people. And over the years Italy has contributed the second largest number of new Americans. Four million Italians have come here in this century. They came in search of a brighter future.
And they have found what they had been looking for. In the process they have become our leading bankers, artists, labor leaders, teachers, athletes, scientists and government officials. And they have enriched our music, art and architecture.
So it is hardly surprising that such warm and close ties bind the United States and Italy.
I know you are well aware of the disaster that has befallen Northern Italy as the result of unprecedented floods recently. The destruction in Florence of world famous art treasures, documents and priceless liter ature is nothing short of an international disaster. Over and above the destruction to museums and art centers is the tragic loss of human life and the loss of private property running into the millions of dollars.
vle can all be proud of the response by our government and our people to this disaster.
American students were among the first on the scene, trying to salvage art treasures. President Johnson immediately ordered in help in the form of medical supplies, fresh water, vaccines, food and clothing. We also furnished generators, pumps, earth moving equipment and manpower.
The American Red Cross sent drugs, clothing end an emergency donation of 25 thousand dollars. The Catholic Relief Services also sent clothing and emergency funds.
And all across .America, committees of private citizens were formed to provide assistance for flood victims and for rescuing the art treasures. passion This Our
The
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just just America. America. \ . REMARKS VICE PRES I DENT HUBERT HUMPHREY FOUR FREEDOMS AWARD ITALIAN-AMERICAN LABOR COUNCIL NEW YORK CITY --~--~~------December 17, 1966
LMark Twain once observed: "It is ni~to be honored, but nicer still to be honored by those who -.::: 7 u t
His words express my feelings today.
~ I am honored by the honorers --the men and q-'l --- women of the Italian-American Labor Council, who
represent the progressive spirit of democratic trade unionism
And I am honored by this award --which symbolizes
the wisdom and vision of one of the greatest Americans of ;..... I.,,, ... - -2-
I, Franklin Roosevelt was a man who placed his faith and his hea rt, above all, with the people. ~ ~ he secret of America's success has always been
in our most vital resource:..-Our people/. And over the years -Italy has contributed the second largest_g_uruQer of new A~s. F::ur .mill!~n Italians have ~o=e~ ~ this century. -....f ~ ~ 'kW _I . •• ~ J.... They came in search of a brighter future.
/-..And they have found what they~ bee'!Jo?k~~ for0 ~~---·~have become our leading bankers, artists, labor leaders, teachers, athletes,.. scientists and government
officials.____..... And they have enriched our music, ...... ,.__art and architecture. Z::oit is hardly surprising that such warm and close
ties bind the United States and Italy ...... = · · &- -~ / 1 know you are well aware of the disas!f that has
befallen Northern en=;,__.__!~as the result of unprecedented floods recently. -3-
~ The destruction i~Fio r;pce of world famous art
t ~e~e ~ docum~ ts and priceless literature is nothing
short of an international disaste r• Over and above the
destruction to museums and art centers is the tragic loss ... . a as* • *' ' ?'M .... of human life and the loss of private property running into the • • ·q;n ,..,a Mi " P r m · n nee ,.,., n n millions of dollars. · ew·cJfH · ' 1 ~ We can all be proud of the response by o !!f_go~er o m!llt and our people to this disaster., 1 1 · ~ me~ can s~e~s were among the first on the -~...,..,.. scene, tryin g to salvage art treasure s{_ President Johnson
immediately ordered in help in the form of medical supplies~ - =--- -- f'!sh waW,r . V_!CCi!}es, food an? cl.?tt!J. n.g.& e also furnished
generators, pumps, earth-moving equipment and manpower. A The ;~e ;ican Red Cross sent~s. clo~g and an emergency donation of 25 thousand dollars,:4he Catholic
Relief Services also sent clothing and emergency funds. -4-
LAnd all across Alllerica, commi~t~~-~. P. ~i y~te _ citizens were formed to provide assistance for flood victims ~ • ..- ...... '?" ~ ...... _ --'=--- - ~ . - and for rescuing the art treasuresc -::.::· . ::: :: .. Lrhis vast o~tpou ~ i~g of -~~ and c~~ce~n demonstrates clearly the very special affection between our two countries t= n • .., • v · e t4 !'~iii ~~_,...... 0 [ rhe reason is not very mysterious• We share with
Italy a passion for peace, justice and progress.ft!·•• ~ -:=;tJV?% .;;s;;r bP W£ • a r m ,.., ~ We share a common spiritual and ;_~ l. ! ul~ l ~_:r it~ge that
teaches human di nity an d compassion l'O:*'~=*t*'rtWI~ v) . 4i.t /. Italy is not · . our a~n NAT9 and in the
Atlantic Partnership it is our close and trusted friend~ ~_.,,.,"" '""""""·n·""- " .._.. -.._. /....Our work today is very similar. Both America and
Italy are trying to create societies that extend the boundaries
of human opportunity. -
" They are trying to bring progress to every community
and to all their people...... rl - 5 -
!,They are trying to find ways to make ~-e h_a~y and usefu I and fi lied with the blessings of peace., --~
world that is more human by promoting the common good -= ' n ec.-. of all. •• fiJ ['!}e know that progress does not come quickly or easily. Men hungered for the Four Freedoms long before
President Roosevelt enunciated them in January, 1941. In
fact, the quest to attain fundamental human ri ghts goes
back far beyond our own century, into the distant pa5t. ._ I. Why are these rights so difficult to attain? The reason is obvious: Freedom threatens those who eli ng to
. . . and those unwi IIi ng to create progress or expand the
horizons of human opportunity t> -6-
Consider the meaning of the Four Freedoms --
Freedom of speech and expression.
Freedom to worship God in our own way.
Freedom from want.
Freedom from fear --anywhere in the world.
,_ws that t voice of the people sh II be heard, the voice is asing to those in powe or not.
< Freed mto worship God in ou own way me s tolerating th who believe differently who think by di erent lights, and who, different values. It means that the sec beliefs will not I threatened by other r views. /._Freedom rom want means that a the people shall harn ss national wealth ·and resources insure its citizens acces to the essentials of li -7- \ Fr edom from fear m ans creating a sec6re and
humane so iety that will enr ch the human spi it, not
smother it ith oppressive c nformity or tyran n cal pressures.
Freedom fr m fear means th freedom to be -- fu~y and a completely -111 uman being r sponsive to the chal enges
;rQ'ur time. ----·-- ~ Yes, freedom is ~~n~ero~s to those in the world who
oppose human progress. But freedom is _as essential to I ife { ~-~ "...... t. ~ Y'U , ... I'Wiililtf~V'f.M'',.,- as the very air we breathe~ ~ l f ...... a:.s ....._
d , ~~----- ~ And we are working to ac!!!_~.v; . ~!J.f!h. f.~~.eQ.q!ll - freedom from hunger_ .... • ®::z-~;s~~; r still stalks half the world. ~sl:l YQar -8-
\ of millions on three o I I wh exist on nco me f I itt e more than a ~oil ' Man have le s to spend food and othe asic 1 nee s than the verage merican spen
One of our respon l I has ~een the ood for Peac rogra -- a p ogra m
unpr\ cedente in the ·sto y of manki d. \ \ I tput of one of every f u ~ product ve I acres n Arne i n farms is hipped oversea :to help eed I
that two-ye r period, the world ha
80 per cent of these
ew mouths have been added in lands least able to fe
Today, the developing nations of Asia, Africa and Latin
America look increasingly to America and other free nations -- •
- 9 - - but also for answers as to how they can do more to feed and clothe
~...... ,_----~j.L;e~a~e~r~c~o~, mo n effo aII of us. ~ f we do not fi :-:~:~ s~ ers .. . if we do not make the effort, ~nnot have much hope either for world peace
or the future of the human family. ( rfr;rft-)
The hungry nations need our food. They need I)JJJ,£J/~- f)f';:r our know-how and assistance~ They need our fa ith in
them.
J.. And we must offer all ~:;_~hlfl9; :. _ President Roosevelt would have been proud of Food
for Freedom. This program em bodies the legacy he left to
us of bold idealism, courage and responsibility in meeting
our obli gations to one another and to the rest of the world. - 10 - LHe taught us that to be a great people we must do what we can to make life useful and productive not for ourselves alone, but for those mi I lions on earth who
need our help. ~~-~~~~~-~--~-- ~- ~-- ~~-~~~~~
We are not complacent. We do not aspire to be . ;::::: an island of contentment in the midst of a stormy sea.
b head of us lies the ageless dream of man -- a
dream common to both the cultures of Italy and of America:
to live a useful and productive life in freedom and dignity. k closing, I give you a challenge written in his own hand by Franklin Roosevelt, on Apri I 12, 1945,
at his desk in Warm Springs, Georgia -- for an address
he was never to deliver. •
- II -
His final message to us all was this:
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow
wi II be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with
strong and active faith."
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