世界名人英语演讲稿(7)

no government is perfect. one of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected. the government of greece is not perfect. nevertheless it represents eighty-five per cent of the members of the greek parliament who were chosen in an election last year. foreign observers, including 692 americans, considered this election to be a fair expression of the views of the greek people.

the greek government has been operating in an atmosphere of chaos and extremism. it has made mistakes. the extension of aid by this country does not mean that the united states condones everything that the greek government has done or will do. we have condemned in the past, and we condemn now, extremist measures of the right or the left. we have in the past advised tolerance, and we advise tolerance now.

greek's [sic] neighbor, turkey, also deserves our attention. the future of turkey, as an independent and economically sound state, is clearly no less important to the freedom-loving peoples of the world than the future of greece. the circumstances in which turkey finds itself today are considerably different from those of greece. turkey has been spared the disasters that have beset greece. and during the war, the united states and great britain furnished turkey with material aid.

nevertheless, turkey now needs our support. since the war, turkey has sought financial assistance from great britain and the united states for the purpose of effecting that modernization necessary for the maintenance of its national integrity. that integrity is essential to the preservation of order in the middle east. the british government has informed us that, owing to its own difficulties, it can no longer extend financial or economic aid to turkey. as in the case of greece, if turkey is to have the assistance it needs, the united states must supply it. we are the only country able to provide that help.

i am fully aware of the broad implications involved if the united states extends assistance to greece and turkey, and i shall discuss these implications with you at this time. one of the primary objectives of the foreign policy of the united states is the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to work out a way of life free from coercion. this was a fundamental issue in the war with germany and japan. our victory was won over countries which sought to impose their will, and their way of life, upon other nations.

to ensure the peaceful development of nations, free from coercion, the united states has taken a leading part in establishing the united nations. the united nations is designed to make possible lasting freedom and independence for all its members. we shall not realize our objectives, however, unless we are willing to help free peoples to maintain their free institutions and their national integrity against aggressive movements that seek to impose upon them totalitarian regimes. this is no more than a frank recognition that totalitarian regimes imposed upon free peoples, by direct or indirect aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace, and hence the security of the united states.