Remarks to Members of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO.

THANK YOU very much. It is a pleasure to have you here. I am vitally interested in what you are doing and what you are trying to do, and always have been.

Somebody remarked that there were a great many of you and that the handshaking might tire out my arm. For your information, the last year that Mrs. Truman and I were in the White House, she shook hands with 50,000 people and I shook hands with 25,000, aside from those that I ran into in 1948 on the road, accidentally. The arm has to be in good condition, for we have another program coming up that will be somewhat similar to that of 1948. This time we are trying to elect a Congress that believes in international cooperation, wholeheartedly-a Congress that believes the welfare of the United States demands a continuing foreign policy that takes into consideration the whole globe, instead of just one county or one district or one State.

The work that you are doing is of vital importance. Education is the fundamental basis of freedom. The Renaissance, I think, began the approach to our form of government, although that form originated back with the Hebrews and the Greeks and the Romans. Of course, that is only one man's opinion, as one radio commentator would say.

Then also we are exceedingly anxious to see that the good things of life are made available to the poorer parts of the world. That may sound like a worldwide WPA, but it is nothing of the kind. My ambition is to help these people to help themselves. I am sure that is what you have in mind.

I am giving the United Nations, and this organization in particular, all the support I can possibly give as President of the United States. I want to see you successful and I want to see the United Nations successful, and I honestly believe that both of you will be a complete success in the course of time.

We expect things to happen too fast. The United States is noted for its go-getters. We make plans today and try to get them done tomorrow. In organizations such as yours and the United Nations, if over a generation or two generations we come close to accomplishing our purpose, we have made great progress. It took the first 80 years of the existence of the Republic of the United States to get it established, and then we had to whip ourselves before we got it done.

In working to get this plan of ours implemented on a worldwide basis, we are working for the peace of the world. That is what we are all working for. That is what your educational program is for--to prevent the killing of the young men and young women of the generations that are to come.

One of the difficulties of Europe is the fact that the great countries of Europe suffered two world cataclysms, in which the younger generation was killed off by the millions. That sort of loss can't be repaired immediately. We don't want that to happen to us. We have been exceedingly lucky in both the world wars, in that we did not lose an overwhelming number of our coming generations.

I hope you will keep up your good work, and that you will be entirely successful. And if I can help you, I am right here to do it. Thank you very much.