Remarks at the Dedication of the Site of the Ocean Science Center of the Atlantic Commission, Skidaway Island, Georgia

Mr. Chairman, Governor Maddox, Congressman Hagan, all of the distinguished guests on the platform, and ladies and gentlemen:

As you know, I have just returned from a long trip abroad which took us to a number of countries. As I said last night on television, Mrs. Nixon and I were very heartened by the wonderful welcomes we received in countries like Yugoslavia and Italy and Spain and Ireland and England.

I recall when we were in Ireland, I said at the Irish dinner that there is really nothing like an Irish welcome. And I must say that after traveling through the streets of Savannah today, and then seeing all of you that have come out to this island, and you had to come here by boat--I understand that is going to change---but nevertheless, to see all of you that came out here, recognizing that some of you, I understand, have been here since 9 o'clock this morning, I've got to say after this there is nothing like a Georgia welcome.

I remember when my good friend Hal Suit¹ suggested that I should come down to Georgia, he said--and I am sure, incidentally, that Governor Maddox would agree with this, that makes it bipartisan-he said, "Everybody goes to Atlanta." He said, "Why don't you come to Savannah?" So that is why I am in Savannah, and I am glad to be here.

As you know, I am here for a purpose that is very important to the future of this State, of this country, and particularly the future of our children. I was delighted to see the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, and all the young people that are here today, because my remarks, and they will be very brief, relate to them and their future really more than it does to us, those in our generation.

Not that we do not care about what happens to us, but I am thinking of what kind of an America we are going to leave to those young children, whether or not they are going to have the resources that will allow them to lead a good life; whether or not they are going to have the open spaces, the recreation, the clean water, the clean air, the birthright that we want for every American. And that is, to an extent, what this program is about today.

Before referring to it further, however, I should like to say that what impresses me about this installation that is not yet built but which will be built after I unveil the architectural plans in this ceremony-what impresses me about it is the amount of cooperation and the number of various groups of people who have made it possible.

These days we tend too often, whenever we have a problem, to say, "What are they going to do in Washington?" And when always we turn only to Washington, we find that then Washington tells people at home what to do. I don't think that is a good idea.

I think the people of this country want to make their own decisions as much as possible as close at home, and I think you believe that.

So I was very pleased to find that the land here was given by private enterprise; that the Roeblings, ² for example, are present here, who were among those who gave the land. I found that a county, Chatham County, played a part. Chatham County is going to build the bridge.

I found that the State of Georgia, and the United States Government, are cooperating in the financing of this project, and I found that the University of Georgia, a great institution, is going to operate the project. There you have, it seems to me, an ideal combination. You have local government, you have State government and Federal Government. You have private enterprise and you have a great educational institution, the University of Georgia. That is the kind of approach to government that we want-but that we want more of in the years ahead, so that we can enlist just as many various groups within our society as we can for building the better America that we all want.

Now a word about this project. We hear about the frontiers that America has had through the years, and those frontiers have changed, as we all know. First, we crossed the mountains and went to the Midwest, and then crossed the Rocky Mountains and went to the Far West. Then there were those that said there were no other frontiers left. We have all heard about the great frontier of space and what has happened there.

What we are talking about here is a frontier that is just being discovered, just being discovered in terms of its enormous possibilities. That is the frontier of the seas around us.

I was surprised to find, and I am sure you will be surprised to find if you have not studied this, that it is presently estimated that on the oceans bordering on the United States, already $20 billion worth of assets are being developed, $2 billion a year of income is derived from the oceans bordering on the United States. And we have only scratched the surface.

In fact, the greatest undeveloped resources in the world today are not on land but they are in the seas. That is what this project is about. This project is one that will help to develop the enormous resources of our seas, of our waterways here in these beautiful Golden Isles, and, of course, will tell us, through the experiments that are made here, of how we can, in effect, in terms of agriculture we can grow things in the sea.

I know that some of these ideas sound pretty far out, but, as I have studied it, and as I have heard about it, I find that this is perhaps one of the most exciting new areas that we can possibly think about.

I also want to say that, in speaking of agriculture, I would not want to come to Georgia without expressing appreciation to this State for, among the many people that we have from Georgia in our administration, for giving us the Under Secretary of Agriculture, Phil Campbell. We worked with him this morning, incidentally, on the farm bill. When I speak of agriculture in the seas, that, of course, is very appropriate, when we think of his great responsibilities of developing the agriculture on land.

Now let us look briefly at that problem, the development of the resources that are in the seas about us, and then let us look at another problem. We hear a lot about the environment these days, what is happening to the air in our cities.

If you have been to a city that has smog, you know what a terribly serious problem it is. We think about the waters, how the rivers become polluted, for example the Savannah River.

You don't have to go far from Washington. We think of the "beautiful blue" Potomac. You come look at it some day. It isn't that. It, of course, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

We think of what has happened to this great country of ours in many areas where we have had great industrial progress, progress that has given us the highest per capita income in the whole world--we should be thankful that we have that because that enables us to do things that we otherwise would be unable to do for our children---but where, as a result of that industrial progress, we also have had the byproducts of air that is very difficult to breathe, water that isn't fit to drink, and open spaces that are destroyed.

There are those who, of course, would suggest that that makes progress bad, that what we should do is to go back to the time when we didn't have any factories, when we didn't have any automobiles, when we didn't have any roads, because if we didn't, then you would have clean air and clean water, and wouldn't life be wonderful!

The answer is it wouldn't be at all. I have been to lots of countries that have no progress, and believe me, I find most of the people there want to come to the United States of America where we have it. But what we can recognize is that in this country with its enormous industrial capability, it is possible to have progress and at the same time use those enormous talents in those areas to clean up the air, and clean up the water, and develop the open spaces, the recreation that we want for our young people in the years ahead. So it is with the sea around us.

As we begin to develop commercially even more the enormous resources of the ocean, it is vitally important that we not allow our shorelines to be polluted.

Because we referred a moment ago to these Golden Isles, we think of what gold will buy. And gold is very important. We think of it as the most--certainly, when we think of anything that we might want to have, gold seems to be as important as anything else.

But we also know that in terms of these beautiful islands and the water around them, that if they become polluted, then all the gold in the world isn't going to matter.

So what we need is a two-pronged program: One that on the one side will develop the resources of the waters around us for the future benefit and progress of mankind, but, on the other side, will see to it that as we use the oceans we do not abuse the oceans.

That is why our program in the Environmental Council is one that will see to it that, whether it relates to the drilling for oil, or the dumping from ships and boats as they are in harbors and passing along the coastline, that these kinds of activities will be carried on in such a way that they do not pollute the waters so that they cannot be enjoyed by our children in the years ahead.

What I am simply saying to this audience here in this beautiful area of the United States is this: We are very fortunate to live in the richest country in the world. We must remember, however, that with all of our wealth unless we are careful about how we develop it in the future we can spoil this country for our children. We are not going to let that happen. That is something that is bigger than whether we are Democrats or Republicans. That involves the future of our children and the future of America.

That is why this installation, under the leadership of a great university, will contribute to the development of a better America, the development of our resources, and, at the same time, develop those resources without destroying the beauty of this land in which we are so fortunate to live.

I would not want this opportunity to pass, having touched on that subject, without also speaking to you briefly about my reactions to the base that I have just visited where our Air Force One plane landed. I saw a number of servicemen there. They were from all over the country. As a matter of fact, I saw one boy who had come from a town, Huntington Beach, that was only 10 miles from where I was born.

When I was in the Mediterranean, I visited the 6th Fleet. I saw thousands of young Americans there. I also know the deep concern that every American has for a policy that will bring peace in the world.

Just let me say that when I announced last night a new peace initiative for bringing the war in Vietnam to a close--a peace initiative which included, as you know, a cease-fire, a peace conference for all of Indochina, action on the prisoner of war issues, the total withdrawal of all forces on a mutual basis--I can tell you that it would not have been possible to have made that offer unless it had been for the fact that hundreds of thousands--yes, over o million--young Americans, in a very difficult war, instead of deserting their country decided to serve their country.

I can tell you that I am very proud of the men that serve in our Armed Forces. They are really peace forces--the peace forces in the Mediterranean, in Korea, and in other far-flung areas across the world, and in Vietnam.

We can be proud of the fact that as was the case in World War I, in World War II, and in Korea, the United States is not fighting there to dominate any other country, to gain any territory, but we are fighting only for the right of another people to have independence and freedom from foreign domination. We can be proud of that kind of a policy and proud that America produces still young men who will do their duty so that their children can grow up in a world not only of peace but also of freedom.

I have read some comments to the effect that this war was one that was so unpopular, as all wars, of course, are unpopular for various reasons and different reasons, that our best young men have gone to Canada.

I disagree. I say our best young men have gone to Vietnam and served.

I pledge to you that we shall continue to develop policies that will end this war, but end it in a way that we can have a just peace.

Let me just tell you what I mean by that. When I became President just 20 months ago, it would have been very easy to end the war. After all, I was President of the United States, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. I could have ended the war, brought the boys home, and everybody would have certainly had a sigh of relief. But, you know, ending wars does not necessarily build the peace. We have ended three wars in this century. We ended World War I. We ended World War II. We ended Korea. And yet no generation of Americans in this century has enjoyed a full generation of peace.

What we must do is to end a war in a way that serves the peace, that builds the peace, that discourages aggression, and that is what we are doing in Vietnam and we are going to accomplish it.

So I would say to this wonderful audience, in conclusion, I am very proud to be here in Georgia to participate in these ceremonies that will begin a very exciting, new project which will develop the waters around us for our children and their children in the years ahead.

I also can assure you that, as the President of the United States, I shall continue to work with all the power at my command and with all the ability that I have for those policies that will bring what we have not had in this century, a generation of peace for all Americans.

Thank you.