Message to the Veterans Association of Brazil on the Anniversary of V-E Day.

TWENTY years ago Brazil and the United States took up arms together to fight a common enemy of democracy. Our great wartime leaders, Franklin Roosevelt and Getulio Vargas, also laid the foundations for Brazilian-American cooperation in the economic and technical fields. This May 8th anniversary, commemorating our final victory in Europe in 1945, finds us engaged in another kind of war on many different battle fronts. Today the common enemy is poverty, malnutrition, disease, and illiteracy. Under the Alliance for Progress we propose to attack these problems and to move forward to final victory, just as we did together in the war years, united by Man's highest aspirations for peace and prosperity with freedom.

Our common history, experience, and ideals unite us. The names of Mascarenhas de Morias and Mark Clark, Zenobio da Costa and Willis Crittenberger immortalize our wartime cooperation and the democratic principles that moved us on to triumph in World War II. Let us rededicate ourselves on this V-E Day anniversary to the ideals of Brazilian-American solidarity and friendship. May I take this occasion to salute the gallant Associacao dos Ex-Combatentes do Brazil, and pay tribute to the brave servicemen of the F.E.B. and the armed forces of Brazil, who gave their lives to the cause of freedom. All honor to you who proudly proclaim the slogan "A Cobra esta Fumando."

JOHN F. KENNEDY