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Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-218
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address to the 18th General Assembly of the United Nations. In his speech the President discusses the recently signed treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests (later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty or Limited Test Ban Treaty), remarking that peace may be attainable when two nations with incompatible ideologies successfully negotiate. The President famously asks, "Space offers no problems of sovereignty…Why, therefore, should man's first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition?" President Kennedy also explains that the task of maintaining peace and decreasing global tension must be shared by all nations. He proposes ways for the United Nations to increase and improve their efforts in developing countries, specifically focusing on health, human rights, agriculture, communication, and the environment.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-050
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address before the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City. In his speech President Kennedy discusses the recent death of U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, presents six proposals for a new disarmament program, and provides information on the current crises in Laos, South Vietnam, and Berlin, Germany. The President also famously states, “Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.”