Kennedy Speaks

[Spoken: John F. Kennedy]
Ladies and gentlemen:

The very word 'secrecy'
Is repugnant in a free and open society;
And we are, as a people, inherently
And historically opposed to secret societies,
To secret oaths and to secret proceedings
We decided long ago that the dangers
Of excessive and unwarranted concealment
Of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers
Which are cited to justify it

Even today, there is little value
In opposing the threat of a closed society
By imitating its arbitrary restrictions
Even today, there is little value
In insuring the survival of our nation
If our traditions do not survive with it
And there is very grave danger
That an announced need for increased security
Will be seized upon by those anxious
To expand its meaning to the very limits
Of official censorship and concealment
That I do not intend to permit
To the extent that it's in my control

And no official of my Administration,
Whether his rank is high or low,
Civilian or military, should interpret my words
Here tonight as an excuse to censor the news,
To stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes
Or to withhold from the press and the public
The facts they deserve to know

For we are opposed around the world
By a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy
That relies primarily on covert means
For expanding its sphere of influence—
On infiltration instead of invasion,
On subversion instead of elections,
On intimidation instead of free choice,
On guerrillas by night instead of armies by day

It is a system which has conscripted
Vast human and material resources
Into the building of a tightly knit,
Highly efficient machine
That combines military, diplomatic, intelligence,
Economic, scientific and political operations
Its preparations are concealed, not published
Its mistakes are buried, not headlined
Its dissenters are silenced, not praised
No expenditure is questioned,
No rumor is printed, no secret is revealed

No President should fear public scrutiny
Of his program
For from that scrutiny comes understanding;
And from that understanding
Comes support or opposition
And both are necessary
I am not asking your newspapers
To support the Administration,
But I am asking your help
In the tremendous task of informing
And alerting the American people
For I have complete confidence
In the response and dedication of our citizens
Whenever they are fully informed

I not only could not stifle
Controversy among your readers—
I welcome it
This Administration intends
To be candid about its errors;
For as a wise man once said:
"An error doesn't become a mistake
Until you refuse to correct it."
We intend to accept full responsibility
For our errors;
And we expect you to point them out
When we miss them.

Without debate, without criticism,
No Administration and no country can succeed—
And no republic can survive
That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon
Decreed it a crime for any citizen
To shrink from controversy
And that is why our press was protected
By the First Amendment—
The only business in America
Specifically protected by the Constitution—
Not primarily to amuse and entertain,
Not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental,
Not to simply 'give the public what it wants'—
But to inform, to arouse, to reflect,
To state our dangers and our opportunities,
To indicate our crises and our choices,
To lead, mold, educate
And sometimes even anger public opinion

This means greater coverage and analysis
Of international news—
For it is no longer far away
And foreign but close at hand and local
It means greater attention to
Improved understanding of the news
As well as improved transmission
And it means, finally, that government at all levels,
Must meet its obligation to provide you
With the fullest possible information
Outside the narrowest limits of national security

And so it is to the printing press—
To the recorder of man's deeds,
The keeper of his conscience,
The courier of his news—
That we look for strength and assistance,
Confident that, with your help, man will be
What he was born to be: free and independent