This much we pledge -- and more? To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support -- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak, and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run: We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution! Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world...

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us... To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right; If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich... Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors... Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce!

The world is very different now... For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life! And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God... Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty! And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution... To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support -- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak, and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run... Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations:

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country... In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it; I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation; The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it! And the glow from that fire can truly light the world?