The Presidency: A Message to the South

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Swinging into the Deep South for a nine-hour trip last week, the President of the U.S. was greeted by none other than Alabama's rebellious Democratic Gover nor George Wallace. Kennedy's visit had been scheduled long before the Birmingham troubles began; there was a speech to make at the goth anniversary celebration of the founding of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Term., and there was also TVA's birthday party at Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Wallace met Kennedy at Muscle Shoals, applauded the President's speech, then hopped into Kennedy's helicopter (with members of Alabama's congressional delegation) for a 35-minute jump to the Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Ala. In the chopper, Kennedy and Wallace discussed Birmingham in what was carefully described as a "not unfriendly" manner. At Huntsville, the President switched over to his jet and headed for home. Alabama's Wallace, looking aggrieved, would tell newsmen merely that he and the President had a "brief discussion." Neither Wallace nor Kennedy had budged one whit from his position, and Wallace spent most of a press conference complaining about what he considers misuses of presidential powers.

For his part, the President's answer to Governor Wallace—and to the nation—was contained in a spirited and eloquent speech at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Though he never once mentioned the word Negro, Kennedy clearly was aiming his message at the Wallaces of the South. "This nation," he said, "is now engaged in a continuing debate about the rights of a portion of its citizens. That debate will go on, and those rights will expand, until the standard first forged by the nation's founders has been reached— and all Americans enjoy equal opportunity and liberty under law. But this nation was not founded solely on the principle of citizens' rights. Equally important—though too infrequently discussed—is the citizen's responsibility. For our privileges can be no greater than our obligations. The protection of our rights can endure no longer than the performance of our responsibilities. Each can be neglected only at the peril of the other. All Americans must be responsible citizens, but some must be more responsible than others, by virtue of their public or private position, their role in the family or community, their prospects for the future or their legacy from the past."