State of the Union: The Overshadowing Issue

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Kennedy saw at least two hopeful developments on the world scene. One was that the nonaligned nations now view the U.S. more favorably because of its actions in Cuba, the India-China war, the Congo and on disarmament. The other involves the increasing strains in the Communist bloc, where nationalism still persists, and where economic problems seem to be growing. "Here hopes must be tempered with caution," Kennedy said. But he indicated his certainty that Communism can breed only economic stagnation. "A closed society is not open to ideas of progress— and a police state finds that it can't command the grain to grow."

On balance, the President found that while many things need to be done to improve the State of the Union, there is reason for the U.S. to be encouraged. Concluded Kennedy: "Now the winds of change appear to be flowing more strongly than ever, in the world of Communism as well as our own. For 175 years we have sailed with those winds at our back and with the tides of human freedom in our favor. Today we still welcome those winds of change— and we have every reason to believe that our tide is running strong."