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第一篇：名人的经典英语演讲稿
Mr.John Doleva,Hall of Fame Executive Committee,ladies and gentlemen,good evening.
When I heard that I was speaking first tonight,I thought that someone made a mistake.The first speaker should be the great Allen Iverson.I need practice more than he does.
First of all,I would like to thank you for giving me this great honor.Your recognition has made tonight a most memorable moment for me.Although perhaps my career ended too soon,for me I treasure each and every moment.I am grateful for my time on the court,and for your recognition tonight.
I would like to thank my sponsors.
Bill Russell.I remember that you invited me to dinner at your house in Seattle in my rookie year.That evening,and all of your advice since,really built up my confidence and made me feel comfortable in a new country.
Bill Walton.You supported me all the way.Thank you for your advice and encouragement.You were the first one who called me when I woke up from mysurgery.You told me to stay positive.I will always remember that.
Dikembe Mutombo.I put you last because you are the oldest of the three.We played together for five years and had so many memories on and off the court.Nothing can break the bond between us―not even all those elbows you gave me in practice.
As you know I am from China,and my journey began there.
My parents were basketball players back in the 1970s.I heard so many great stories about them,about how they played and how good they were.More importantly,so many people know how good they are as people.I am very fortunate to be your son.
The gift I had from you was not only height...the way you taught me how to think,how to make decisions.And of course,my soft touch on the free throw line.Which is why I had 10,000 free throws less than ONeill.
My wife Li.We met when we were high school age.You know how much you mean to me.Thank you for being my life partner.Our lovely daughter Amy is a treasure to both of us.We wish she could be here,but she is in her first week of school.And she has to live with the consequences of choosing soccer over basketball...Ill fix that.
My basketball journey began on the back of coach Li Zhangmin’s bicycle when he gave me a ride to my very first practice on the basketball court.I would like to congratulate you on a very successful and very long career as you retire this year.Thank you for your work and your effrot,and so many kids have benefited from you and your work.
Coach Li Qiuping you were my coach at the Shanghai Sharks.You led us to win so far the only CBA championship before I came to NBA,and you gave us so much and sacrifice so much in that year you lost your wife to cancer.Thank you for your dedication and your sacrifices to us.
I want to thank the city of Shanghai,the Shanghai Sharks and the CBA league for doing everything to encourage me,prepare me,train me.They helped me to be ready for the next challenges in my life.
There is old saying in China that if the mirror is made of bronze,one can dress properly.If the mirror is history,one can predict ups and downs.If the mirror is people,one can reflect on one’s own weakness and strength.And now,I would like to mention a few mirrors in my life.
First,I want to mention Mr.Mou Zouyun.He was a basketball legend.Over 80 years ago,Mr.Mou came here to Springfield to study basketball.He went back to China and dedicated his life to Chinese basketball.Today,the CBA Championship Cup is named after him.This cup is the life goal that every CBA player can dream of.
I am not the first Chinese man to play in the NBA.That honor belongs Wang Zhi Zhi.He was a pioneer for all future Chinese players who dream of coming to the NBA.He cleared the road for us and made so many sacrifices.I learned so much from him.Although he cannot be here today,I want to thank him.
Many people know the story that began when the Rockets drafted me in 20xx.Not many people know how much effort the Rockets put in before I arrived and throughout my career.Thank you to Les Alexander,Michael Goldberg,Carroll Dawson,Tad Brown,Daryl Morey and Keith Jones for making me feel at home in Houston.
When I arrived in Houston on my first day,Steve Francis gave me a strong high five and a big hug to welcome me.Steve has been the perfect big brother to me ever since that day.
Cuttino Mobley invited me to his home for something called“soul food.”I thought he meant salty food which confused me a little bit.Thank you to Steve,Cuttino and everyone on my early Rockets teams for making me feel so welcome.
Rudy T.is famous for saying,“Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”Rudy has demonstrated this not only on the court,but off the court too,especially in his battle with cancer.Rudy,you have always inspired me to be the better that I can be.
When Jeff Van Gundy arrived with Patrick Ewing and Tom Thibodeau,that coaching staff turned us into a tough defensive team,like he always does.
With T-Mac,Shane Battier,Rafer Alston,we became a talented young team,especially with Dikembe.That team was not only competitive,but a team with a brotherhood.
I always remember Coach Van Gundy said once that,“The best chance also could be your last.”That is true in basketball and in life.
My last NBA coach was Rick Adelman.He helped us develop so many talented players like Carl Landry,Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks.We had a great run in 20xx-20xx,but unfortunately my injury cut things short and ended my time with the Rockets too soon.I will always remember my time spent with the Houston Rockets as some of the best times in my life.
As a basketball player,I was one of the most blessed players on the planet.I played against some of the best athletes in the world.
A great athlete not only has great teammates,but great opponents.Great opponents push us forward.Opponents like Shaquille O’Neal.Shaq:Every game we played reminded me of the old saying,“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”Thank you for that.
I consider Houston my second home,so I want to say something to the people of Houston.You stood by me in good and bad times.You gave me strength to move forward.I will always consider you my family.I am a Texan and a Houston Rocket for life.
All of this would not be possible without the vision of David Stern and the NBA.Thank you to David Stern,Adam Silver,Kim Bohuny and everyone at the NBA for your kindness and support.
Finally,to Team Yao.We all look older and fatter than when we first met.
Ladies and gentlemen,I like to pay my respect to Dr.Naismith,to the 361 members of the Hall of Fame,and to everyone who has contributed to the game of basketball all over the world in last 125 years.
All of these individuals are stars and together they form the galaxy in the universe of basketball.The game has inspired billions of people around the world.As one of them,I will do my part to continue to help grow the great game of basketball,and we all look forward to watching the stars of tomorrow emerge and shine.
Thank you for this great honor.Thank you.
第二篇：经典名人英语演讲稿
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.
In a sense we have come to our nations capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of Gods children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negros legitimate discontent will not pauntil there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning.
第三篇：名人英语演讲稿
丘吉尔曾受邀在某校毕业典礼上讲话。在校长冗长的介绍后，他只说了一句话：”永远，永远，永远不要放弃。”(Never, never, never give up.) 就走下讲台。这被称为历史上最短的毕业演讲。其实，这是一个误传。丘吉尔1941年在哈罗公学演讲时提到过这句话，但过程却并没有这么传奇。
每到毕业季，各大高校都会请来名人给毕业生做演讲。当这样的演讲多了，其内容不仅算不上传奇，甚至可能难免俗套。本期我们就来一起看看吧。
【名人演讲第一招：套近乎】
演讲之初先要营造轻松的氛围，演讲者们深谙这个道理，于是各种开场方式悉数登场。 Class of 20xx! I don't think I heard you. (Larry Page)
09届的同学们！你们的掌声在哪里？（拉里・佩奇）
Thank you for that nice reception and thank you Virginia for the incredible introduction. I thought some of them were about somebody else. (Tim Cook)
谢谢大家，谢谢弗吉尼亚（主持人）那么卖力地推销我。我一度以为她在介绍别人呢。（蒂姆・库克）
The first thing I would like to say is "thank you". Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honor, but the weeks of fear and nausea I've experienced at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. (J.K. Rowling)
我想说的第一句话是”谢谢”。不仅因为哈佛给了我这样非同一般的荣誉，还因为一想到今天的演讲，我就紧张恐惧、茶饭不思，几个星期下来竟然减肥成功。（J・K・罗琳）
【名人演讲第二招：自嘲】
自嘲几乎是大部分名人演讲的必杀技。不过注意哦，这种自嘲有时候可能是一种变相的吹嘘。 I know exactly what it feels like to be sitting in your seat, listening to some old gasbag give a long-winded commencement speech. (Larry Page)
我十分清楚你们现在坐在台下的感受：听我们这些老家伙絮叨，老生常谈。（拉里・佩奇） Last year, J.K. Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium. The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here. Today, sadly, you have me. I am not wealthy, but at least I am a nerd. (Steven Chu)
去年登上这个讲台的，是拥有亿万身家的小说家罗琳女士，她最早是一个古典文学的学生。前年站在这里的是比尔・盖茨先生，他是一个超级富翁、慈善家和电脑高手(nerd)。今年很遗憾，你们的演讲人是我。虽然我不像他们那么有钱，但至少我也算一个高手(nerd还有”笨蛋”的意思)。（朱棣文）
I applaud the graduates today for taking a much more direct route to your degrees. For my part, I'm just happy that the Crimson has called me "Harvard's most successful dropout". I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class...I did the best of everyone who failed. (Bill Gates)
我为今天在座的各位同学感到高兴，你们拿到学位可比我容易多了。我值得称道的也只有被哈佛的校报称作”哈佛大学历史上最成功的辍学生”了。我想这大概使我有资格代表我这一类学生发言……在所有的失败者里，我做得最好。（比尔・盖茨）
【名人演讲第三招：哭穷】
功成名就的演讲者们肯定少不了要分享下自己过去辛酸的经历，好让台下的学子们“开心开心”。
(After I dropped out of Reed College) I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. (Steve Jobs)
（从里德学院退学后）我无法再住宿舍，所以只能借宿在朋友房间的地板上，我去捡5美分一个的可乐瓶，以此赚钱来购买食物，我会在每个周日走上7英里，穿过小城，到克利须那神庙，只为晚上那顿一周一次的美餐。（史蒂夫・乔布斯）
A mere 7 years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. (J.K. Rowling)
毕业7年之后，我遭遇了彻底的失败。我那极其短暂的婚姻走到了尽头，再加上失业，作为一个单身母亲，我沦落到穷困潦倒的.境地，就差无家可归了。（J・K・罗琳）
I did everything. I shucked oysters, I was a hostess, I was a bartender, I was a waitress, I painted houses, I sold vacuum cleaners, I had no idea. And I thought I'd just finally settle in some job, and I would make enough money to pay my rent. (Ellen DeGeneres)
我那时什么工作都做，剥过牡蛎、做过迎宾、酒保、服务员、粉刷房子、卖吸尘器，我完全不知道自己想做什么。我只想随便找个工作糊口，能有钱付得起房租就行。（艾伦・德杰尼勒斯）
【名人演讲第四招：挫折与抉择】
几乎每个成功人士的背后，好像都至少有一次面临挫折和抉择，然后绝处逢生的经历。
[挫折篇]
I listened and waited for Professor Childs to say how well written my thesis was. He didn't. And so after about 45 minutes I finally said, "So. What did you think of the writing?"
我等待着希望听到蔡尔兹教授告诉我我的论文写得多么好。但他没有。于是等了45分钟后，我终于开口问，“那你怎么评价我的写作呢？”
"Put it this way," he said. "Never try to make a living at it." (Michael Lewis)
“这么说吧，”他说，“千万不要靠这个谋生。”（迈克尔・刘易斯）
And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. (Steve Jobs)
那一年，我被炒了鱿鱼。你怎么可能被自己创立的公司炒鱿鱼？是这样的，在苹果快速成长的时候，我们雇了一个我觉得很有天分的家伙和我一起管理公司，最初几年，公司运转得很好。但后来我们对未来的看法发生了分歧，最终吵了起来。面对不可调和的分歧，董事会站在了他那一边。（史蒂夫・乔布斯）
And I thought, "What's the worst that could happen? I can lose my career." I did. I lost my career. The show was canceled after 6 years, without even telling me, I read it in the paper. The phone didn't ring for 3 years. I had no offers. Nobody wanted to touch me at all. (Ellen DeGeneres)
那时我想，最惨的会是什么呢？也就是失业吧。结果，我真的失业了。我的节目在做了6年后，没有告知我就停播了，我看了报纸才知道。家里的电话3年没有再响过，没人找我做节目，没人愿意提及我。（艾伦・德杰尼勒斯）
[抉择篇]
My employer at the time, Compaq Computer, was the largest personal computer company in the world. One CEO I consulted felt so strongly about it. He told me I would be a fool to leave Compaq for Apple (a small company then). (Tim Cook)
我当时的东家康柏公司是当时全球最大的个人电脑生产商。我咨询一位CEO朋友的意见，他坚定地说，我脑袋被驴踢了才会为了苹果（当时还是一个很小的公司）离开康柏。（蒂姆・库克）
I called up my father. I told him I was going to quit this job that now promised me millions of dollars to write a book for an advance of 40 grand. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "You might just want to think about that," he said. I didn't need to think about it. (Michael Lewis)
我打电话给我父亲，告诉他我要辞掉这个百万美元的工作来写一本只有4万美元预付款的书。电话那边沉默了很久。他说：“也许你该再考虑一下。”我根本不需要考虑。（迈克尔・刘易斯） I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my wife that I wanted to quit my job and go do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work. She told me I should go for it. (Jeff Bezos)
16年前，我萌生了创办亚马逊的想法。那时我刚刚30岁，结婚才1年。我告诉妻子想辞去工作，然后去做这件疯狂而且很可能失败的事情。她告诉我，我应该放手一搏。（杰夫・贝索斯）
【名人演讲第五招：温情回归】
每当提到自己的家人，演讲者们都是充满自豪感和温情的。此情此景，常常令人动容。 My dad was so full of life; anything with him was an adventure. (Randy Pausch)
我父亲是如此的充满生命力，与他在一起做任何事都是一种探险。（兰迪・波许）
A long time ago, in this cold September of 1962, there was a Steven's co-op at this very university. That co-op had a kitchen with a ceiling that had been cleaned by student volunteers. Picture a college girl named Gloria, climbing up high on a ladder, struggling to clean that filthy ceiling. Standing on the floor, a young boarder named Carl was admiring the view. And that's how they met. They were my parents. (Larry Page)
很久以前，1962年的寒冷9月，这座校园里有一家史蒂文消费合作社，学生志愿者负责打扫厨房的天花板。想象这样一幅场景：一位名叫格洛里亚的女大学生，爬上了高高的梯子，努力地打扫那脏兮兮的天花板。另一位名叫卡尔的寄宿生站在地上，对此情此景钦佩不已。这是他俩的初次邂逅。他们就是我的父母。（拉里・佩奇）
When I was awarded a Nobel Prize, I thought my mother would be satisfied. Not so. When I called her on the morning of the announcement, she replied, "That's nice, but when are you going to visit me next." (Steven Chu)
我得到诺贝尔奖的时候，我想我妈妈会高兴。但是我错了。消息公布的那天早上，我给她打电话，她听了只说：“这是好消息，不过我想知道，你打算什么时候来看我？”（朱棣文）
【名人演讲第六招：引经据典】
他们演讲时说的话经常被我们拿来当励志名言，但其实呢，他们自己也需要励志名言。 Jimmy Stewart, as Elwood P. Dowd in the movie "Harvey" got it exactly right. He said: "Years ago my mother used to say to me, 'In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.'" Well, for years I was smart... I recommend pleasant. (Steven Chu)
电影《我的朋友叫哈维》中，斯图尔特扮演的艾尔伍德说得很对。他说：“多年前，母亲曾对我说：活在这个世界上，你要么做一个聪明人，要么做一个好人。”我做聪明人已经好多年了。但我推荐你们做好人。（朱棣文）
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. (Steve Jobs)
17岁的时候, 我读到一句话：“如果你把每一天都当作生命中最后一天去生活的话,那么有一天你会发现你是正确的。”“记住你即将死去”是我一生中遇到的最重要箴言。它帮我做出生命中的重要抉择。（史蒂夫・乔布斯）
One of the things he (Jon Snoddy) told me was to wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you. He said when you're pissed off at somebody and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. (Randy Pausch)
他（乔恩・史诺地）告诉我，给人们足够的时间，人人都会有让你惊讶和叹服的一面。他说，当你对别人怨恼愤怒时，你只是还没有给他们足够的时间。（兰迪・波许）
最后，本文将以这些演讲者原创或引用的语录作为结束语：
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
求知若渴，虚心若愚。（史蒂夫・乔布斯引用凯文・凯利）
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.
经验是你求之不得后的收获。（兰迪・波许）
Never lose the child-like wonder.
永远不要失去孩童般的好奇心。（兰迪・波许）
Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care.
批评你的人是在告诉你他们仍然爱你关心你。（兰迪・波许）
As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
人生就像故事：不在于长短，而在于质量，这才是最重要的。（J・K・罗琳引用塞内加） Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.
精神错乱是指一遍遍地重复却期待不一样的结果。（蒂姆・库克引用爱因斯坦）
Be true to yourself and everything will be fine.
做真实的你，一切都会没事的。（艾伦・德杰尼勒斯）
第四篇：经典名人英语演讲稿
Several months ago, the Trump Administration instructed the Department of Education to prioritize STEM education, especially computer science, in our schools. The guidance we offered directed that these programs be designed with gender and racial diversity in mind.
At the direction of the President, I have worked closely with leadership across government Agencies to prioritize workforce development and proven on-the-job training programs like apprenticeships so that young women C and men C have more opportunities to earn while they learn, provide for their families, and master the skills that drive progress in the 21st century.
Finally, we must empower women who live in countries that prevent them from leading.
Across the world, there are still laws that stop women from fully participating in their nation’s economy.
In some countries, women are not allowed to own property, travel freely, or work outside of the home without the consent of their husbands.
Countries like the United States and Japan cannot be complacent. We must continue to champion reforms in our own countries while also empowering women in restricted economies.
第五篇：名人英语演讲稿
Harry S. Truman: "The Truman Doctrine"
Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Congress of the United States:
The gravity of the situation which confronts the world today necessitates my appearance before a joint session of the Congress. The foreign policy and the national security of this country are involved. One aspect of the present situation, which I present to you at this time for your consideration and decision, concerns Greece and Turkey. The United States has received from the Greek Government an urgent appeal for financial and economic assistance. Preliminary reports from the American Economic Mission now in Greece and reports from the American Ambassador in Greece corroborate the statement of the Greek Government that assistance is imperative if Greece is to survive as a free nation.
I do not believe that the American people and the Congress wish to turn a deaf ear to the appeal of the Greek Government. Greece is not a rich country. Lack of sufficient natural resources has always forced the Greek people to work hard to make both ends meet. Since 1940, this industrious, peace loving country has suffered invasion, four years of cruel enemy occupation, and bitter internal strife.
When forces of liberation entered Greece they found that the retreating Germans had destroyed virtually all the railways, roads, port facilities, communications, and merchant marine. More than a thousand villages had been burned. Eighty-five per cent of the children were tubercular. Livestock, poultry, and draft animals had almost disappeared. Inflation had wiped out practically all savings. As a result of these tragic conditions, a militant minority, exploiting human want and misery, was able to create political chaos which, until now, has made economic recovery impossible.
Greece is today without funds to finance the importation of those goods which are essential to bare subsistence. Under these circumstances, the people of Greece cannot make progress in solving their problems of reconstruction. Greece is in desperate need of financial and economic assistance to enable it to resume purchases of food, clothing, fuel, and seeds. These are indispensable for the subsistence of its people and are obtainable only from abroad. Greece must have help to import the goods necessary to restore internal order and security, so essential for economic and political recovery. The Greek Government has also asked for the assistance of experienced American administrators, economists, and technicians to insure that the financial and other aid given to Greece shall be used effectively in creating a stable and self-sustaining economy and in improving its public administration.
The very existence of the Greek state is today threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists, who defy the governments authority at a number of points, particularly along the northern boundaries. A Commission appointed by the United Nations security Council is at present investigating disturbed conditions in northern Greece and alleged border violations along the frontiers between Greece on the one hand and Albania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia on the other.
Meanwhile, the Greek Government is unable to cope with the situation. The Greek army is small and poorly equipped. It needs supplies and equipment if it is to restore authority of the government throughout Greek territory. Greece must have assistance if it is to become a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy. The United States must supply this assistance. We have already extended to Greece certain types of relief and economic aid. But these are inadequate. There is no other country to which democratic Greece can turn. No other nation is willing and able to provide the necessary support for a democratic Greek government.
The British Government, which has been helping Greece, can give no further financial or economic aid after March 31st. Great Britain finds itself under the necessity of reducing or liquidating its commitments in several parts of the world, including Greece.
We have considered how the United Nations might assist in this crisis. But the situation is an urgent one, requiring immediate action, and the United Nations and its related organizations are not in a position to extend help of the kind that is required.
It is important to note that the Greek Government has asked for our aid in utilizing effectively the financial and other assistance we may give to Greece, and in improving its public administration. It is of the utmost importance that we supervise the use of any funds made available to Greece in such a manner that each dollar spent will count toward making Greece self-supporting, and will help to build an economy in which a healthy democracy can flourish.
No government is perfect. One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected. The Government of Greece is not perfect. Nevertheless it represents eighty-five per cent of the members of the Greek Parliament who were chosen in an election last year. Foreign observers, including 692 Americans, considered this election to be a fair expression of the views of the Greek people.
The Greek Government has been operating in an atmosphere of chaos and extremism. It has made mistakes. The extension of aid by this country does not mean that the United States condones everything that the Greek Government has done or will do. We have condemned in the past, and we condemn now, extremist measures of the right or the left. We have in the past advised tolerance, and we advise tolerance now.
Greeks neighbor, Turkey, also deserves our attention. The future of Turkey, as an independent and economically sound state, is clearly no less important to the freedom-loving peoples of the world than the future of Greece. The circumstances in which Turkey finds itself today are considerably different from those of Greece. Turkey has been spared the disasters that have beset Greece. And during the war, the United States and Great Britain furnished Turkey with material aid.
Nevertheless, Turkey now needs our support. Since the war, Turkey has sought financial assistance from Great Britain and the United States for the purpose of effecting that modernization necessary for the maintenance of its national integrity. That integrity is essential to the preservation of order in the Middle East. The British government has informed us that, owing to its own difficulties, it can no longer extend financial or economic aid to Turkey. As in the case of Greece, if Turkey is to have the assistance it needs, the United States must supply it. We are the only country able to provide that help.
I am fully aware of the broad implications involved if the United States extends assistance to Greece and Turkey, and I shall discuss these implications with you at this time. One of the primary objectives of the foreign policy of the United States is the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to work out a way of life free from coercion. This was a fundamental issue in the war with Germany and Japan. Our victory was won over countries which sought to impose their will, and their way of life, upon other nations.
To ensure the peaceful development of nations, free from coercion, the United States has taken a leading part in establishing the United Nations. The United Nations is designed to make possible lasting freedom and independence for all its members. We shall not realize our objectives, however, unless we are willing to help free peoples to maintain their free institutions and their national integrity against aggressive movements that seek to impose upon them totalitarian regimes. This is no more than a frank recognition that totalitarian regimes imposed upon free peoples, by direct or indirect aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace, and hence the security of the United States.
The peoples of a number of countries of the world have recently had totalitarian regimes forced upon them against their will. The Government of the United States has made frequent protests against coercion and intimidation in violation of the Yalta agreement in Poland, Rumania, and Bulgaria. I must also state that in a number of other countries there have been similar developments.
At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one. One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections, and the suppression of personal freedoms.
I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.
I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way.
I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes.
The world is not static, and the status quo is not sacred. But we cannot allow changes in the status quo in violation of the Charter of the United Nations by such methods as coercion, or by such subterfuges as political infiltration. In helping free and independent nations to maintain their freedom, the United States will be giving effect to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
It is necessary only to glance at a map to realize that the survival and integrity of the Greek nation are of grave importance in a much wider situation. If Greece should fall under the control of an armed minority, the effect upon its neighbor, Turkey, would be immediate and serious. Confusion and disorder might well spread throughout the entire Middle East. Moreover, the disappearance of Greece as an independent state would have a profound effect upon those countries in Europe whose peoples are struggling against great difficulties to maintain their freedoms and their independence while they repair the damages of war.
It would be an unspeakable tragedy if these countries, which have struggled so long against overwhelming odds, should lose that victory for which they sacrificed so much. Collapse of free institutions and loss of independence would be disastrous not only for them but for the world. Discouragement and possibly failure would quickly be the lot of neighboring peoples striving to maintain their freedom and independence.
Should we fail to aid Greece and Turkey in this fateful hour, the effect will be far reaching to the West as well as to the East.
We must take immediate and resolute action. I therefore ask the Congress to provide authority for assistance to Greece and Turkey in the amount of $400,000,000 for the period ending June 30, 1948. In requesting these funds, I have taken into consideration the maximum amount of relief assistance which would be furnished to Greece out of the $350,000,000 which I recently requested that the Congress authorize for the prevention of starvation and suffering in countries devastated by the war.
In addition to funds, I ask the Congress to authorize the detail of American civilian and military personnel to Greece and Turkey, at the request of those countries, to assist in the tasks of reconstruction, and for the purpose of supervising the use of such financial and material assistance as may be furnished. I recommend that authority also be provided for the instruction and training of selected Greek and Turkish personnel. Finally, I ask that the Congress provide authority which will permit the speediest and most effective use, in terms of needed commodities, supplies, and equipment, of such funds as may be authorized. If further funds, or further authority, should be needed for purposes indicated in this message, I shall not hesitate to bring the situation before the Congress. On this subject the Executive and Legislative branches of the Government must work together.
This is a serious course upon which we embark. I would not recommend it except that the alternative is much more serious. The United States contributed $341,000,000,000 toward winning World War II. This is an investment in world freedom and world peace. The assistance that I am recommending for Greece and Turkey amounts to little more than 1 tenth of 1 per cent of this investment. It is only common sense that we should safeguard this investment and make sure that it was not in vain. The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died.
We must keep that hope alive.
The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world. And we shall surely endanger the welfare of this nation.
Great responsibilities have been placed upon us by the swift movement of events.
I am confident that the Congress will face these responsibilities squarely.
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