| President Carter's Speech on the Panama Canal Treaty | ||
|---|---|---|
| This clip is not available for streaming at this time. Please contact WPA. | Tape Master: | 1192 |
| Catalog #: | 494581 | |
| Clip Number: | 494581-9 | |
| Orginal Film: | ||
| Timecode: | 01:05:14 - 01:08:48 | |
| Location: | Washington, DC | |
| Year Shot: | 1977 (Actual Year) | |
| Audio: | Yes | |
| Color: | Yes | |
| Headings: | INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Misc. LOCATIONS/NORTH AMERICA: USA, Washington D.C. PERSONALITIES: Carter, Jimmy POLITICS: Public Address (Speech) | |
| Description: | Jimmy Carter: "There's a final question, about the deeper meaning of the treaties themselves, to us and to Panama. Recently, I discussed the treaties with David McCullough, author of ‘The Path Between the Seas,’ the great history of the Panama Canal. He believes that the canal is something that we built and have looked after these many years; it is ‘ours’ in that sense, which is very different from just ownership. So, when we talk of the canal, whether we are old, young, for or against the treaties, we are talking about very deep and elemental feelings about our own strength. Still, we Americans want a more humane and stable world. We believe in goodwill and fairness, as well as strength. This agreement with Panama is something we want because we know it is right. This is not merely the surest way to protect and save the canal, it's a strong, positive act of a people who are still confident, still creative, still great. This new partnership can become a source of national pride and self-respect in much the same way that building the canal was 75 years ago. It's the spirit in which we act that is so very important. Theodore Roosevelt, who was President when America built the canal, saw history itself as a force, and the history of our own time and the changes it has brought would not be lost on him. He knew that change was inevitable and necessary. Change is growth. The true conservative, he once remarked, keeps his face to the future. But if Theodore Roosevelt were to endorse the treaties, as I'm quite sure he would, it would be mainly because he could see the decision as one by which we are demonstrating the kind of great power we wish to be. ‘We cannot avoid meeting great issues,’ Roosevelt said. ‘All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or ill.’ The Panama Canal is a vast, heroic expression of that age-old desire to bridge the divide and to bring people closer together. This is what the treaties are all about. We can sense what Roosevelt called ‘the lift toward nobler things which marks a great and generous people.’ In this historic decision, he would join us in our pride for being a great and generous people, with the national strength and wisdom to do what is right for us and what is fair to others. Thank you very much." | |
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