【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 ntinue to obtain war materials in the united states, fitting their orders into our own program. and nearly all of their material would, if the time ever came, be useful in our own defense.
　　taking counsel of expert military and naval authorities, considering what is best for our own security, we are free to decide how much should be kept here and how much should be sent abroad to our friends who, by their determined and heroic resistance, are giving us time in which to make ready our own defense.
　　for what we send abroad we shall be repaid, repaid within a reasonable time following the close of hostilities, repaid in similar materials, or at our option in other goods of many kinds which they can produce and which we need.
　　let us say to the democracies: amp。quot。we americans are vitally concerned in your defense of freedom. we are putting forth our energies, our resources, and our organizing powers to give you the strength to regain and maintain a free world. we shall send you in everincreasing numbers, ships, planes, tanks, guns. this is our purpose and our pledge.amp。quot。
　　in fulfillment of this purpose we will not be intimidated by the threats of dictators that they will regard as a breach of international law or as an act of war our aid to the democracies which dare to resist their aggression. such aid is not an act of war, even if a dictator should unilaterally proclaim it so to be.
　　and when the dictatorsif the dictatorsare ready to make war upon us, they will not wait for an act of war on our part.
　　they did not wait for norway or belgium or the netherlands to mit an act of war. their only interest is in a new oneway international law, which lacks mutuality in its observance and therefore bees an instrument of oppression. the happiness of future generations of americans may well depend on how effective and how immediate we can make our aid felt. no one can tell the exact character of the emergency situations that we may be called upon to meet. the nationamp。39。s hands must not be tied when the nationamp。39。s life is in danger.
　　yes, and we must prepare, all of us prepare, to make the sacrifices that the emergencyalmost as serious as war itselfdemands. whatever stands in the way of speed and efficiency in defense, in defense preparations at any time, must give way to the national need.
　　a free nation has the right to expect full cooperation from all groups. a free nation has the right to look to the leaders of business, of labor and of agriculture to take the lead in stimulating effort, not among other groups but within their own groups.
　　the best way of dealing with the few slackers or troublemakers in our midst is, first, to shame them by patriotic example, and if that fails, to use the sovereignty of government to save government.
　　as men do not live by bread alone, they do not fight by armaments alone. those who man our defenses and those behind them who build our defenses must have the stamina and the courage which e from an unshakable belief in the manner of life which they are defending. the mighty action that we are calling for cannot be based on a disregard of all the things worth fighting for.
　　the nation takes great satisfaction and much strength from the things which have been done to make its people conscious of their individual stake in the preservation of democratic life in america. those things have toughened the fiber of our people, have renewed their faith and strengthened their devotion to the institutions we make ready to protect.
　　certainly this is no time for any of us to stop thinking about the social and economic problems which are the root cause of the social revolution which is today a supreme factor in the world. for there is nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy.
　　the basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. they are:
　　equality of opportunity for youth and for others.
　　jobs for those who can work.
　　security for those who need it.
　　the ending of special privilege for the few.
　　the preservation of civil liberties for all.
　　the enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living.
　　these are the simple, the basic things that must never be lost sight of in the turmoil and unbelievable plexity of our modern world. the inner and abiding straight of our economic and political systems is dependent upon the degree to which they fulfill these expectations.
　　many subjects connected with our social economy call for immediate improvement. as examples:
　　we should bring more citizens under the coverage of oldage pensions and unemployment insurance.
　　we should widen the opportunities for adequate medical care.
　　we should plan a better system by which persons deserving or needing gainful employment may obtain it.
　　i have called for personal sacrifice, and i am assured of the willingness of almost all americans to respond to that call. a part of the sacrifice means the payment of more money in taxes. in my budget message i will remend that a greater portion of this great defense program be paid for from taxation than we are paying for today. no person should try, or be allowed to get rich out of the program, and the principle of tax payments in accordance with ability to pay should be constantly before our eyes to guide our legislation.
　　if the congress maintains these principles the voters, putting patriotism ahead pocketbooks, will give you their applause.
　　in the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
　　the first is freedom of speech and expressioneverywhere in the world.
　　the second is freedom of every person to worship god in his own way everywhere in the world.
　　the third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitant