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there would be to accept helplessly the probability of civilization destroyed, the annihilation of the irreplaceable heritage of mankind handed down to use generation from generation, and the condemnation of mankind to begin all over again the ageold struggle upward from savagery toward decency, and right, and justice. surely no sane member of the human race could discover victory in such desolation.could anyone wish his name to be coupled by history with such human degradation and destruction? occasional pages of history do record the faces of the 161。176。great destroyers,161。177。 but the whole book of history reveals mankind161。175。s neverending quest for peace and mankind161。175。s godgiven capacity to build.it is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the united states will ever wish to be identified. my country wants to be constructive, not destructive. it wants agreements, not wars, among nations. it wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the people of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life.so my country161。175。s purpose is to help us to move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light, to find a way by which the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men everywhere, can move forward towards peace and happiness and wellbeing.in this quest, i know that we must not lack patience. i know that in a world spanided, such as ours today, salvation cannot be attained by one dramatic act. i know that many steps will have to be taken over many months before the world can look at itself one day and truly realize that a new climate of mutually peaceful confidence is abroad in the world. but i know, above all else, that we must start to take these steps now.the united states and its allies, great britain and france, have, over the past months, tried to take some of these steps. let no one say that we shun the conference table. on the record has long stood the request of the united states, great britain, and france to negotiate with the soviet union the problems of a spanided germany. on that record has long stood the request of the same three nations to negotiate an austrian peace treaty. on the same record still stands the request of the united nations to negotiate the problems of korea.most recently we have received from the soviet union what is in effect an expression of willingness to hold a fourpower meeting. along with our allies, great britain and france, we were pleased to see that his note did not contain the unacceptable preconditions previously put forward. as you already know from our joint bermuda muniqu168。166。, the united states, great britain, and france have agreed promptly to meet with the soviet union.the government of the united states approaches this conference with hopeful sincerity. we will bend every effort of our minds to the single purpose of emerging from that conference with tangible results towards peace, the only true way of lessening international tension. we never have, we never will, propose or suggest that the soviet union surrender what is rightly theirs. we will never say that the people of the russia are an enemy with whom we have no desire ever to deal or mingle in friendly and fruitful relationship.on the contrary, we hope that this ing conference may initiate a relationship with the soviet union which will eventually bring about a free intermingling of the peoples of the east and of the west the one sure, human way of developing the understanding required for confident and peaceful relations.instead of the discontent which is now settlin