June 20 "Our problems are man made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."- John F. Kennedy, 35th President, 1961-1963- from his Commencement Address at The American University, Washington D.C., Monday June 10, 1963.- A brief Prologue: In an effort to bring an end to World War II, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing 90,000 people with another 75,000 perishing as a result of radiation poisoning and other factors. On August 9, 1945, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, killing 39,000 with an additional 40,000 deaths over time. On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its surrender, thus ending the war. With the end of the war, however, began the debate over the use of atomic weapons and their effect on the world and the fate and very survival of mankind. Testing and development continued in the Nevada desert not far from Las Vegas (extolled as safe and proudly viewed by thousands-(view photos and history at www.nationalatomictestingmuseum.org/)) and in the Soviet Union. With ongoing testing, the threat of nuclear destruction and fallout loomed over all the world. We now fast forward almost 20 years to focus on the frantic pace of now United States President, John F. Kennedy. Despite his physical frailties and back problems, Kennedy had served in the South Pacific in WW II as patrol boat (PT-109) commander. He had seen the devastations of war firsthand. He had also studied the causes and results of Word War I which had been fought from 1914-1918. Hence, one of his main foreign policy goals was to prevent another devastating war and the inevitable aftermath. After averting a possible nuclear catastrophe with Russia and Cuba in October, 1962, Kennedy desired to limit the threat of nuclear annihilation and sensed that Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, also wanted to limit the threat and cost of further escalation. Despite initial military and congressional opposition to idea of ending nuclear testing, Kennedy decided to renew efforts to pursue the ongoing goal of a securing a test ban agreement and used his June 10th speech at the American University as the stage for his policy proposal. The speech is largely regarded as one of his best, recognizing the common humanity of the American and Soviet people and influencing Khrushchev to forge an agreement. But first...his itinerary for the days leading up to his speech: He already had a five day trip scheduled to the western United States. On Wednesday, June 5th, Kennedy and his entourage flew to Colorado where he gave the commencement speech at the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs. As one of many military stops, he then visited the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. On Thursday, June 6, he continued west to California and spoke at commencement ceremonies at San Diego State University, where he emphasized the responsibility of educating the next generation of Americans. Afterwards, he spoke at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot training site, after which he toured the recently commissioned aircraft carrier, Kitty Hawk (larger, supercarrier classed vessel), addressed the crew and spent the night onboard. On Friday, June 7, he travelled north to visit the China Lake Naval Air Facility and then attended a fundraising dinner in Los Angeles. Continuing the whirlwind pace, on Saturday morning, June 8, he attended and spoke at a breakfast given by the Democratic State Committeewomen of California, again in Los Angeles and subsequently flew on to Hawaii. The next morning, June 9, Kennedy attended chapel services in Honolulu, visited the U. S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, and that afternoon spoke to an assembly of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He immediately flew back across six time zones to Washington, D.C., finalizing his speech and arriving at 8:50 AM Monday, June 10. After a brief rest, Kennedy then travelled to the American University where he gave his historic address. In his conclusion, he states, "...we shall also do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless of its success. Confident and unafraid, we labor on--not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/jfk-university/) With continuing negotiations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty on August 5, 1963. The treaty banned atmospheric testing and was ratified by Congress on September 24 and signed by Kennedy, himself, on Monday, October 7, 1963.