"In any case, our meeting here 2 years ago at in the morning was the high point of the 1960 campaign, and we will meet at 3 o'clock in the morning the last week of the 1964 campaign and see what's going to happen then." The President of the United States cannot keep that promise. TRIBUTES BY Hon. William S. Moorhead OF PENNSYLVANIA Mr. Speaker, I was privileged to read the eulogy by ex-Gov. David L. Lawrence delivered at the Allegheny County Bar Association memorial services in honor of President John F. Kennedy. If words could only fill the void-and, of course, they cannot-these remarks would certainly be adequate. The wisdom which Governor Lawrence imparts is one gained from long experience and close friendship with many Presidents. He rightly observes that all the renaming of streets, airports, and schools will not absolve us from working for the kind of America that John F. Kennedy worked for, fought for, died for. This is our legacy, this is our duty. I commend the Governor's remarks for the perusal of my colleagues: PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY (Remarks of former Gov. David L. Lawrence) Words still seem weak and weightless as a means of expressing the heavy burdens of loss and sadness—and, yes, of shame-which bear down upon us all. Death, itself, we have been forced to expect. But none of us could foresee it touching the man whose youth and enthusiasm, and hard courage had symbolized the world's new generation and humanity's brightening hopes. Yet touch it did, and take it did, and the taking choked mankind's conscience and darkened the human spirit. And only when it struck-brutally, maliciously, hatefully did we realize the dimensions of the depth of our love for this man and the height of the hopes he inspired in us. And only after the terrible deed was done did many recognize the lethal quality of poisonous hate which has infested so much of America's bloodstream and infected its mind and heart and spirit. That hate has been cruelly apparent for some time and no one tried harder or more forcefully or more diligently to quiet its torment and to exercise its source. A week before his visit to Texas, the President was in Florida, in his continuous effort to spur this Nation to the greatness he saw for it. And there he borrowed upon a dialog between Scrooge and Marley in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" with this assessment of human responsibility: "Mankind is our business," he said, "and if we work in harmony, if we understand the problems of each other and the responsibility that each of us bears, then surely the business of mankind will prosper, and your children and mine will move ahead in a secure world in which there is opportunity for all." He had devoted all of the brilliance of his impressive intellect to the service of mankind. The sharp, crisp Presidential phrases caused a nation's ideals to soar, while the generosity of his compassion caused many of us to search our inward thoughts and summon up our strength and our devotion to commitments of service. Yet, as the Scriptures tell us, "he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes" (I John ii: 115). And the valiant persuasion of brilliance and compassion, the clarity of reason and comprehension could not light up that darkness. The tragic irony is that the leader who appealed for reason, who called up the Nation's compassion, who devoted his intellect and his warmth to the highest ideals of national and human purpose-the tragedy struck at this man of peace and reason, of honor and strong courage. That it occurred is our mantle of shame. And that shame will weigh upon us long after the shock of tragedy passes. It is a shame which comes, as Dean Moor said last Monday, from the knowledge that "this crime is possible in a world loaded with greed, hatred, and bigotry in religion, politics, race, and creed. In that atmosphere," Dean Moor reminded the conscience of us all, "anything that is vicious and reprehensible can and will happen until we have a change of heart." Now that John Kennedy is gone, there are proposed memorials of every kind and nature-bridges and city squares, sports stadia and cultural centers, schools and hospitals. Each is appropriate. But the only fitting memorial to his memory, to his life, and his work, will be the future course of this Nation, in removing hate and evil from our hearts and our lives, in achieving that secure world and the equality of opportunity he strived for, in restoring respect and human dignity as a way of life, and building a nation of high conscience and determined conviction-better, wiser, more united, more reasonable and more reasoned. In short, the only fitting memorial to John F. Kennedy is the kind of America he worked for, fought for, died for. He laid down the challenge in his inaugural in words that will ring in history and echo in every ear. "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." His answer has been indelibly inscribed for the ages. Now, we must respond and by that response will future generations measure us and judge us. Indeed, by that response will we measure and judge ourselves. May God give us the wisdom, the courage, and the determination to see to it that the darkness is lifted, and the Nation's soul is cleansed, through the good deeds that are now ours to do. Mr. Speaker, on January 30, 1964, the senior citizens of the Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association and Irene Kaufmann Centers, of Pittsburgh, held memorial services in honor of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. There were nearly 500 people represented at this meeting and they passed a resolution which is beautifully written. and quite moving in its purpose. I commend the reading of this resolution to my colleagues: Whereas we, Americans of all racial, religious, and national backgrounds, but Americans all, are here assembled to honor and reverence the memory of our great and beloved President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy; and Whereas though our hearts are still weighted with grief, and sorrow still shadows our Nation, the image of John Fitzgerald Kennedy will forever cast its luminous glow of faith and courage, lighting the road to the better future he sought for his countrymen; and Whereas his dreams and hopes for America, were not vague, unchartered visions, but rather, clearly articulated proposals in a program of action solidly based in his knowledge of his country's history and resources, and his undertaking of its people's needs; and Whereas that program of action rightly emphasizedour Nation's responsibility in world peace and human betterment; the vigilant pursuit of freedom and equality for Americans of all races, creeds, and backgrounds; the spiritual and intellectual nourishment of our youth through increased educational opportunities, as well as the care of their bodies through more effective health and housing measures; the decent treatment of the aging through comprehensive medical service and constructive use of leisure time; "to add," as he put it, "not just more years to life, but more life to the years"; the obligation of this generation of Americans to cherish and guard America's soil, its rivers and forests, its wildlife and its natural resources, so that future generations, too, will know the blessing of this great land's abundance, its beauty and its variety; and Whereas we recognize that we most truly honor the memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy when we honor his great and living purpose by giving our own unstinting service to that purpose: Therefore be it Resolved, That we here assembled pledge our determined efforts toward the realization of the goals he charted with unflagging labor and steady will; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the press, our representatives in the Congress of the United States, and to Mrs. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, that she may know our resolve, that though his great light has been taken from the world, its glow will ever remain to show the way for his fellow Americans. TRIBUTE BY Hon. Thomas G. Morris OF NEW MEXICO Mr. Speaker, Americans throughout this country and abroad participated in countless memorial services as a mark of respect to the great heritage of our late and beloved President John F. Kennedy. Just such a service was held at the Community Church of the Sandias in San Antonio, N. Mex., and the Reverend Arthur C. Opperman opened this sad occasion with a short but poignant message which I repeat today so that my colleagues may have the benefit of his wisdom and perception: Today we bow our heads in sorrow and in shame. Our American sense of honor and dignity has been totally outraged. Our late President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, of 2 years, 10 months, and 2 days, lies in state in our Nation's Capitol, the victim of a spirit of hate and violence which we as Americans shudder to contemplate. Our deepest sympathy is with the Kennedy family, and our sincerest prayers are with our new President, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Times of Bible prophecy of evil are upon us, and we are reaping the awful harvest, the first fruits of a national apathy in the face of the surging waves of secularism, pluralism, and the subtle brainwashing of godless communism. All men do not have the capacity for freedom. In the slave world, assassination is the common way to remove men from office. One hundred years ago a great wave of hatred and violence produced a like man with the mark of Cain. Nourished on the godless doctrines of Marxist atheism from his youth, Lee Harvey Oswald, possessed by a weak, poisoned, un-American, freedomhating mind, has engulfed our Nation in this horror ecumenical. TRIBUTES BY Hon. Abraham J. Multer OF NEW YORK Mr. Speaker, I commend to the attention of our colleagues the following memorial resolution adopted by the National Association of Letter Carriers relative to the death of our late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and conveyed to the Congress by their executive council. RESOLUTION OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS Whereas the tragic death of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy has deprived the free world of its most courageous, most powerful and most inspiring leader; and Whereas the cause of liberalism and human freedom hangs trembling in the balance because of this mindless murder of its most forceful advocate: Be it Resolved, That the Executive Council of the National Association of Letter Carriers convey to the leaders of both Houses of the Congress its fervent prayers that the legislative branch of Government carry through to a successful conclusion the liberal program initiated by our martyred President, including the program of raising the standards of Federal employment; and be it further Resolved, That the Executive Council of the National Association of Letter Carriers convey to the leaders of both Houses of the Congress an expression of their deep friendship, respect, confidence and support in this time of tragedy and peril. Jerome J. Keating, President; Charles N. Coyle, Mr. Speaker, I commend to the attention of our colleagues the following beautiful eulogy delivered at the memorial service held on Monday, November 25, 1963, at Temple Beth Emeth of Flatbush, a congregation of which I have been a proud member since 1931. Rabbi Samuel D. Soskin, our spiritual leader, delivered this moving evocation of the spirit of John F. Kennedy. EULOGY FOR JOHN FITZGERALd Kennedy, Delivered by RABBI SAMUEL D. SOSKIN, at the MEMORIAL SERVICE ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1963, AT Temple Beth EMETH OF Flatbush, BROOKLYN "Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh." We are met in God's sanctuary to weep for a family which endures the cruel fellowship of sorrow and to mourn with all humanity the loss of one whose death diminishes all of us. For John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the voice and conscience of a land which has stood as God's stake in human history. In this land millions of peoples have found something so unique, so magnificent that no words can adequately describe it. Perhaps it can best be named the flame of brotherhood in which men are given the right to speak freely and to worship in freedom. It is something Americans give to each other, in order that each may have it for himself. That flame burned in the soul of our martyred President as he fought against those who would darken the bright landscape of our country with the wicked shadows of bigotry and intolerance. How much we owe to him who was the Ish Tam, the man whole in his integrity whose love for Nation was the reflection of our own love. Though my soul is grieved, I think back on that event in Washington when the leaders of our Reform Jewish movement presented a Torah to our beloved President. Even now I am held captive to that moment when the descendant of Irish immigrants who had come to America to find freedom, took into his keeping the symbol of that tradition which echoed on Sinai's heights proclaiming that all men must be given freedom because all are God's children. Surely we Jews should be the first to recognize that John Fitzgerald Kennedy lived by the ideals encased in that Torah and we can honor him only by seeking to match his consecration. It can be done if we are ready to labor and to sacrifice for the enrichment of the lives of fellow men. There are the hungry and the naked and the rejected of the world. They must be fed and clothed and redeemed. There are slums to be erased and bigotries to be wiped away. For what does it avail if men pray to God and do not deeds of justice? John Fitzgerald Kennedy cherished a vision of a peaceful and righteous world. Within his soul he carried the gold of God which alone can forge the gates of the kingdom of heaven. The bullet which shattered his body could not destroy that vision. We, who are an ancient people and who have held that same vision, know that the coming of the kingdom may be far off. But, it is for us, despite the peril and our almost unbearable grief, to labor for that kingdom. May the spirit of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, servant and leader of his people, friend of all mankind, quicken us for the task, that future generations may say of us as we say of him: "Zecher Tzadik Livrocho," may his memory be for an everlasting blessing. Amen. Mr. Speaker, typical of how our friends abroad feel about the tragic death of our late beloved President, John F. Kennedy, is the expression contained in the following letter received by my law partner and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Barnett J. Nova, from one of their dear friends, Mrs. Peter Haddon, of London, England: NOVEMBER 23, 1963. MY DEAR GRACE and BARNEY: I felt I had to write and tell you how completely shocked and horrified we are at President Kennedy's death and how deep and profound our sympathy is at this time. It really doesn't make sense in any way and must be absolutely tragic for his wife and family. We in England share this sad loss with Americans because in the short time President Kennedy held office a great warmth of affection grew up here toward him and everyone, without exception, talks of his great loss not only to America, but England, the world, and peace. I still find it hard to believe and must hang on to the thought that God moves in strange ways, otherwise I would find it very difficult to go on believing in God because this all seems so very pointless. Perhaps this is one of the supreme sacrifices which will cause all peoples of the world to move toward better understanding. I sincerely hope so. Thinking of you. Love, ANN. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, December 15, 1963, I was privileged to participate in the annual blue and gold charter breakfast hosted by the parents committee of Cub Scout Pack No. 435 in my home district in Brooklyn. The breakfast was held in the Oceanview Jewish Center and just before I presented the Scouter of the Year Award a poem in memory of our late beloved President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was recited by the members of the troops and the poem's author, Mr. James Vincent. It is a beautiful tribute and I commend it to the attention of our colleagues: A young man was sent our way with a winning smile, handsome face, and a vision for his Nation's future. We must "look ahead," said he, our eyes set on new horizons, on new frontiers for the sixties— How old must you be to love your country? So young a man for so big a plan-how can leadership be given to such as he-who will follow this young man? Will the ancients, so set in their way change for him? This Nation must walk slowly and softly they say, How old must you be to lead your country? But his voice rang true, his dreams were great; a nation he loved answered his call. For less than 3 years this noble man planned and guided the course of his beloved land. How old must you be to want greatness for your country? At times the perils were great, with missiles, atoms, and a strange force so close to our gate. The elders said to climb this mountain was wrong for you cannot come down-but a man went up and a giant returned and, this, made our Nation strong. How old must you be to protect your country? We say this is the land of the free-"not so," said he; not while we give some, second-class citizenry Not when these cannot earn their daily bread or find a school for their children or live in semislavery. How old must you be to understand your country? He would like to mingle with the average man; to learn of his thoughts, his fears and grasp his handFor after all, these are the many in our great land. How old must you be to love the people in your country? He fell among the many, on a bright November day; taken from us in one swift moment, to greet and smile no more. How could this happen to such a man and in this land, and in this day and age. How old must you be to die for your country? To know men walk still among us, to whom life and love mean nil, is it but our neighbors that engendered this rage? Each of us will have his part of the torch to bear. We will never know how far, how great, or how long would be the shadow this man cast; Now we will wait for the historians and history to pass judgment on his deeds. How old must you be to be remembered by your country? For each to love one another was the Lord's plan; to live with all in peace and harmony; to respect and care about your fellow man. Adieu; rest ye well, fallen eagle; though there is a new captain at the helm, the ship of state sails on, following the course you charted. Adieu. Adieu. TRIBUTE BY Hon. John M. Murphy OF NEW YORK Mr. Speaker, under the leave to extend my remarks I include a poem written by Vernon Boyce Hampton, of Staten Island, N.Y., in memory of our late President: For our martyred President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. FLAGS IN MOURNING (By Vernon B. Hampton) Old Glory flies in the spirit of mourning, In the shock of loss of the Nation's Chief. Ten million flags o'er land and sea Speak of the world-wide loss deplored, The flag that he loved, his life defended In war and peace and in martyrdom, And our Nation, as his life is ended Must finish the tasks he would have done. So we dedicate ourselves anew, In the hour of his soul's release, To consummate the dreams he dreamed Of justice, brotherhood, and peace. VERNON B. HAMPTON. The period of national mourning is observed for 30 days from the date of President Kennedy's death November 22, 1963. TRIBUTE BY Hon. William T. Murphy OF ILLINOIS Mr. Speaker, we mourn, in our own way, the passing of President Kennedy, and it is not always easy to transmit our feelings. Some are gifted in expressing that which we may feel, and I offer here a poem written and composed by Mrs. Jessie M. Williams, of Chicago, Ill., on the day President Kennedy passed away: ETERNAL LIGHT Somewhere a candle flickers Somewhere a vote is hushed Somewhere the peace he fought for There's a mound upon a hillside An eternal light to never cease A Nation bows in reverence For the man who fought for peace. TRIBUTE BY Hon. Ancher Nelsen OF MINNESOTA Mr. Speaker, a resident of Minnesota's Second Congressional District, Mrs. Dana Anderson, was so moved by the events following the assassination of our late President Kennedy that she composed an excellent poem entitled "The Eternal Flame." I insert Mrs. Anderson's poem, written using her pen name Elsa Romberg. THE ETERNAL FLAME Think ye now that my light is out Lives on and to the world is lent. My light burns on; my flame unspent TRIBUTES BY Hon. Barratt O'Hara OF ILLINOIS Mr. Speaker, "Man of His Century" was the tribute to President John F. Kennedy in a memorial radio address by President Nkrumah to the people of Ghana. I am extending my remarks to include President Nkrumah's radio message, honoring the memory of our martyred President: PRESIDENT NKRUMAH IN RADIO MESSAGE HONORS MEMORY OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY It is with deep sorrow that I speak to you today and pay tribute to the memory of the late President John F. Kennedy, a great world statesman, and a relentless fighter for equality and human dignity. The whole world has been shocked and bewildered at President Kennedy's tragic death by assassination in the prime of his life. In spite of his brief term of office, President Kennedy has made an indelible mark on the history of our time. He will be remembered as a distinguished champion for peace and the rights of man. His inspiration, his tremendous courage, his integrity and the warmth of his feeling for his fellow men will be a beacon to those who share his convictions and aspiration. John Kennedy's achievements in international affairs have been remarkable. We in Africa will remember him above all for his uncompromising stand against racial and religious bigotry, intolerance, and injustice. His courage and steadfastness in pursuing the objectives of racial equality in his own country will always remain |