FOREIGN RELATIONS- 1-950, VLUME I


the. suprem~acyl. of reason over wil -are-valid andm0ore ,ital than the
Pideology which..is the, fuel. Off.:Soviet. dynamism. :Translated-into -terms
irelv:ant -to 'the 6lives of other peoples-:=our system oQfyal-uscan be-
come perhapsa powerful appe~al.to.millions who now -seek or --find in
authoritarianism a refuge from anxieties,-bafflement and insecurity.
   Essentially,Iour democracy also possesses a unique, degree of unity.
 Our society isfundamentally more :cohesive than the Soviet system,
-the solidarity of which is artificially created through force, fear and
favor.This means that expressions of national consensus in our society
are soundly and solidly basedl.- It means that-the possibility of revolu-
tion in this country is fundamentally less than that in the Soviet
system.e
   These capabilities within us constitute a great potential force in our
 interniational relations. The potential within us of bearingwitness to
 the values by which we live-holds-promise f or a dynamic manifestation
 to the rest of the world of :the vitality of our system. The essential toler-
 ance of our world outlook, our generous and constructive impulses, and
 the absence ýof covetousness in our international relations are assets
of
 potenitially enormous influence.-
   These then are our potenti'al capabilities. Between them and our
 capýabilitfies currently -being .-utilized . is a wide gap of unactualized
 power. 'In sharp contrast is ,the situation Of the Soviet-world. It capa-
 bilities are inferior to thoseoif our Allies andto our .own. But hey are
 mobilized closeto the'maximum possible extent.
   The full power which resides within .theI Americanr ;people will be
 evoked only through the traditional democratic process:-This process
 requires,,fistly, ithhat sufficient information regarding the basic poli-
 tical, economic 'and military elements of the present situation be made
 publicly available so that an intelligent popular opinion may be formed.
 Having achieved a comprehension of the issues now confronting -this
 Republic, it will then be possible for the American people and -the
 American Government to arrive at 'a consensus. Out of this common
 view will develop a determination of the national will and a solid reso-
 lute expression of that will. The initiative in this process lies with the
 Government.
   The democratic way is harder than the authoritarian way because,
 in seeking to protect and fulfill the individual, it demands of him
 understanding, judgment and positive participation in theincreasingly
 complex and exacting problems of the modern world. It demands that
 he exercise discrimination: that while pursuing through free inquiry
 the search -for truth he knows when he should commit an act of faith;
 that he distinguish between the necessity for tolerance and ,the necessity
 for just suppression. A free society is vulnerable in that it is easy for
 people-to lapse into excesses-the excesses of a permanently open mind
 wishfully waiting for evidence t.hat evil design may become noble pur-