The quest for peace is the statesman's most exacting duty... Practical progress to lasting peace is his fondest hope.

Our arms must be mighty ... ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction

The other day Aks and I went up to your ranch for a day's fishing. I cannot remember any day when we have had more fun on a stream. We had along with us three newspaper men and a few secret service people, many of whom had never seen a trout stream, so we did the thing up right by borrowing frying pans, bacon and corn meal from the wife of your rancher - and we cooked an outdoor meal for the crowd. It was really quite a day.

I have spent my life in the study of military strength as a deterrent to war, and in the character of military armaments necessary to win a war. The study of the first of these questions is still profitable, but we are rapidly getting to the point that no war can be won.

The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without.

There can be no true disarmament without peace, and there can be no real peace without very material disarmament.

In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.