111. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs-Designate (Wallis) to Secretary of State Shultz1
SUBJECT
- Possible Topics for Your UNGA Speech2
I would like to see your speech start with a hymn to the human spirit, rising to a crescendo about the great things humanity has achieved, is achieving, and will yet achieve—if (and here the crescendo diminishes and becomes somber) we are successful in overcoming certain threats.
The hymn to the human spirit could touch on moral values that are common to all religions and most cultures; on achievements in art, music, literature, understanding of nature, and man; on expanding opportunities for leisure, education, travel, sports, recreation; on the broad dissemination of cultural activities and enlightenment through radio, television, movies; printing (and literacy), airplanes, telephones. In short, we have before us possibilities for a finer life, more widely shared, than humanity has ever dreamed of.
You need a philosopher to prepare the libretto and a poet to prepare the score of that hymn; and a meticulous editor to keep it from sounding evangelical or fatuous and to keep underdeveloped countries in focus. But get people’s eyes off their feet and the rocks and show them the view from the top of the mountain.
Then shift to the more somber side. What hazards lie in our way, and how can we cope with them? Bring in the nitty-gritty issues that the Wolfowitz memo enumerates.3 But bring them up in the context of grand, noble, and inspiring possibilities that make it desperately necessary to tackle them and will make success infinitely rewarding.
Marvelous things are truly within reach for all humanity if we can achieve peace and international cooperation. But those cannot be [Page 414] attained by love and lofty thoughts alone. Indeed, a basic requirement is a world order in which people can cooperate without loving one another or sharing the same lofty thoughts. Such a world order requires sustained hard work on messy problems and details. But we must do it, we can do it—indeed, we are on the way.
I do not suggest skipping the mundane points in the Wolfowitz memo—quite the contrary. But package them with the perspective of wonderful things in reach if we succeed, not the perspective of horrors if we fail—though those horrors should be recognized to contrast with the rewards for success.
One of the hazards confronting us is overeagerness to attain the ultimate immediately. A country that promises its people goodies before those goodies can be produced risks economic chaos that may prevent the goodies ever being available and that may disrupt international trade to that country’s own detriment. A healthy world economy is essential to a healthy world order, but simple formulas for economic health are hazardous.
Similarly, simple formulas for preventing nuclear war are hazardous.
More generally, the wonders that are in sight did not come about instantly or easily, and neither will control of the hazards. The wonders are the joint product of all the cultures of the world, and so will be control of the hazards.
- Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/P Files, Memoranda and Correspondence from the Director of the Policy Planning Staff to the Secretary and Other Seventh Floor Principals: Lot 89D149, S/P Chrons PW Chrons to Secy JUL 1982. Confidential. In a handwritten note attached to the memorandum and Kirkpatrick’s August 6 memorandum to Shultz (see Document 112) Kaplan wrote: “Other principals have been asked for their views. Here is the 1st response.”↩
- See Document 120.↩
- See Document 110.↩