Speech #810233264

In other words. as a nation in a troubled world we cannot wait for our slowest State or our most backward community to catch up and see to it that all freedoms are guaranteed to all of its people. The international situation creates a sense of urgency with respect to our civilrights problem which only the National Government can meet. Perhaps the Senate will recall that once a year Japan went into mourning. on a socalled National Humiliation Day. when black flags hung out. and that this day of mourning in Japan was on the anniversary of the date of the passage of our Oriental Exclusion Act. a wholly unwarranted act which needlessly insulted the proud peoples of the East. Secretary Acheson ably summarized the situation I am describingas the State Department sees itin his speeeh on April 22 before the American Society of Newspaper Editors: Today. in a very real sense. the United States represents itself to the world. The world hears speeches which are made in the Congress.