Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-190-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address at the 1963 commencement ceremony for The American University held at the John M. Reeves Athletic Center in Washington, D.C. In his speech the President asks the graduates to re-examine their attitudes towards peace, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War, famously remarking, "If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can make the world safe for diversity." The President also announces that he, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan have agreed to hold discussions concerning a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. Finally, he explains that the United States will not conduct atmospheric nuclear tests on the condition that other countries uphold this same promise.