Urgent Appeal by Citizens and Institutions from All Over the World to the (Next) President of the United States!

May 17, 2023

PDF of the petition

June 10, 2023 will be the 60th anniversary of the famous American University speech by JFK on what he himself called “the most important topic on earth: world peace.”

President Kennedy gave that speech less than a year after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, in the middle of the Cold War, but he was able to elevate his listeners to see above the geopolitical conflict and to look at the interest of humanity as a whole.

Today we are faced with a strategic situation far more dangerous than that at the height of the Cuban missile crisis. Offensive NATO weapon systems are much closer to the border of Russia than Cuba is to the United States. The destructive power of the NATO weapons is even greater, the warning time before their launch shorter, and the trust between the leaders of the big nuclear powers is virtually non-existent, compared to that between Kennedy and  Khrushchev. The doomsday clock has been set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at 90 seconds before midnight, and that may be overly optimistic.

The world is in danger of splitting into two blocs, a NATO-U.S.-UK-EU bloc, and a Russia-China- “Global South” bloc. This represents the acute danger of a new world war, which would be nuclear, and would therefore mean the annihilation of the human species. Since Russia and the U.S. presently have 90% of all nuclear weapons directed against each other, which weapons could destroy the world many times over, it is an urgent matter of concern for every human being on earth that we find a way out. The solution must be on a plane that overcomes geopolitics and takes the perspective of the interest of the one humanity.

We, the undersigned, therefore express our hope, that the (next) President of the United States finds the greatness in herself or himself to adopt the viewpoint which was expressed by JFK in his historic speech. 

President Kennedy said on June 10, 1963:

What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children—not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women—not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.

Many may think that it is impossible today for an American President to make such a speech. And indeed, Russian President Putin is today portrayed as more evil than Khrushchev was at the time, and China is also painted as a great threat. But President Kennedy nevertheless praised the Russians, and lauded their great contributions in science, industry and culture. He praised their courage in defeating Hitler in World War II, in which cause, they sacrificed more than 26 million lives. The world needs an American president who can see the best tradition in every nation, including Russia and China, as the basis for mutual trust and the basis for peace.

We the undersigned want America to be again the America expressed in that beautiful speech of JFK. We want the United States to be again a beacon of hope and a temple of liberty. We believe that this is the basis for “peace for all time,” as JFK said.

Initiating signer

Helga Zepp-LaRouche (Germany), founder Schiller Institute

Who's signing

Nelson Borelli
Alan Murray
Martin Gorry
Johanna (Joke) Dekker
Nancy Strickland
Phil Eagleton
Antonio Carrera
Périmony Sébastien
Oddvard Myrnes
Sylvia Spaniolo
Jean Prettie
Debby Ojeda
Mark Nichol
Peggy Menzie
Angeles Murillo
Manuel Espinosa
Jusper Machogu Tom
Philip Meek
Renato Corsetti
Johannes Borbe
Noe Rodriguez
Laurie Benson
Patricia Morris
Chris Brodie
Robert Lackstein
Jacquelyn Mullens
Carmen Johnston
Conny Hansson
Luka Levaj
Bradley Kimbrough
832 signatures

Sign the petition here:

  • Nelson Borelli
    signed 2023-05-23 14:07:52 -0400
  • Alan Murray
    signed 2023-05-23 14:06:51 -0400
  • Martin Gorry
    signed 2023-05-23 14:05:25 -0400
  • Johanna (Joke) Dekker
    signed 2023-05-23 14:04:44 -0400
  • Nancy Strickland
    signed 2023-05-23 14:04:09 -0400
  • Phil Eagleton
    signed 2023-05-23 14:03:32 -0400
  • Antonio Carrera
    signed 2023-05-23 14:01:41 -0400
  • Périmony Sébastien
    signed 2023-05-23 13:59:51 -0400
  • Oddvard Myrnes
    signed 2023-05-23 13:59:15 -0400
    War machine will kill us all.
  • Sylvia Spaniolo
    signed 2023-05-23 13:59:07 -0400
  • Jean Prettie
    signed 2023-05-23 13:58:48 -0400
    🙏Praying for Peace and Justice in our Time for all .
  • Debby Ojeda
    signed 2023-05-23 13:58:44 -0400
  • Mark Nichol
    signed 2023-05-23 13:57:44 -0400
  • Peggy Menzie
    signed 2023-05-23 13:56:44 -0400
    Peace now! Stop all funding to Ukraine!
  • Angeles Murillo
    signed 2023-05-23 13:56:23 -0400
  • Manuel Espinosa
    signed 2023-05-23 13:56:04 -0400
  • Jusper Machogu Tom
    signed 2023-05-23 13:54:07 -0400
  • Philip Meek
    signed 2023-05-23 13:53:44 -0400
  • Renato Corsetti
    signed 2023-05-23 13:53:10 -0400
  • Johannes Borbe
    signed 2023-05-23 13:52:37 -0400
  • Noe Rodriguez
    signed 2023-05-23 13:52:28 -0400
  • Laurie Benson
    signed 2023-05-23 13:52:16 -0400
  • Patricia Morris
    signed 2023-05-23 13:52:11 -0400
    May we prevail and know peace in our lifetime.
  • Chris Brodie
    signed 2023-05-23 13:51:51 -0400
  • Robert Lackstein
    signed 2023-05-23 13:51:36 -0400
  • Jacquelyn Mullens
    signed 2023-05-23 13:50:36 -0400
  • Carmen Johnston
    signed 2023-05-23 13:49:59 -0400
  • Conny Hansson
    signed 2023-05-23 13:49:23 -0400
  • Luka Levaj
    signed via 2023-05-23 13:38:08 -0400
  • Bradley Kimbrough
    signed via 2023-05-23 13:35:43 -0400

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