In the months ahead the Government must give priority to activities that are urgent—­like military procurement and atomic energy and power development.  It must practice rigid economy in its nondefense activities.  Many of the things we would normally do must be curtailed or postponed.

But in a long-term defense effort like this one, we cannot neglect the measures needed to maintain a strong economy and a healthy democratic society.

The Congress, therefore, should give continued attention to the measures which our country will need for the long pull.  And it should act upon such legislation as promptly as circumstances permit.

To take just one example—­we need to continue and complete the work of rounding out our system of social insurance.  We still need to improve our protection against unemployment and old age.  We still need to provide insurance against the loss of earnings through sickness, and against the high costs of modern medical care.

And above all, we must remember that the fundamentals of our strength rest upon the freedoms of our people.  We must continue our efforts to achieve the full realization of our democratic ideals.  We must uphold the freedom of speech and the freedom of conscience in our land.  We must assure equal rights and equal opportunities to all our citizens.

As we go forward this year in the defense of freedom, let us keep dearly before us the nature of our present effort.

We are building up our strength, in concert with other free nations, to meet the danger of aggression that has been turned loose on the world.  The strength of the free nations is the world’s best hope of peace.

I ask the Congress for unity in these crucial days.

Make no mistake about my meaning.  I do not ask, or expect, unanimity.  I do not ask for an end to debate.  Only by debate can we arrive at decisions which are wise, and which reflect the desires of the American people.  We do not have a dictatorship in this country, and we never will have one in this country.

When I request unity, what I am really asking for is a sense of responsibility on the part of every Member of this Congress.  Let us debate the issues, but let every man among us weigh his words and his deeds.  There is a sharp difference between harmful criticism and constructive criticism.  If we are truly responsible as individuals, I am sure that we will be unified as a government.

Let us keep our eyes on the issues and work for the things we all believe in.

Let each of us put our country ahead of our party, and ahead of our own personal interests.

I had the honor to be a Member of the Senate during World War II, and I know from experience that unity of purpose and of effort is possible in the Congress without any lessening of the vitality of our two-party system.

Let us all stand together as Americans.  Let us stand together with all men everywhere who believe in human liberty.