But our goal is peace—­and peace at the earliest possible moment.

Right now we are exploring the meaning of Hanoi’s recent statement.  There is no mystery about the questions which must be answered before the bombing is stopped.

We believe that any talks should follow the San Antonio formula that I stated last September, which said: 

—­The bombing would stop immediately if talks would take place promptly and with reasonable hopes that they would be productive.

—­And the other side must not take advantage of our restraint as they have in the past.  This Nation simply cannot accept anything less without jeopardizing the lives of our men and of our allies.

If a basis for peace talks can be established on the San Antonio foundations—­and it is my hope and my prayer that they can—­we would consult with our allies and with the other side to see if a complete cessation of hostilities—­a really true cease-fire—­could be made the first order of business.  I will report at the earliest possible moment the results of these explorations to the American people.

I have just recently returned from a very fruitful visit and talks with His Holiness the Pope and I share his hope—­as he expressed it earlier today—­that both sides will extend themselves in an effort to bring an end to the war in Vietnam.  I have today assured him that we and our allies will do our full part to bring this about.

Since I spoke to you last January, other events have occurred that have major consequences for world peace.

—­The Kennedy Round achieved the greatest reduction in tariff barriers in all the history of trade negotiations.

—­The nations of Latin America at Punta del Este resolved to move toward economic integration.

—­In Asia, the nations from Korea and Japan to Indonesia and Singapore worked behind America’s shield to strengthen their economies and to broaden their political cooperation.

—­In Africa, from which the distinguished Vice President has just returned, he reports to me that there is a spirit of regional cooperation that is beginning to take hold in very practical ways.

These events we all welcomed.  Yet since I last reported to you, we and the world have been confronted by a number of crises: 

—­During the Arab-Israeli war last June, the hot line between Washington and Moscow was used for the first time in our history.  A cease-fire was achieved without a major power confrontation.

Now the nations of the Middle East have the opportunity to cooperate with Ambassador Jarring’s U.N. mission and they have the responsibility to find the terms of living together in stable peace and dignity, and we shall do all in our power to help them achieve that result.

—­Not far from this scene of conflict, a crisis flared on Cyprus involving two peoples who are America’s friends:  Greece and Turkey.  Our very able representative, Mr. Cyrus Vance, and others helped to ease this tension.