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It is fitting that we take cognizance at this moment of the tragic occurrence of November 22. On that day, this nation and all the world were shocked and plunged into mourning by the sudden death by assassination of John F. Kennedy. The youth of the victim, the hope and promise that he represented, and the uninhibited cruelty of the act that struck him down, together gave to all a feeling of despair and outrage. We share this feeling, but there is in addition the question: why do we as members of a scientific organization feel so deeply the sense of bereavement? It is, I think, because of what President Kennedy meant for the development of science in this country and the promise of what science with his encouragement and support could do for the betterment of man.
In a touching tribute to John F. Kennedy in Science, the publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Jerome Wiesner states that more than any other political figure, President Kennedy understood the social significance of modern science and technology.
We as psychoanalysts recognize as well his intelligent and sophisticated awareness of the importance of mental health. President Kennedy saw the need to provide measures for the improved care of the mentally ill, and to extend the means for the prevention of mental illness. I address myself not only to what John F. Kennedy did or attempted to do but even more to the spirit of his efforts.
It is not that John F. Kennedy was the first to provide governmental support for mental health activities. The National Institute for Mental Health has been actively engaged for many years in this area, but I think it is fair to say that no President of the United States before this has so intensively involved himself in the deeper significance of these activities.