President John F. Kennedy's "Peace Speech"

The "Peace Speech," officially titled "A Strategy of Peace," was a commencement address delivered by President John F. Kennedy at American University in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 1963. In it, Kennedy called for a reevaluation of U.S. attitudes toward the Soviet Union amid the Cold War, advocating genuine world peace as a rational goal achievable through diplomacy, mutual understanding, and arms control. He emphasized that peace is not a Pax Americana enforced by military might but a shared human endeavor, warning of the senselessness of total war in the nuclear age. Kennedy announced the U.S. would halt atmospheric nuclear testing if others followed suit and revealed high-level talks in Moscow toward a test ban treaty, which contributed to the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed later that year.

The speech is noted for its optimistic tone, focus on common humanity ("We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."), and role in easing U.S.-Soviet tensions.