Suchergebnisse

I welcome an opportunity to briefly examine Walt Rostow's contention that we are at a watershed. I am inclined to accept the generic proposition, although it will become apparent that the premises with which we support the conclusion differ.Vietnam can well be the last great confrontation of the postwar era if we learn the lessons of Vietnam as well as others of recent years. Vietnam is providing an excellent modern example of the limitations of enormous military power. In another area, the Kennedy round, which was completed some months ago, there is also provided a classic example of the limitations of enormous economic power. If the people of the United States and especially its leadership can profit from the experiences of recent months on the military and economic fronts, then Mr. Rostow's thesis that we are at a watershed should prove valid. If we fail to understand or misinterpret what is happening, then it is possible that Mr. Washburn and the new generation are in for the kind of difficulties that could arise from a major decline in the affluence and influence of the United States. Naturally, every American might selfishly view such a prospect with great concern; I am sufficiently chauvinistic about our nation's potential for good that I view it with alarm for the world as a whole.

There is nothing novel about change. The reality is that the only certainty is change. Some recent changes have created an atmosphere in which a worldwide war is the more likely to develop or, conversely, out of which the prospect for a better world order is being generated.It is sometimes difficult to realize that a number of wars have actually taken place since World War II. Recently a magazine compiled a list of forty. Even then it excluded some border differences which might have been listed as wars. Not all of these were large-scale wars, but the number of serious conflicts remains impressive. These wars took place when it is generally accepted that an uneasy peace exists. Most of these, in a different era, could have precipitated a worldwide conflict. Why not since 1945?

Dramatic demographic changes in the next twenty-five years will re quire housing production up to 2 to 3 million units annually. Maintenance of a high economic level will virtually eliminate poverty. Improved transportation will continue to expand the limits of cities. With these and other trends on the horizon, we can expect greater participation by the federal government in helping to finance the production of private housing, new forms of public housing, and large-scale renewal of deteriorated central areas. Tomorrow's houses will not be of markedly better design, nor will there be any drastic changes in methods of residential construction.