Nixon promises to dedicate himself to peace Mr. Richard Nixon, sworn in yesterday as the 37th President of the United States, added to his oath of office a pledge to pursue the cause of peace. During his inaugural address in Washington, he spoke of the world entering an era of negotiation after years of confrontation. "I shall consecrate my office, my energies and aIl the wisdom I can summon to the cause of peace among nations ", the new President said. America's summons to greatness was to make the world safe for mankind. On B.B.C. television last night Mr. Wilson, asked if he intended visiting the President in the near future, replied: "Yes, I think we shall be moving very quickly to setting a time." Inaugural speech pleads for unity at home and abroad Troops carrying carbines at the port and wearing steel helmets were moved on to Pennsylvania Avenue today to protect President and Mrs. Nixon as they drove at the head of the inaugural parade from the Capitol to the White House. What appeared to be two com- panies of military police were sta- tioned between the intersection of 11 th and 14th streets where a num- ber of Yippies and anti-war demonstrators had gathered. They shouted obscenities and threw an object at a soldier. It hit his helmet. Armed police stood on the roof- tops of government buildings and helicopters hovered overhead. There were scuffles as Yippies ran through the crowd. Many booed as iPresident Nixon and Vice-Presi- dent Agnew passed by. During this part of the short drive, Mr. Nixor remained seated in his armoured limousine sur- rounded by secret service men. It was only when the parade turned up 15th street past the Treasury building that the roof was slid back and the new President stood up, waving enthusiastically at the crowd. There were sporadic outbreaks of violence but police reinforce- ments, intelligently directed, stopped the situation from getting out of hand. The danger was not so much from the demonstrators as from onlookers outraged by such interference in what they thought should be a day of quiet, patriotism and enjoyment. Many carried American flags and became quite ugly. Two men waving Vietcong flags were arrested, and stones and other objects were thrown as they were dragged to waiting police cars. Others donned white plastic masks, supposedly of a frowning Nixon, and chanted: "Work, study, get ahead, kill " and " Nixon the warmonger ". Many flailed their arms as if they were robots. They shouted angrily for peace and screamed: " Sieg heil." There was another scuffle with the police outside the National Theatre. A number of yippies, shouting " Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh ", tried to demonstrate on the roadway but were quickly clubbed by the police and dragged away. The National Mobilization Committee to end the war in Vietnam had earlier dissociated itself from the demonstration. About a dozen demonstrators were arrested for burning small souvenir American flags. To put the demonstration in perspective, those taking part were few in number, and the crowd lining the avenue was friendly if not wildly enthusiastic. Many shouted "Good luck", and there were friendly signs held up. From LOUIS HEREN- *Washington, Jan. 20 Mr. Nixon, the two-time loser whose tenacity and sense of pur- pose finally won him the greatest elective office on earth, spoke with confidence at his inaugural cere- mony. There was little of the measured rhetoric of President Kennedy's inaugural speech, but no promise to pay any price and bear any burden to assure the sur- vival and success of liberty any- where. " Let this message be heard by strong and weak alike ", the new President said. "The peace we seek to win is not victory over any other people, but the peace that comes 'with healing in its wings'; with compassion for those who have suffered; with understanding for those who have opposed us; with the opportunity for all the peoples of this earth to choose their own destiny." inHe spoke of strength, but peace in the world and reconciliation at home were his prime concerns. "The great honour history can bestow is the title of peacemaker. This honour now beckons America -the chance to help lead the world at last out of the valley of turmoil and on to the high ground of peace man has idrtamedr-of -since the dawn of civilization. If we suc- ceed, generations to come will say of us now living that we mastered our moment, that we helped make the world safe for mankind. This is our summons to greatness." The country could not expect to make everyone a friend, but it could try to make no one an enemy. He invited peaceful com- petition, not in conquering terri- tory or extending dominion but in enriching the life of man. "As we explore the reaches of space, let us go to the new worlds together -not as new worlds to be con- quered, but as a new adventure to be shared. With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift up the poor and the hungry." At home. President Nixon said, no people had ever been so close to the achievement of a just and abundant society. Standing in this same place a third of a century ago, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had addressed a nation ravaged by depression and fear and had thanked God that the nation's troubles were only material. Today the American crisis was the reverse. " We have found ourselves rich in goods but ragged in spirit. reaching with rnagnificent pre- cision for the moon, but falling into raucous discord here on earth. We are caught in war, wanting peace. We are torn by division. wanting unity. We see around us empty lives, wanting fulfilment. We see tasks that need doing, wait- ing for hands to do them. To the crisis of the spirit we need an answer of the spirit. To find that answer we need only look within ourselves." President Nixon made no pro- mises, nor did he indicate the shape or direction of future poli- cies. He did not even mention Vietnam. except to say that peace did not come through wishing for it. "There is no substitute for days and even years of patient and prolonged diplomacy." There was no mention of the race conflict. except that he said no man could be fully free while his neighbour was not. "To go forward at all is to go forward together. This means black and white together, as one nation, not two. X Yet it was a satisfying speech even though he had to use other men's words to unite appreciably the great assembly that witnessed his inauguration before the eastern facade of the CapitoL Moscow offers talks on missiles 6 Louis Heren column 10 Nixon address text 10 Leading article 11 Pictures 14 * - 1 . 1 -..; - . 1 There was such a moment when he quoted the poet, Archibald MacLeish, on seeing the earth photogrsphed from Apollo 8. " To see the earth as it truly is. small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold-brothers who now know they are truly brothers." They were another man's words, but one could sense that he was ennobled by them, that somehow after what he saw as the long night of the American spirit he was indeed capable of greatness. The assertion of confidence was frequent and commonplace. He had visited most of the nations of the world. He had come to know their leaders. He knew the people of the world. He knew the youth of America. "I know America. I know the heart of America is good." But the greater confidence, and one coutld only but wish that it was not mistaken, was in his de- meanour from the moment he slowly descended the steps to the podium with a slight smile on his somewhat heavy face. It was a damp, cold day, and some members of Congress appeared determined to demonstrate their common origins. Americans seem incap- able of sustaining the pageantry other men need in moments of history, such as today, which Mr. Nixon described as a fleeting time. precious and unique. The singing of " This is My Country" by the Mormon Taber- nacle Choir was oddly out of place, as was Dr. BiUy Graham's prayer to give the President super- natural wisdom. Perhaps it was the magic of the inauguration ceremony, but Mr. Nixon never- theless seemed to grow appreciably in stature. Whatever was done or not done, nothing can diminish the majesty of this orderly transfer of power. He repeated after Chief Justice Earl Warren the simple words of the oath of office with firmness: " I Richard Milhous Nixon, do solemnly swear that I will faith- fully execute the office of Presi- dent of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, Protect and defend the Constitu- tion of the United States, so help me God." Mrs. Nixon held the two family bibles, one of them open at the fourth verse of the second chapter of the Book of Isaiah. It must also have been a moment of triumph for her, a reward for all the countless hours she had sat on political platforms while her hus- band failed to enthuse the audi- ence. He did not enthuse them much today. For the most part there was only scattered applause, but 10 rounds in 15 minutes. Mr. Nixon is clearly no Roosevelt or Kennedy. Will he be heard ? One sensed that he believed his voice would reach to those he has described as the silent Americans, but there was more to it than that. It is often forgotten that he is a Quaker, and that he has a certain fatalism which must have lessened the pain of past disappointments. At the same time, he believes that the country is approaching the limits of what government alone can do. He said this again today, and called for the Govern- ment and the people to work to- gether. This may have been only an echo of traditional Republican rhetoric, but the federal Govern- ment in the last three decades has passed more laws, spent more money and initiated more pro- grammes than in all previous American history. Probably the time has come to give more life to those laws and programmes rather than to enact and initiate more. Perhaps the country is ready for a period of quiet and reconciliation. If this proves to be correct, then today might well prove to be a bistoric conjunction of man and events. One can only wait and see. He has still said very little. He has only nominated about 100 men to the 2.000 and more key jobs in the Government. For some weeks yet, he will be working through men appointed by his Democratic I predecessors and a civil service shaped by many years of Demo- cratic rule. It will be a very slow transition. There will be no 100 days, but per- haps that is the way it should be. For the time being, one can only echo the last words of his oath of office: "So help me, God". TrooDs Puard new President FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT -Washin2ton- Jan- 20 President Richard Nixon taking the oath of office from Chief Justice Earl Warren (second from left). Watching the ceremony are (from left) Mr. Johnson, the outgoing President; Vice-President Spiro Agnew and Mr. Humphrey, the outgoing Vice-President. Below, the new President leans across for a word with his wife Pat- Nixon promises to dedicate himself to peace