By Guy Bevil, Founder of Amigos de las Américas, Written in 1975:

Ben Franklin, our First Ambassador to the court of France on the eve of the French Revolution had this to say of King Louis: "Under normal circumstances, he would have been a great king, but he inherited a revolution." Amigos de las Americas, unlike King Louis, is great because we have inherited a revolution. Indeed, as we look at our world, we see the French Revolution as small by comparison with our masses of poor, sick, hungry and illiterate people.

To understand the revolution in our world of 2.5 billion people, let us shrink it to a community of just 1,000 people. It would look like

this:

60 are Americans - 940 are other nationalities

303 are white - 697 are colored

330 are nominally Christian - 670 are of other faiths or none at all

The 60 Americans will live to be over 70 years two thirds of the rest will die under 40

Nearly all of the 60 Americans are literate, over half of the rest of the world is unable to read or write

The 60 Americans possess 15 times the wealth of the rest, over half the rest have an annual income under $150 a year

The 60 Americans produce 16% of the world's food and consume 14.5% of it; over half of the rest goes to bed hungry.

Yes, our generation has inherited a revolution. And we of AMIGOS have responded, and with due haste. When the decision had to be made, it was made without looking back-- we did not count the cost. Each of us can be proud of the way we boldly accepted the challenge we faced.

We have recognized the dormant aspiration, moral dedication, and self-sacrifice of our own Young People. We have placed the highest priorities of utilizing the basic idealism, activism, and integrity of youth. Even the most primitive of cultures recognize the "ordeals of manhood" are essential to the growth of character. In other times, these teenagers would be masters sailing clipper ships, pioneers carving an empire out of the frontier territories or, in the distant past, hunters fighting with only a spear and instinct to survive in a harsh and primitive world.

To meet the need of our own young people for such challenges, such ordeals of manhood, we have offered them a new frontier in Central America. And they have responded. And responded successfully. In a land that is still young.

We could write at length about the accomplishments of these volunteers in the field, but for now, I want to emphasize what you here have accomplished. In the short four years, we translated a dream into a respected reality. We have also made some unique contributions. Let us recall just a few.

As a service organization, we have avoided the unhappy association of a subordinate status for those whom we serve. We have abhorred the "professionalism" of some service organizations. We have taught and demonstrated that service is a privilege. We have been prophets, as we developed a new, if not novel, program of voluntary aid. Lacking the weight of bureaucracy, the vulnerability to public visibility, and political controversy, we have pioneered in the high risk field of medical assistance. We have led the way with new strategies and methods which we have designated from need, not models.

We have maintained the high standards of self-correcting moral ideal which gave birth to the dream and then to the organization. Having no need to respond to any self-interest, we have transcended the political and geographical barriers and built bridges of mutual interest. We could not have accomplished this if we were dependent on existing public agencies, subject to majority opinion, or political blocks of support.

As we look to the future, we are contributing a generation of young people who will be wise in the understanding of human relationships in the family of man. They will have a distinct philosophy, which will provide competent manpower and leadership to dozens of organizations both in the public and private sectors.

So at this moment, let us reflect on our accomplishments and be proud, but not content. We have worked hard in the past year, as this annual report indicates. We will have to work hard next year. I hope that we will broaden our base of leadership. Not that any of us will necessarily do less, but that through expanded organization, we can do more. We need to increase our vision and expand our horizons.

Under normal circumstances, we might have paused at this point to enjoy our fine work, but we have inherited a revolution.

Sincerely yours,

Guy Bevil
AMIGOS Founder