Summary of the Video: “People to People International – Peace Through Understanding” (2016)
This short film revisits President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s original vision for People to People International. Eisenhower believed that the most worthwhile purpose in the world is to build a road to an enduring peace — a peace rooted not in politics, but in mutual respect between individuals.
In the archival footage, he explains that while governments can point the way, real peace is made person-to-person. He highlights the power of ordinary exchanges: students and professors learning together, doctors helping fight disease, travellers meeting across cultures, unions supporting each other, and citizens sharing skills and solidarity. These, he says, form the “truest path” to peace.
The video then shifts to reflections from Eisenhower’s family, emphasizing that he had witnessed the worst of war and came to believe deeply that people everywhere want peace — and that grassroots relationships could eventually influence governments to follow a more peaceful course.
The narrative also describes PTPI’s evolution over time. Although its programs adapt to new global realities, its core mission remains unchanged: promoting humanitarian, educational, and cultural activities outside government channels to build understanding, remove fear, and create hope.
Examples mentioned include humanitarian landmine removal, peace camps, youth forums, and both student and adult exchanges — all designed to spark meaningful interactions across languages, cultures, and borders.
The video closes with an aspiration that people of all faiths, races, and nations may have their human needs met; that those yearning for freedom may experience it; and that poverty, disease, and ignorance might one day vanish from the earth.