In a November 3, 1969, televised speech, President Nixon (1913–1994), referring to the recent escalation of anti-war protests, warned, “If a vocal minority, however fervent its cause, prevails over reason and the will of the majority, this nation has no future as a free society.” Nixon asked for support from “the great silent majority of my fellow Americans.” Bob Hope’s criticism of protesters and the media heartened those who identified themselves as part of the “silent majority.” Bob Hope’s views on dissent, expressed in these commencement speech notes, heartened those who identified themselves as part of the “silent majority.”