『蔣夫人宋美齡女士以106高齡辭世，世人追憶她時，最推崇她於1943年2月18日應邀在美國國會發表的那場演說，夫人以純正而又典雅的英文，儀態翩然、鏗鏘有力地在國會參眾兩院聯席會上演說，風靡了全場，數度贏得如雷掌聲，最後全體起立熱情鼓掌，為這第一位在美國國會演說的女士深深折服。
特將蔣夫人那篇英文演說全文及中譯刊出，為這段歷史做個見證．
英文演說全文取自美國國會記錄，1943年,頁1080-1081。
【Mr. President, Members of the Senate of the United States, ladies, and gentlemen, I am overwhelmed by the warmth and spontaneity of the welcome of the American people, of whom you are the representatives. I did not know that I was to speak to you today at the Senate except to say,”How do you do, I am so very glad to see you,”and to bring the greetings of my people to the people of America. However, just before coming here, the Vice President told me that he wouuld like to have me say a few words to you.
議長先生，美國參議院各位議員，各位女士、先生，受到諸位所代表的美國人民熱情與真誠的歡迎，令我感動莫名。我事先不知今天要在參議院發表演說，只以為要到此說聲「大家好，很高興見到各位」，並向貴國人民轉達敝國百姓的問候之意。不過，在來到此地之前，貴國副總統告訴我，他希望我和各位說幾句話。
I am not a very good extemporaneous speaker; in fact, I am no speaker at all; but I am not so very much discouraged, because a few days ago I was at Hyde Park, and went to the President’s library. Something I saw there encouraged me, and made me feel that perhaps you will not expect overmuch of me in speaking to you extemporaneously. What do you think I saw there I saw many things, but the one thing which interested me most of all was that in a glass case there was the first draft of one of the President’s speeches, a second draft, and on and on up to the sixth draft. Yesterday I happened to mention this fact to the President, and told him that I was extremely glad that he had to write so many drafts when he is such a well-known and acknowledgedly fine speaker. His reply to me was that sometimes he writes 12 drafts of a speech. So, my remarks here today, being extemporaneous, I am sure you will make allowances for me.
我並不擅於即席演說，事實上根本稱不上是演說家，但我不會因此怯場，因為前幾天我在海德公園參觀過總統圖書館，在那裡看見的一些東西鼓勵了我，讓我感覺各位或許不會對我的即席演說要求太多。各位知道我在那裡見到什麼嗎？我看到了許多，但最讓我感興趣的，莫過於一個放著總統先生(譯按，即羅斯福總統）演說草稿的玻璃箱，裡頭從第一份草稿、第二份草稿，一直到第六份草稿。昨天，我碰巧向總統先生提及此事，我說我很高興知道，以他如此知名又公認一流的演說家，還必須寫這麼多份草稿。他回答說，有時他一次演說得寫12份草稿。因此，今天本人在此發表的即席演說，我確信各位一定會包容。
The traditional friendship between your country and mine has a history of 160 years. I feel--and I believe that I am not the only one who feels this way--that there are a great many similarities between your people and mine, and that these similarlties are the basis of our friendship.
貴國和敝國之間有著160年悠久歷史的情誼，我覺得貴國人民和敝國百姓有許許多多的相似點，而這些相似點正是兩國情誼的基礎，我也相信不是只有我有這樣的感覺。
I should like to tell you a little story which will illustrate this belief. When General Doolittle and his men went to bomb Tokyo, on their return some of your boys had to bail out in the interior of China. One of them later told me that he had to bail out of his ship. and that when he landed on Chinese soil and saw the populace running toward him, he just waved his arm and shouted the only Chinese word he knew,”Mei-kuo, Mei-kuo,” which means ”America.” Literally translated from the Chinese it means”Beautiful country.”This boy said that our people laughed and almost hugged him, and greeted him like a long lost brother. He further told me that he thought that he had come home when he saw our people; and that was the first time he had ever been to China.(Applause.)
在此，我想說個小故事，來說明此一信念。杜立德將軍和部下一起去轟炸東京，回程時有些美國子弟兵不得不在中國內陸跳傘。其中一人後來告訴我，他被迫從飛機跳傘，踏上中國的土地時，看到當地居民跑向他，他就揮著手，喊出他會說的唯一一句中國話：「美國，美國」，也就是「美利堅」的意思，（掌聲）美國在中國話的意思是「美麗的國家」。這個大男孩說，敝國人民聽了都笑開來，擁抱他，像歡迎失散多年的兄弟一般。他還告訴我說，當他看到我們的人民，感覺他已經回到家；而那是他第一次來到中國。（掌聲）
I came to your country as a little girl. I know your people. I have lived with them. I spent the formative years of my life amongst your people. I speak your language, not only the language of your hearts, but also your tongue. So coming here today I feel that I am also coming home.(Applause)]
我來到貴國時是個小女孩，我熟悉貴國人民，我和他們一起生活過。我生命中成長的歲月是和貴國人民一起度過，我說你們的話，我想的和你們一樣,說的也和你們一樣。所以今天來到這裡，我也感覺我好像回到家了。（掌聲）
I believe, however, that it is not only I who am coming home, I feel that if the Chinese people could speak to you in your own tongue, or if you could understand our tongue, they would tell you that basically and fundamentally we are fighting for the same cause (great applause); that we have identity of ideals ; that the ”four freedoms,” which your President proclaimed to the world, resound throughout our vast land as the gong of freedom, the gong of freedom of the United Nations, and the death knell of the aggressors. (Applause.) 】
資料來源：【2003/10/25 聯合晚報】
大家如果想洗耳恭聽蔣夫人那悅耳流利的英語演說，以下網址提供蔣夫人於1943年在她的母校衛斯理大學演說的線上收聽，一定對她更加「驚豔」、崇拜和感念!
http://www.twango.com/media/mdmailbo-57.111/mdmailbo-57.10034
她成為一個崇拜的中心，她的照片和名字到處都出現。雖然她非常出名，也非常有權，她很注意不讓自己掩蓋她丈夫的名聲。雖然她在許多地方是政府中的決定性人物，她一直說她的決定是從胡安·裴隆的智慧中獲得的。但兩人的私生活卻相當緊張。他們沒有孩子，這導致了一些關於他們是否有性生活的議論。
阿根廷的工人階級崇拜她，但富有的、親英國的高層階級對她恨之入骨。他們鄙視她的出身，批評她早年的浪蕩生涯。許多人認為作為一個婦女她在政壇上的角色太高了。同時伊娃也很仇恨這些高層階級的人物。有時這種仇恨也表現為對政敵的迫害和對報紙的封禁。
1950年她周游歐洲並與許多國家首腦（包括西班牙的弗朗西斯科·佛朗哥）會晤。其目的是在戰後為阿根廷做廣告。因為第二次世界大戰後裴隆的阿根廷越來越被其它國家看做是法西斯主義國家了。
1951年她試圖競選阿根廷的副總統。這一行為令阿根廷的軍事首腦十分不滿，最終胡安·裴隆迫於壓力撤銷了伊娃·裴隆的提名。
伊娃·裴隆在1952年便因子宮癌在布宜諾斯艾利斯去世，年僅33歲。其後遺體被保存並陳列在一個紀念館中。1955年胡安·裴隆被一次軍事政變推翻後，她的遺體首先被飛往義大利米蘭，16年後被移到西班牙。1973年胡安·裴隆重返阿根廷再任總統，1974年他逝世，遺體運回阿根廷並曾短暫陳列在她丈夫的遺體旁。此後她被安葬在她父親家族在布宜諾斯艾利斯的墓中。
她的一生，在英國音樂劇《阿根廷，別為我哭泣》中得到再現，後又被改編為電影和連續劇，在被改編成的電影中，美國歌星麥當娜飾演的《Evita》是一部廣為人知的作品。】
注意到她的耳環和別針沒有？是用黑白兩色米珠混合設計的，珍珠是第一夫人們的最愛。
