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3/20/75 - Foreign Diplomats Travel Program Luncheon, State Department
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1252266
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3/20/75 - Foreign Diplomats Travel Program Luncheon, State Department
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President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
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1975-03-20
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The original documents are located in Box 6, folder "3/20/75 - Foreign Diplomats Travel
Program Luncheon, State Department" of the President's Speeches and Statements:
Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 6 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
FOREIGN DIPLOMATS TRAVEL PROGRAM LUNCHEON
STATE DEPARTMENT
THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1975
- 1 -
IT IS A PLEASURE FOR ME TO APPEAR AGAIN THIS YEAR
ON BEHALF OF A PROJECT I HAVE ENTHUSTASTICALLY SUPPORTED
AS A CONGRESSMAN, AS VICE PRESIDENT, AND NOW AS PRESIDENT.
- 2 -
IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT, IN DIPLOMACY, THERE
ARE NO TRUE FRIENDSHIPS -- ONLY TEMPORARY ALLIANCES OF
CONVENIENCE.
LOOKING BACK ON HISTORY, THERE IS
SOME TRUTH TO THIS.
- 3 -
BUT THAT IS NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE
AND
THE WORLD WOULD BE A PRETTY GRIM PLACE IF IT WERE.
YOU ARE PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMATS.
YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS
TO DEFEND YOUR COUNTRY'S INTERESTS AND NEGOTIATE ON ITS BEHALF.
- 4 -
BUT, AS PARTICIPANTS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE
TRAVEL PROGRAM FOR FOREIGN DIPLOMATS, YOU ALSO KNOW
THAT HUMAN UNDERSTANDING, COMMUNICATION AND FRIENDSHIP
BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATIONS IS ALSO A VERY REAL AND VITAL
FORCE -- AN ESSENTIAL FORCE -- FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD TODAY.
- 5 -
IN THE PAST TWELVE YEARS, THIS VERY WORTHWHILE
PROGRAM HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR MORE THAN FOUR THOUSAND
DIPLOMATS TO KNOW AMERICA, AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
IN A WAY THAT THEY NEVER COULD HAVE THROUGH "OFFICIAL CHANNELS"
ONLY.
- 6 -
THE COOPERATION OF COUNTLESS INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN FAMILIES
AND PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT HAVE MADE THIS SUCCESS POSSIBLE,
AND I AM DELIGHTED ONCE AGAIN TO ENDORSE THIS PROGRAM
THIS YEAR, AS IT CARRIES FORWARD ITS GOOD WORK.
YOU
ARE DOING A FINE JOB. and I thank you
- 7 -
TO SEE FIRST HAND THE BEAUTY AND EXPANSE OF
THIS GREAT COUNTRY, TO GET TO KNOW THE DAY-TO-DAY JOYS
AND FRUSTRATIONS OF AN AVERAGE WORKING FAMILY IN ONE OF
OUR GREAT CITIES, TO EXPERIENCE THE IMMENSE DIVERSITY OF
REGIONAL TASTES AND ACCENTS AND TRADITIONS THAT WE CALL
AMERICA -- ALL THIS IS PERHAPS THE ONLY WAY TO REALLY
COMPREHEND THE IDEALS, ASPIRATIONS AND GREAT STRENGTHS
UNDERLYING OUR NATIONAL POLICIES.
- 8 -
YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND A NATION WITHOUT KNOWING ITS PEOPLE --
AND ONLY BY GETTING TO KNOW INDIVIDUALS CAN YOU BEGIN TO
KNOW THE PEOPLE AS A WHOLE.
BY INTRODUCING FOREIGN
VISITORS TO SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF AMERICANS, THE TRAVEL
PROGRAM PERFORMS A GREAT SERVICE TO OUR NATION.
- 9 -
I HASTEN TO ADD THAT I DO NOT SEE THE TRAVEL PROGRAM
AS A ONE-WAY STREET.
IT IS JUST AS NECESSARY FOR UNITED STATES
DIPLOMATS TO GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE OF THEIR HOST NATIONS, AND
TO APPRECIATE FULLY THEIR TRADITIONS AND CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS.
THE FRIENDSHIPS YOU HELP FORGE TODAY WILL PAY DIVIDENDS IN
PEACEFUL UNDERSTANDING FOR YEARS TO COME.
- 10 -
I HAVE OFTEN SAID THAT THE KEYSTONE OF MY ADMINISTRATION
IS OPENNESS.
BUT WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT, THE KEYSTONE
OF THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE IS OPENNESS.
WE DON'T BELIEVE
IN HIDING THE TRUTH, WHETHER IT'S FLATTERING OR UNFLATTERING.
- 11 -
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE OUR FAULTS AND OUR PROBLEMS, BUT WE WANT
OUR FRIENDS FROM ABROAD TO SEE THE TRUTH, TO SEE HOW WE SOLVE
OUR PROBLEMS OPENLY, AND TO JUDGE FOR THEMSELVES THE SUCCESS
OF OUR DEMOCRATIC EXPERIMENT.
- 12 -
WE LIVE IN A TIME UNIQUE FOR BOTH ITS PERIL AND ITS
PROMISE.
THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF WAR TODAY ARE MORE
TERRIBLE THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN IN HUMAN HISTORY.
BUT,
AT THE SAME TIME, THE POSSIBILITY OF LASTING, GLOBAL PEACE
AND PROSPERITY IS CLOSER THAN EVER BEFORE.
- 13 -
THE ROAD TO SUCH A PEACE IS BOUND TO BE LONG AND DIFFICULT,
BUT I DEEPLY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE MAKING HEADWAY -- AND ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES THE ROAD A LITTLE SMOOTHER, AND THE
TRIP MORE REWARDING, IS A PROGRAM LIKE THIS, AND THE SPIRIT IT
REPRESENTS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
END OF TEXT
CLEARANCE FORM FOR PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH MATERIAL
TO:-
THE PRESIDENT
VIA:
ROBERT HARTMANN BAA
FROM:
PAUL A. THEIS OAt
SUBJECT:
Foreign Diplomats Travel Program Luncheon
TIME, DATE AND PLACE OF PRESIDENTIAL USE:
12 noon, Thursday, March 20, 1975, State Department
SPEECHWRITER: Bakshian
EDITED BY:
Theis / NSC
BASIC RESEARCH/SPEECH MATERIAL SUPPLIED BY:
Travel Program for Foreign Diplomats, Inc.
CLEARED BY (Please initial):
(x) OPERATIONS (Rumsfeld) RBC
(X) PRESS (Nessen) RHN
(x) CONGRESSIONAL/PUBLIC LIAISON (Marsh) Im
( ) LEGAL (Buchen)
( ) ECONOMIC POLICY BOARD (Seidman)
( ) OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET (Lynn)
(X) DOMESTIC COUNCIL (Cannon) deferred
(X) RESEARCH (Waldron) AW
(X) NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL (Scowcroft) July
(x) JERRY WARREN (FYI) The
( ) ENERGY RESOURCES COUNCIL (Zarb)
( )
( )