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1253038
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9/21/76 - Remarks During a Toast in Honor of President William R. Tolbert, Jr., of the Republic of Liberia
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
1253038
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
9/21/76 - Remarks During a Toast in Honor of President William R. Tolbert, Jr., of the Republic of Liberia
citationUrl
collections
President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
subjects
Liberia
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Dinners and dining
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1253038
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day
21
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1976-09-21
month
9
year
1976
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day
21
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1976-09-21
month
9
year
1976
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0083d4a494090fb3
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The original documents are located in Box 38, "9/21/76 - Remarks During a Toast in Honor
of President William R. Tolbert, Jr., of the Republic of Liberia" 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
st
DINNER TOAST FOR PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1976
-1-
IT IS A PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU, PRESIDENT TOLBERT,
AND MRS. TOLBERT, TO THE UNITED STATES
YOUR VISIT IS
A PARTICULARLY GRATIFYING OCCASION BECAUSE OF OUR SPECIAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH LIBERIA AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE FIRST
AFRICAN STATE VISIT IN OUR THIRD CENTURY OF INDEPENDENCE.
-2-
PRESIDENT MONROE PRESIDED IN THIS VERY BUILDING
AT THE TIME WHEN BLACKS FROM THIS COUNTRY CREATED LIBERIA
AND NAMED THE CAPITAL CITY, MONROVIA, AFTER PRESIDENT
MONROE
-3-
THE FOUND ING OF LIBERIA IS A TRIBUTE TO THE CONSCIENCE
OF MANKIND
AS PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA, YOU HAVE SERVED
NOT ONLY AS YOUR COUNTRY'S LEADER, BUT YOU HAVE ALSO
INSPIRED MILLIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD BY YOUR SPIRITUAL
CALLING
-4-
AS AN ORDAINED BAPTIST MINISTER, YOU WERE THE
FIRST BLACK ELEC TED PRESIDENT OF THE BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE
WE ARE PROUD THAT ELECTION WAS HELD IN THE UNITED STATES
-5-
WE MEET AT A TIME WHEN BOTH THE UNITED STATES AND
LIBERIA ARE MINDFUL OF THE GRAVE PROBLEMS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
WE AGREE ON THE NEED FOR URGENT ACTION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
FOR ALL THE PEOPLES OF AFRICA
-6-
THE FRIENDSHIP LINKING OUR TWO COUNTRIES IS NO
ACCIDENT,
MR. PRESIDENT
OUR RELATIONS REST UPON
A FOUNDATION OF SHARED VALUES -- EVEN TO THE SHARED RED
WHITE AND BLUE OF OUR RESPECTIVE FLAGS
-7-
OUR RELATIONSHIP IS NURTURED BY THE MUTUAL
RESPECT THAT EVOLVED OVER MANY YEARS TO MEET MANY
CHALLENGES
-8-
MR. PRESIDENT,
WE WILL FACE THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY
WITH THE INSIGHTS AND DETERMINATION DEVELOPED THROUGH
OUR PAST COOPERATION.
WE SHARE NOT ONLY A SPECIAL
RELATIONSHIP BUT ALSO A SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHERS
-9-
LIBERIA AND THE UNITED STATES ARE
AFTER ALL,
DISTINCTIVE, AMONG NATIONS
OURS ARE THE OLDEST EXISTING
REPUBLICS ON OUR RESPECTIVE CONTINENTS.
OUR CONSTITUTIONS,
BOTH WRITTEN LONG AGO,
REMAIN VIABLE AND LIVING DOCUMENTS.
-10-
MR. PRESIDENT,
I KNOW THAT YOU AGREE WITH ME,
THAT FREEDOM IS TOO PRECIOUS A GIFT FOR OUR NATIONS TO
RESERVE ONLY FOR OURSELVES
-11-
WE MUST STAND READY TO ENCOURAGE ALL THOSE
WHO STRIVE FOR FREEDOM, RECONCILIATION, AND THE RIGHTS
OF ALL MEN WHETHER ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT OR ANYWHERE
ELSE
-12-
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR LIBERIA'S COURAGE AND WISDOM
WE APPRECIATE YOUR WISE COUNSEL
-13-
LIBERIA CAN COUNT ON THE UNITED STATES TO ASSIST
AND SUPPORT THE LIBERIAN PEOPLE, JUST AS THE UNITED STATES
HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO RELY UPON YOU
-14-
MR. PRESIDENT,
WHEN YOUR GRANDPARENTS EMIGRATED
FROM THE UNITED STATES TO LIBERIA, WE LOST TWO VALUABLE
CITIZENS
BUT LIBERIA GAINED A GREAT PRESIDENT.
-15-
MAY I ASK ALL TO JOIN ME IN TRIBUTE:
TO THE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA AND MRS. TOLBERT,
A HEART-FELT WELCOME TO WASHINGTON
-16-
TO LIBERIA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
MAY THEY EVER BE FIRM AND FAST FRIENDS, INSPIRED BY
A COMMON VISION OF LIBERTY
END OF TEXT