Correspondence Between President Harry S. Truman and Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Munoz Marin

January 28, 1949 Personal Dear Governor Marin: I certainly did appreciate your letter of the fourteenth very much and as I said to you before I sincerely hope that you have a most prosperous and successful ad- ministration as the first elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Of course, I am exceedingly proud of the fact that I appointed the first Puerto Rican to be Governor of that lovely Island and that I was President when the first elected Governor was inaugurated. It is my ambition to make this Republic of ours stand for predominant self government everywhere in the world and I think we have followed that procedure when you remember the conditions of the Spanish Colonies in 1898. Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines are all self governing entities now and I sincerely hope that the citizens and people of Puerto Rico will always want to remain citizens of the United States. I rather think they will, although it is their decision as to whether they will or not. Sincerely yours, ARCHIVES HARRY S. TRUMAN RECORDS SERVICE Honorable Luis Munoz Marin Governor of Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico