Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1252316
label
5/15/75 - White House Dinner Toast for the Shah of Iran
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1252316
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
5/15/75 - White House Dinner Toast for the Shah of Iran
citationUrl
collections
President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
subjects
Iran
Dinners and dining
Speeches, addresses, etc.
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
1252316
coverageEndDate
day
15
logicalDate
1975-05-15
month
5
year
1975
coverageStartDate
day
15
logicalDate
1975-05-15
month
5
year
1975
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
2675cb12966f1ddf
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box 8, folder "5/15/75 - White House Dinner Toast
for the Shah of Iran" 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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 8 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
WHITE HOUSE DINNER TOAST
SHAH OF IRAN
THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1975
- 1 -
YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTIES, THE SHAHANSHAH (SHAH-HAN-SHAH)
AND SHAHBANOU (SHAH-BA-NEW) OF IRAN.
I WARMLY WELCOME YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTIES TO THE WHITE
HOUSE THIS EVENING.
YOUR VISIT HERE IS A TRIBUTE TO THE LONG
LEGACY OF CLOSE AND COOPERATIVE TIES BETWEEN IRAN AND THE UNITED STATES.
- 2 -
I HOPE YOU WILL THINK OF IT AS A VISIT AMONG OLD FRIENDS.
I AM THE SEVENTH AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO HAVE MET WITH HIS
IMPERIAL MAJESTY.
THAT FACT SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR THE CONTINUITY
AND DURATION OF OUR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP AND THE IMPORTANCE WE
ATTACH TO BROADENING AND DEEPENING THOSE TIES IN THE INTERESTS
OF PEACE AND PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
- 3 -
THESE ARE OBJECTIVES TO WHICH THE UNITED STATES REMAINS
COMMITTED.
THESE ARE OBJECTIVES IRAN SHARES WITH US.
OUR
NATIONS HAVE THUS BEEN BROUGHT TOGETHER IN A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP,
WORKING TOGETHER,
COOPERATIVELY, FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES ON
THE BASIS OF MUTUAL RESPECT.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING
THIS TRADITION WITH YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTY IN THE FUTURE.
- 4 -
AND IT IS A LIVING, GROWING TRADITION.
RECENTLY,
OUR COMMON BONDS HAVE ACQUIRED NEW SCOPE, AS IRAN -- UNDER
YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTY'S WISE LEADERSHIP -- HAS MADE EXTRAORDINARY
STRIDES IN ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ITS RELATIONS WITH OTHER
COUNTRIES OF ITS REGION AND THE WORLD.
THE PROGRESS YOU HAVE
MADE SERVES AS A MODEL TO NATIONS EVERYWHERE.
- 5 -
IRAN HAS MOVED FROM A COUNTRY ONCE IN NEED OF AID TO ONE
WHICH LAST YEAR COMMITTED PART OF ITS GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT TO
AIDING LESS FORTUNATE NATIONS.
IRAN IS ALSO PLAYING A LEADING
ROLE IN WHAT WE HOPE WILL BE A SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO ESTABLISH A MORE
EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OIL PRODUCERS,
THE
INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS AND THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
- - 5a -
AS AN INDICATION OF IRAN'S ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE ON THE
WORLD SCENE, I AM IMPRESSED THAT CIVILIAN NON-OIL TRADE BETWEEN
THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN ALONE IS EXPECTED TO TOTAL OVER TWENTY
BILLION DOLLARS BY 1980.
- 6 -
THE PRESENT PERIOD WILL BE SEEN BY FUTURE HISTORIANS AS A
MAJOR MILESTONE IN IRAN'S ANCIENT AND GLORIOUS HISTORY.
THE
LEADER WHOSE VISION AND DYNAMISM HAS BROUGHT IRAN TO THIS STAGE --
HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY -- IS CLEARLY ONE OF THE GREAT MEN OF HIS
GENERATION,
%
OF HIS COUNTRY AND OF THE WORLD.
- 7 -
JUST AS IRAN'S ROLE AND POTENTIAL GOES FAR BEYOND HER OWN BOUNDARIES,
so Too, IS HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT STATESMEN.
- 8 -
HIS EXPERIENCE OF OVER THIRTY YEARS AS IRAN'S LEADER
HAS BEEN MARKED BY DEDICATION TO PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY AT HOME
AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CAUSE OF PEACE AND COOPERATION
ABROAD.
WE VALUE OUR FRIENDSHIP AND OUR TIES WITH IRAN AND
WE WILL REMAIN STRONG IN THAT FRIENDSHIP FOR THE FUTURE.
- 9 -
IN AN INTERDEPENDENT WORLD, WE REMAIN GRATEFUL FOR THE
CONSTRUCTIVE FRIENDSHIP OF IRAN WHICH IS PLAYING AN IMPORTANT ROLE
IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PEACEFUL,
STABLE AND PROSPEROUS WORLD --
AND WE,
FOR OUR PART,
REMAIN CONSTANT IN OUR FRIENDSHIP WITH IRAN.
WE PLEDGE OURSELVES TO ENSURING THAT OUR TIES ARE CREATIVELY ADJUSTED
TO MEET THE PRESSING PROBLEMS AND CHANGING REALITIES OF THE WORLD.
- 10 -
ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE, LET ME ADD THAT MRS. FORD AND
I HAVE FELT GREAT PLEASURE IN WELCOMING HER IMPERIAL MAJESTY, THE
-
SHAHBANOU OF IRAN ON THIS VISIT.
YOUR IMPERIAL MAJESTY'S
DEDICATION TO PROGRESS WITHIN YOUR COUNTRY IS WIDELY KNOWN,
AS IS YOUR WARMTH
BEAUTY
AND GRACIOUSNESS.
YOUR PRESENCE
IS A HIGH HONOR FOR US.
- 11 - -
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WELCOME OUR DISTINGUISHED
GUESTS, THEIR IMPERIAL MAJESTIES, AND I ASK YOU TO JOIN ME IN
PROPOSING A TOAST.
TO THEIR IMPERIAL MAJESTIES, THE SHAHANSHAH
AND SHAHBANOU OF IRAN.
END OF TEXT