Remarks of Welcome to Vice President and Mrs. Nixon on Their Return from South America

Mr. Vice President, Mrs. Nixon, and Our friends:

Some weeks ago I asked the Vice President and Mrs. Nixon to go to Argentina to represent me and the government at the Inauguration of their new President. And thereafter he visited seven other countries in Latin America in order to discuss with the leaders some of our common problems and to help in reaching a better understanding of those problems so that our friendships would be solidified--made stronger.

Through this entire trip he has conducted himself effectively, efficiently, and with great dignity and has performed to the satisfaction, not only of us, but to our sister countries that he was sent to.

There have been, during the course of this trip, some unpleasant incidents. Some of them came to the point that there was danger--not only to the Vice President but to Mrs. Nixon--real danger and risk of harm and even worse.

Now I want to make one thing clear: the occurrence of these incidents has in no way impaired the friendship--the traditional friendship--between the United States and any other single one of our sister republics to the south.

There could be no more dramatic proof this morning of the truth of this statement than the presence here in this crowd of the Ambassadors of our sister republics in the south who have been among the most enthusiastic welcomers of our Vice President and his wife.

And so I repeat America's affection for the peoples of those countries. The governmental relationships between them are as close as ever. And more than this, as one Latin American Ambassador said to me this morning--"Really, our whole situation--our situation of cooperation and brotherhood among ourselves--is strengthened because of the fact that we stand together in condemning any kind of communist leadership of such incidents as endangered our beloved Vice President and his wife."

All America welcomes them home. And in doing so--through its welcome--it means to say to all of our friends and other nations to the south, we send you our warm greetings and hope that some of you will come back to pay to us the call that the Nixons have paid upon you.

Thank you very much, Dick, and here's the microphone.