Remarks Upon Arrival at Ciampino Airport, Rome

Mr. President, Your Excellencies, My Friends:

I am most grateful for the warm welcome you have extended to me, President Gronchi, and I am exceedingly proud that as I start this trip I can stay here in your great city, which for so long has been the very symbol of all Western civilization.

I bring a simple message to you from America. It is this: we want to live in peace and friendship--in freedom.

This is the message that I shall carry to every country that I visit. It is the message that I hope will be heard in every country where communications are allowed freely.

And I am particularly glad to come to this country because of the blood ties that join us. In my country there are more than ten million citizens who claim direct heritage from the Italian civilization--people of your blood.

So our friendship is not only an official one, it is a welcome of people clasping their hands across the sea, as relatives--people of the same kind.

I look forward to the discussions that I shall have with you, Mr. President, with Mr. Segni and Mr. Pella, and the others. I look forward again to seeing your beautiful country, and to renewing my acquaintanceship with the people whom I learned to know during my days in NATO. And I assure you that as partners with you in this NATO organization, we shall always do our part and stand with you in the search for peace with justice and in freedom.

I want to say again that it is a great privilege for me to return the visit that you have made to my country--both your Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have been there--we welcomed them warmly, because of the sentiments existing between us, which I have just tried so feebly to express.

Thank you very much.