Remarks Recorded for Broadcast to the Indian People Upon Leaving for Iran.

My Friends of India:

I welcome the privilege of speaking, through your radios, to bid you farewell.

I leave India reluctantly. My visit here has been one of the moving experiences of my fife. During these 5 days I have met with your distinguished President, with your eminent Prime Minister--with many others of your great leaders.

I have felt the warmth, the friendship of multitudes of you, wherever I have gone. Most importantly, I have sensed the spirit of the new India, heir to a culture ages old, now possessed by a grand vision--advancing decisively, building a great modern democracy on the foundation of an ancient civilization.

India has filled these past 5 days of my life with so much excitement and wonder, that I shall never forget them. Some similarities between our two countries have become clear to me. India and America believe in the dignity of the individual, in each one's right to five his life in his own way. We both believe in equality of opportunity. We both believe in the right of minorities to have their opinions respected and protected. We both believe in the rule of law in world affairs, and in the peaceful settlement of international disputes, be they great or small. These are indeed fundamental bonds between us.

You are a very old civilization, with an ancient tradition and culture. We are a young country. Our tradition is, as traditions go, young also. But in another sense, in the sense of your independent nationhood, you too are young. You are starting as we did 184 years ago on the path of the development of a new nation. Your problems are different--your difficulties are different--the resources with which you have to work are different. But your purpose is the same as ours was--and still is: to develop your country in which every man and woman may have the opportunity, in freedom, to work out for himself in his own way a rich and satisfying life--a country in which as Abraham Lincoln said, government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

I have been deeply impressed by the way in which you are shouldering the immense problem of raising the standards of living of your people, by the energy and skill and imagination which you are applying to this task. Your achievements in 12 years of independence have been remarkable, and promise even more for the future.

I am leaving India with a reinforced conviction that the people of India and the people of the United States are engaged in a common quest for the improvement of the general welfare of their people--and for peace with justice throughout the world.

So, as I leave, I take away the warmest and friendliest feelings for this great nation. I want to thank you again for the welcome which you have extended to me. On behalf of the people of the United States, I want to wish you good fortune and success. Goodbye.