Remarks to the American Community in Seoul.

WELL, FOLKS, to say that I am complimented by your conducting this mobilization so I could meet you, is an understatement. I am delighted to see you, not only those that are connected directly with government, but those who are in business, who are in missionary work, or are otherwise engaged in work in Korea. I have the feeling that everybody who goes abroad absorbs and takes over an additional responsibility than that of merely becoming a good citizen of the United States. He owes something to the country that he visits, because anyone who comes here merely for profit or into a foreign country--any foreign country--merely for a profit, finds soon that he has not made friends and therefore is not making the profit he should like to make.

We have an obligation of service, in other words, to the country in which we are guests, as well as we have to our own. This of course applies with special force to anyone that is in the service of the United States Government. If we are discharging our responsibilities properly, we are trying to serve society. True, this may be the work of our own choice, and we have a right to develop in it. And naturally we expect to be happy in it. But we can be happy only if we are successful in rendering service to the society of which we are a part. And therefore we, knowing that it is to America's interest to make friends in the world everywhere, have a similar obligation.

In a very real sense, every America in this crowd is an ambassador, an ambassador of goodwill. You have exactly the same function, I think--let us say a side function--that I have as a direct function, that I am trying to perform by making this trip.

I would like to assure Korea that the United States recognizes an identity of interest between this country and our own, and that this identity of interest comes about because of shared ideals, shared convictions in the dignity of man, shared beliefs in the equality of every citizen before the law regardless of inconsequential things like color or race or religion.

This is the kind of thing, I believe, that makes foreign service challenging and interesting. for my own part, a great deal of my governmental service-was performed in foreign countries, and I found it one always challenging, always interesting, and of course frequently I felt that I had not lived up to my own responsibilities. And I think that since humans are frail, we all have that feeling at times.

But I am merely trying to say that you have here a great opportunity as well as just the mere routine duties in which you are engaged, be it in business, in government, in educational work, or anything else.

Now, on the personal side, I was delighted to see the Little Leaguers here. I have got a grandson who is a very good second baseman and in hitting. Now he doesn't field very well, and so the reason I delayed down there was to ask these fellows how they were doing in fielding and in hitting. I didn't get a chance to talk to them in detail. I am disappointed that I did not, but I should like, really, to talk to every one of you about what you are doing, what is the interest that keeps you here, the one that really keeps you working--working to fulfill your own obligation to America, and to yourself, and to your family. I certainly don't mean to preach any doctrine that is so idealistic that none of us can live up to.

We start out by taking the advantaging of ourselves as an incentive that keeps us working, and the advantaging of our families and everything else--our communities. But I would like to find, by conversation with each individual here, what we really are believing and trying to do. Because I am convinced that only as we understand each other better in this world, and particularly those parts that we are pleased to call the free world, are we going to achieve the success we want for America, for ourselves, and for humankind.

We must think of their--and our--spiritual aspirations, our moral standards, our intellectual attainments, our economic strength, so that we may have decent and rising living standards throughout the world. Only as we understand these things and put our shoulders to the common wheel is humankind going to achieve that future that we know it must achieve if it is not going to risk the very grave dangers of global war--or even less than that, just complete chaos and unease and fear.

We want to live as confident people. And if we are going to live as confident people, we must live as a cooperative people.

So I think that we have identical missions, you and I. You will probably have them longer because I am going to lose my job pretty soon. But as long as I am in it, I am going to continue to work for that understanding between peoples that spells success for freedom and for liberty and for dignity of men in this world.

Now coming out of the house a minute ago, I had no idea what I was going to say--and you may have no idea of what I was saying, because I have been wandering around, playing with an idea that intrigues me and consumes my attention all the time. Because I am so confident that in cooperation is safety and progress, and in lack of cooperation is defeat if not disaster, that I think it is a subject all of us should think of every day.

And I am certain that those of you who are living here have found unusual opportunities to ponder these matters because of the very great dangers that the Republic of Korea has been exposed to--her trials and tribulations as she is developing into true democracy. And you have this lesson in front of you all the time. And I think as you show sympathetic understanding and readiness to help, you are really doing a very great service to your country and to yourselves.

To the youngsters around here, I can promise only one thing: insofar as I can go around the perimeter of this crowd and they have cameras, I will wait until at least they can get one picture, if they want it. And some of them, I see, seem to be well-armed with cameras--I saw one with two.

Thank you again for coming out. It has been a great privilege to meet you, the kind of meeting that thrills me every time I encounter this same opportunity in countries clear around the globe. So, thank you again. Good luck to all of you. God bless you.