Statement by the President Upon Making Public the Names of the 1964 Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
THESE individuals add distinction to this high award. Each person we honor has previously honored his fellow man by setting for himself a standard of excellence only he was able to achieve.
Collectively, they have made man's world safe, his physical body more durable, his mind broader, his leisure more delightful, his standard of living higher, and his dignity important.
They are creators; we are the beneficiaries.
Note: The statement is part of a White House release announcing the President's selection of the 1964 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil honor the President of the United States can bestow. For the names of the recipients and for the President's remarks upon presenting the awards, see Item 568.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by President Kennedy on February 22, 1963 (Executive Order :11085, 28 F.R. 1759; 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 719- See also "Public Papers of the Presidents, John F. Kennedy 1963," Item 76). The awards are given for "exceptionally meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The 1963 awards were presented by President Johnson on December 6, 1963 (see Item 27, above).
Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President Upon Making Public the Names of the 1964 Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/239060