Remarks at a Tree-Planting Ceremony at the White House

I had hardly anticipated that you would expect a speech from me this morning, unaccustomed as I am to 'public speaking. And after having read about the 49 or 50 speeches that Mrs. Johnson made last week, I thought she would have taken care of this tree ceremony. But I am happy that I have a moment to come here and participate with you.

We are keeping the custom that has been kept by nearly all who have ever lived or served in the White House. The planting of trees on the White House grounds is especially fitting as a symbol of the Presidency itself. As has been said, "A man does not plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity." And the real work of any President is not for his own time but times to come.

Today, as never before, Americans must be conscious of the times to come. Before these two trees mature there will be two Americans or more for every American that is living today. America's challenges will be many. But one of the most important will be the challenge of conserving the beauty of nature that is so much a part of our heritage in this land.

It is Mrs. Johnson's wish, as it is my own, that the planting of these trees may be the occasion for us all to dedicate our efforts anew to preserving our heritage of "America the Beautiful."

When America is more crowded the children must know more than just the concrete under their feet. They must see more than the smokestacks and the skyscrapers in the sky. The shade of a tree and the beauty of its branches must be always within the reach of our people, young and old, wherever they live.

The trees, therefore, that we are planting today, are a laurel oak and a willow oak. These are trees native both to the Atlantic seaboard--and it's still there, it is not floating out in the ocean yet--and the region and State which Mrs. Johnson and I know as home. They grow strong enough to stand in any wind. They grow tall enough to be seen from nearly any view.

We hope that the many who see these trees through years to come, will know that there lived here those who loved this land. And I am delighted that you would observe with us this very special historic moment. It is more historic today than you think. We have a change of leadership in the Soviet Union and we have an announcement that the Chinese have detonated their bomb, and we have a lot of things that we are dealing with. But it's nice that we could take a moment to come here in the quietness of this garden and make plans, preparations for our posterity.

Thank you very much.

There is no significance to the returning to the endeavors of my childhood. I spent 2 years of my life doing nothing but this, getting up at daylight in the morning and working until sundown in the evening, putting my foot on a shovel like this. My mother finally convinced me that I would enjoy life more if I would use my head instead of my foot!