Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Statement by the President on the Occasion of a Ceremony at the Statue of Ukrainian Poet Taras Shevchenko.

October 26, 1964

IT IS most fitting that those who love and admire Taras Shevchenko should meet to seal and place in the crypt of his statue certain documents which will be of interest to American citizens in years to come.

The love for the Ukrainian poet laureate is fully understandable and pride in his accomplishments wholly justifiable.

It is most appropriate that here in the Capital City of this great and free Republic a statue of Shevchenko should have been erected to serve as a reminder to all the living, and those who follow us, of his greatness.

Shevchenko well deserves the honors paid him. He was more than a Ukrainian--he was a statesman and citizen of the world. He was more than a poet he was a valiant crusader for the rights and freedom of men. He used verse to carry on a determined fight for freedom. His poetry was of and for the people. It gave hope to those in despair and stirred to action those who might otherwise have been resigned to enslavement.

So widespread was his audience and so great his influence that his words were read and loved far beyond the frontiers of his own land. So valued were the copies of his poems that families struggled to own two books--the Bible and Shevchenko.

As a Member of the United States Senate back in 1960, I sent a message to your organizations saying, "I would like to congratulate you for reasserting the spirit of freedom and liberty held by Ukrainians everywhere. I am convinced that the Democratic Party best serves the cause of Ukrainians everywhere. in the world."

This is also my message to you in 1964. As President of the United States I renew my congratulations for your accomplishments and assure you that this Nation and this Government earnestly desire the return of freedom to all peoples from whom it is even now denied. And Shevchenko's poetry will serve as a constant reminder of this most important task.

Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President on the Occasion of a Ceremony at the Statue of Ukrainian Poet Taras Shevchenko. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/241936

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