Statement by the President on Approving a Program To Assist El Paso, Texas, in Adjusting to the Chamizal Treaty.

ON January 14, 1964, we concluded the Chamizal Treaty with Mexico. Certain lands in the city of El Paso, Tex., were ceded to Mexico and certain Mexican lands ceded to the United States. This historic event removed a long-standing irritant from our warm and friendly relations with our neighbors to the south.

To carry out the provisions of the treaty, the Congress subsequently enacted legislation to acquire property, relocate the river channel, and provide relocation costs. This work is now underway and is progressing well.

Today I have approved recommendations for a complementary program to be undertaken by the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of State. It will assist the city of El Paso in adjusting to the change necessitated by the treaty. We have been working on this program for some time. It involves expenditures of $14.5 million and has the enthusiastic support of the Federal Government and city officials. There are three elements:

--Construction of a 4-lane, limited access Chamizal Memorial Highway costing $12 million. The highway will run along the Rio Grande from downtown El Paso to a suburban point 12 miles eastward.

--Construction of a $2.2 million, 40-acre Chamizal Memorial Park with an auditorium, a reflecting pool, and a monument.

--Relocation and enlargement of the irrigation canal adjacent to the new river channel. The enlargement will cost $325,000.

I am confident that this complementary program will proceed without delay. I congratulate the many people who have worked very hard to bring it to fruition.