Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring William J. Hopkins on His 23d Anniversary as Executive Clerk of the White House.

Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins, members of the Cabinet, distinguished career civil servants, my fellow Americans:

Every administration creates a phrase that describes its hopes for this great country of ours, this land we love.

It may be the New Deal--or the Fair Deal--or the New Frontier--or the Great Society. All the words themselves are a challenge. They are meant to inspire private citizens and public servants alike. They are meant to keep alive the vision of a just and a dynamic country.

The man who stands behind me this afternoon did not create those phrases. But for 35 long years now he has been a vital instrument--I would say a most indispensable instrument--in the struggle to make all of those phrases a reality.

For 23 years he has managed the business of this house: the bills that come from the Congress; the messages and orders of the President; the records of the entire Executive Office; the regulations that govern the duties of all of those who work in the executive branch.

And for more than 23 years, through the administrations of President Roosevelt, President Truman, President Eisenhower, President Kennedy, and President Johnson, the most commonly heard phrase in the halls of the White House has been:

"Check it with Bill Hopkins, before you turn it loose."

"Where is the farm bill? What has happened to the immigration bill? Can we send that safety message on Saturday? What is the per diem rate for a consultant? What did President Roosevelt say about that? What did President Eisenhower do when he was confronted with that situation? When is that report due for Congress?"

And the first answer to all of these questions has always been the same thing:

"Check it with Bill Hopkins, before you turn it loose."

If there has been a more valuable public servant on the rolls of the United States Government in that time--in the 35 years that I have been in that Government--I do not know his name.

Bill Hopkins' advice and counsel has been sought by the Presidents, by Cabinet officers, by military chieftains, by clerks and consultants, and by private citizens and it has always been given--freely, candidly, and discreetly--at all hours of the day and night, in all times of crisis and calm.

So this afternoon I am glad that all of you, my coworkers, could come here to join us, as we have met in this beautiful Rose Garden at the end of a long working day, to honor this man of stature, Bill Hopkins, and his 23 years of service as Executive Clerk of the White House.

This is a profoundly symbolic occasion. For in honoring Mr. Hopkins, we also honor the whole corps of dedicated civil servants of which he is so outstanding an example. I have said on many occasions that I believe our country has developed the finest professional civil service in the history of the world. And, as President, I have not merely expressed that opinion as idle words--I have acted upon it.

More than 40 percent of all the officials I have appointed to permanent positions in the United States Government in the almost 3 years I have been President have come from either the career civil service or the career Foreign Service.

I have looked to the career service, because I believe that the demands placed upon members of Government today are greater than at any time in the history of the Nation. And if we are to meet those demands wisely, with imagination and understanding, our top executives must be drawn from among the most able, the best prepared, and the most committed people that we can find in this country. In my experience, the career civil service is one place where such people are most likely to be found.

This conviction of mine is not hard to explain. For I am daily exposed to a man who combines in his own person the highest qualities of those who serve the public good.

When I explored the various awards available to me to present to Bill Hopkins on this anniversary, I learned that he had already received the highest awards that were available in the White House for that purpose. President Dwight D. Eisenhower selected Bill Hopkins for the President's Award for Distinguished Civilian Service-and it was richly earned. So, we had to innovate. We designed a very special award for him alone.

Bill, it is my great pleasure this afternoon to present this award to you as an expression of the high esteem, the deep appreciation, and the warm regard that all of your colleagues feel for you.

I should now like to read the citation:

CITATION

"The President of the United States of America awards this citation to William J. Hopkins with pride and appreciation on this your 23rd anniversary as Executive Clerk of the White House. Your skill, dedication, and effectiveness have become hallmarks of excellence during a Federal career dating from 1929. Since 1931, your devoted service in the White House has been of immeasurable help to six Presidents. Throughout 23 years as the Executive Clerk you have performed a critical and sensitive assignment with a single-minded purpose: to render the highest possible service to the President and to the people of our country. We are limited in our ways to honor such ability and patriotism, yet I can offer one tangible evidence of our gratitude by promoting you today to the new position of the Executive Assistant to the President of the United States. You are a great credit to the career service and a credit to the United States Government.

"LYNDON B. JOHNSON

"The White House, Washington, D.C. "

July 15, 1966"

Now, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the citation.

This promotion gives me very special pleasure, because, for once, instead of having to find a man to fill an office, we are an office that fits the man.