Mr. Commissioner General Dupuy, Secretary Martin, Premier Johnson, Ambassador Ritchie, Mayor Drapeau, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
It is always a great pleasure for me to visit Canada. Your magnificent EXPO '67--and knowledge that this is your centennial anniversary-serves to heighten my interest.
My first trip outside of the United States after I became President was to visit Canada. That was to Vancouver, where we met with Prime Minister Pearson to proclaim the Columbia River Treaty.
We came to conserve the water resources of our great continent--and so naturally that day it was pouring down rain.
It rained so hard, in fact, that I never delivered the speech that I had prepared for that occasion. But I hope you won't worry. While the temptation is hard to resist, I'm not going to deliver that speech here today.
I well recall some words your Prime Minister spoke to me on that rainy day in Vancouver, more than 2 years ago. He told me then:
"... I assure you, Mr. President, that had you landed at our most eastern airport in Newfoundland, 5,000 or more miles away, or at any place between, our welcome to you would have been equally warm both for yourself and as President of the United States..."
You have focused the eyes of the world on the theme of your exhibition: "Man and His World." We hope that, among other lessons to be learned here, will be this: that proud and independent peoples can live peacefully side by side, can live in peace and partnership as good neighbors, that they need not waste their substance and destroy their dreams with useless quarrels and senseless, unconstructive conflict.
We of the United States of America consider ourselves blessed. We have much to give thanks for. But the gift of providence that we really cherish is that we were given as our neighbors on this great, wonderful continent, the people and the nation of Canada.
So we are very delighted to be here. We are so glad that you invited us. We thank you very much for your courtesy.
Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. at the Place des Nations during a visit to the Canadian Universal and International Exhibition, Montreal 1967 (EXPO '67). In his opening words he referred to Pierre Dupuy, Commissioner General of EXPO '67, Paul J. J. Martin, Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs, Daniel Johnson, Premier of the Province of Quebec, A. Edgar Ritchie, Canadian Ambassador to the United States, and Jean Drapeau, Mayor of Montreal.
For the President's remarks with Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson of Canada upon proclaiming the Columbia River Treaty, see 1963-64 volume, this series, Book II, Item 576.
On May 20, 1967, the White House Press Office made public the names of the official United States delegation to EXPO '67 headed by Postmaster General Lawrence F. O'Brien (3 Weekly Comp. Pres. Docs., p. 768).
In honor of the 1817 disarmament agreement between the United States and Canada, the President signed Proclamation 3781 of April 27, 1967 "Rush-Bagot Agreement Days" (3 Weekly Comp. Pres. Docs., p. 664; 32 F.R. 6757; 3 CFR, 1967 Comp., p. 47). The proclamation states that the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Rush-Bagot Agreement "coincides with the opening of the 1967 Universal and International Exhibition known as EXPO 67--in Montreal. The theme of the Exhibition, 'Man and His World,' has a close relationship to the spirit of peace and good will embodied in the Rush-Bagot Agreement."
See also Items 238, 239.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks in Montreal Upon Visiting EXPO '67. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238554
