Remarks at the Swearing In of Alexander B. Trowbridge as Secretary of Commerce.

Secretary and Mrs. Trowbridge, the Trowbridge children, Mr. Justice Harlan, distinguished Members of the Cabinet, Members of the Congress, ladies and gentlemen:

I have come here to the Rose Garden today to perform a very pleasant duty. We have come to welcome a dedicated and dynamic young leader into the President's Cabinet.

We are giving Mr. Trowbridge officially the job that he has been doing, and has been doing very well, for the past several months.

Sandy Trowbridge brought with him, in addition to Nancy, some very striking assets when he joined the administration a little over 2 years ago under the able leadership of the former Secretary of Commerce, Secretary Connor.

Mr. Trowbridge brought an impressive business career in many parts of the world. He brought a record of gallantry under fire in Korea where he fought for his country as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Before that, he had earned notable educational honors at Princeton University and he served internships at the United Nations and here in Washington.

Starting early in 1965 he gave outstanding performance in the post of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Domestic and International Business.

Earlier this year, on the recommendation of Secretary Connor, I asked Mr. Trowbridge to lead the Commerce Department in an acting capacity. The future of the Commerce Department, as many of you will recall, was the subject of some discussion at that time.

So, I suppose that Sandy may have felt some degree of uncertainty about his immediate plans. I am happy to resolve those doubts here today.

Sandy is going to be our Secretary of Commerce, and I believe he is going to be an outstanding Secretary of Commerce. He brings to the Commerce Department the youthful strength and the vigor which should typify it.

The Commerce Department is the Government agency that deals with the most active and the most imaginative business community in the world.

The Commerce Department has been led by two very able men since this administration came into existence in 1961--Secretary Hodges and Secretary Connor.

Now we have a very able man following in their footsteps.

Many years ago the philosopher Alfred Whitehead wrote that a great society is a society in which its men of business think greatly of their functions.

I urge you here today to think greatly of your functions as American businessmen. America is what it is because of the initiative, the enterprise, the dedication, and the responsibility of our free system.

Together our free enterprise system and our free government have worked shoulder to shoulder to surmount the challenges that we have faced in the days gone by.

Together they will meet and solve the problems of tomorrow.

As we meet here this afternoon we have some confronting us which are pretty immediate. They are going to require real leadership. I know that Mr. Trowbridge will contribute his part to that leadership.

In our new Secretary, Sandy Trowbridge, I believe that we have a man who will make sure that government upholds its end of this partnership.

Secretary Trowbridge, I congratulate you and your colleagues in the Commerce Department. I look forward to your accomplishments in the days ahead.

On behalf of the President, the Vice President, and all the members of the Cabinet, we welcome you officially today to the post that you have held with such distinction unofficially.