Remarks of Welcome to Secretary Dillon on His Return From the Punta del Este Conference

Ladies and gentlemen:

I want to express our great satisfaction in welcoming back to the United States the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Dillon, who headed our mission to the conference in Uruguay.

I must say I believe that this conference was the most important event which has occurred in the foreign policy of the United States in the last 6 months. I think it offers more hope for the future. I think it represents a more concentrated effort by a great number of Republics and a great number of people in this hemisphere to build a better life for their people.

It is a particular source of satisfaction to all of us that we were represented at that conference by the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Dillon, who has represented this country in previous conferences but who represented this country with particular distinction at this conference.

During the last 2 weeks he has carried forward the concepts which motivated the Alliance for Progress with the greatest vigor, the greatest understanding, and the greatest determination. And it is, I think, a source of credit to him and to the other members of the delegation that this conference and this agreement which finally was achieved represented our best hopes and the best hopes of our fellow Republics. So that while we're extremely sorry that I was not able to go, and the Members of the Senate and other members of the Government, the Members of the House, were not able to attend this conference as we had at first hoped--we were engaged in a struggle here--we do feel, however, that Mr. Dillon represented this country with the greatest distinction, the greatest credit. And I want him to know, and all those who were engaged in this conference, that we stand strongly behind the commitments that were made there, that this Government will do everything it possibly can to make sure that these commitments are carried out.

They stretch over a period of 10 years, and I am sure that this administration, and other administrations to follow, will make sure that it devotes the efforts of this country to assisting our fellow Republics in achieving a better life for the people of those countries.

This can be done now, I'm hopeful, by agreeing to legislation which will permit us to make long-range commitments.

I welcome back the Secretary of the Treasury and all the other members of the delegation, which is a most distinguished one.

We have here some stamps which were issued by the country which was our host, on the last day, which were stamps for the opening and the closing of this conference. We want you to know, Mr. Dillon, that you carried with you our best hopes and you have come back with our fondest expectations.