John F. Kennedy: Remarks at the Unidad Independencia Housing Project in Mexico City.

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269 - Remarks at the Unidad Independencia Housing Project in Mexico City.
June 30, 1962

John F. Kennedy
1962

Location:

Foreign
Mexico

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Mr. Director, Mr. Coquet, Ambassador, amigos:

I want to express my warm appreciation to the distinguished Director for being kind enough to invite us here this morning. He must get somewhat discouraged to realize that as fast as he builds these homes, he then looks out at all these young ladies and realizes that in the short space of a few years, they are all going to have families of 8, 9, 10 who are going to need homes.

I want to compliment the members of the council, the Director and the architects, and all of you for how beautifully this project has been put together. I have seen in many places housing which has been developed under governmental influences, but I have never seen any projects in which governments have played their part which have fountains and statues and grass and trees, which are as important to the concept of the home as the roof itself.

And finally, I want to say again the strong impression I have had from this short visit to this city and this country, how strongly your President, your leaders, and the people of Mexico have understood that political freedom, however vital it may be, does not reach its full significance until there is also economic participation in the life of the country by the people themselves. Housing, education, jobs, and security go hand in hand with the real concepts of political equality and freedom.

This, Mexico has understood in the revolution. This, this hemisphere must understand if we are going to accomplish the goals of Alianza para el Progreso, a great movement forward by the people of this hemisphere.

Viva Mexico, arriba, Mexico!

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. In his opening words he referred to Benito Coquet, director of the housing project, and Antonio Carrillo Flores, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States. Later in his remarks he referred to Alejandro Prieto and Jose Mario Gutierrez, architects for the project.

Citation: John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project [online]. Santa Barbara, CA. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=8746.

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