Remarks to the Delegates to the Pan American Highway Congress.

Ladies and gentlemen:

I want to express a very warm welcome to you here at the White House. Mr. Whitton informed me that some of you at least had driven on a bus all the way from Panama City to Mexico City, a trip of about 2 weeks. I asked him how far it was, and he said it was not too far but it was a very busy trip. I want to express my admiration for your surviving it.

We want you to know also that we are particularly glad to have our friends from Canada here. I believe this is the first time they have participated in this conference, and we are delighted to welcome them here in a joint effort in the hemisphere.

I am very glad that the theme of this conference has been roads as a part of the Alliance for Progress. I can't believe that we could concentrate our efforts on any great enterprise which has more significance, symbolically and actually, than the development of this highway, ultimately from the southern end of this hemisphere to the north through Canada.

The more we can do to link the sister republics of this hemisphere in one great community, the stronger we will all be, the greater we will serve our national interests, and the more abundant we will make the life of our people. This is a matter of consuming interest and consuming passion of this Government and this people in the United States in these days, and I want you to know that we are glad that we are working together to survey the Darien Gap, the 400 miles which is still unfinished. And I am hopeful from that effort will come a determination by us all to finish the job.

So we are very glad to have you here. I think it is a question not only of building these roads but also maintaining them, as part of a general program for the development of the resources of all of our countries.

We are very glad to welcome you here, ladies and gentlemen, and to tell you that you will find yourselves very much at home here in Washington, and to express the hope that you find yourselves pleasure. This lady has her shoe off. I assume she is trying to save my lawn, so I'm very grateful! But you are very welcome here in the United States.

Thank you very much.