Remarks on Accepting a Carillon Presented to the People of the United States by the People of the Netherlands.

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Mr. Secretary of the Interior, distinguished guests:

It is a very great pleasure indeed, Your Majesty, to accept this symbolic bell for the carillon. I appreciate your thoughtfulness very much, and I have an idea that that bell will find its way into the hands of a young lady who is now out West.

The carillon which Your Majesty has presented on behalf of the people of the Netherlands will be a wonderful gift. When it is completed, it will greatly enrich the life of this city, and it will bring pleasure to millions of Americans when they come to visit this national capital. No gift could be a better symbol of the harmonious relations which have always existed, and which should always continue to exist, between the Netherlands and the United States. On behalf of the people of the United States, I am happy to accept this gift from the people of the Netherlands.

Our two countries have always been close together in spirit. There are many communities in this country, including our largest city, that owe their origin to the early Dutch settlers who came over here. Three of our Presidents--Martin Van Buren, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt-traced their origins to the Netherlands.

The people of the Netherlands are no strangers to us. They are welcome here whether they come as visitors or as settlers.

Last September, Queen Juliana wrote a remarkable letter to me. In that letter she expressed her great concern over the plight of the refugees in Europe, and expressed the hope that something could be done to alleviate their distress and to give them new lives of usefulness and dignity. It was a letter full of compassion and human understanding for the problems of these unfortunate people.

Since that time I have been working to find a way to help solve this problem. Our Government is supporting an international effort to provide opportunities for resettlement overseas not only for the unfortunate refugees of Europe, but also for those people who live in overcrowded areas and need a chance to migrate.

I recently sent a message to the Congress, recommending that this country provide aid to those escaping from Communist tyranny, and at the same time accept additional immigration into this country. One of the recommendations I made was that we should admit additional families from the Netherlands. I hope the Congress will act favorably on this recommendation. If they do, we can add to the already warm ties which bind the United States and the Netherlands together.

The people and the Government of the Netherlands are working closely with us in our struggle to bring about permanent peace in the world. They know how terrible war can be. They know it firsthand from the Nazi invasion. When the Netherlands was overrun, the spirit of the people, however, did not die. It found expression in the courageous resistance movement of the Dutch people. Queen Wilhelmina visited us in those sad and terrible years. She demonstrated for all of us the undying courage of the Dutch people and their faith in ultimate victory. In those days we worked together for victory--now we work together for peace.

The American people are proud and happy to have been able to contribute to the revival of the Netherlands after the war. We have been impressed by the vigorous way in which the Dutch people have rebuilt their economy. We have great admiration for the plans now being carried forward in the Netherlands to reclaim additional land from the sea.

Most of all, we have been impressed by the determination with which the people of the Netherlands have joined in the common defense of Europe. The Netherlands is an important member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. And now Dutch armed forces are preparing to enter into the European Defense Community. It is only through this kind of effort, it is only through unity with other nations, that any one of the free nations can make itself secure against the threat of war in the future. Through the United Nations, through the North Atlantic Treaty, the people of the Netherlands and the United States are working side by side for peace in the world.

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, we are happy to have you with us. We are grateful for the magnificent gift which the people of Holland are making to us. I hope you will come again. The next time you come, I hope that you will be able to bring your four lovely daughters with you. I can understand how you would not want to take them out of school for such a long time. Perhaps the next time you visit you can come during school vacation.

When you return to your country, I hope you will carry the thanks of the American people to the people of the Netherlands, and that you will express to them our good wishes and cordial and, I hope, eternal friendship.