Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Remarks of Welcome at the White House to Hussein I, King of Jordan

April 14, 1964

Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen:

On behalf of the American people, it is a very proud privilege for me to welcome you to the United States.

Your Majesty is no stranger to us. Your visit 5 years ago won many new friends and added new strength to the old and cordial ties that exist between Jordan and the United States. Your continuing personal leadership in the effort to build a better life for the people of your country is both greatly welcomed and very much admired in this country.

We of the United States have consistently sought the friendliest of relations with the Arab nations, as is exemplified by our ties with Jordan and your visit here. We are proud to have been able to assist Jordan in the past, and we stand ready to continue our assistance in such a great undertaking.

In the recent successful efforts by Arab countries to achieve better inter-Arab relations, we have noted with much pleasure the very prominent role taken by Your Majesty along with other Arab leaders. friendship and amity have been strengthened among Arab nations, and I assure Your Majesty that the United States welcomes all efforts to advance peace and greater understanding.

While the world knows you as a courageous soldier, your friends in America know you as a wise and effective leader for peace, and we welcome that leadership, particularly in these times. We look forward today to a very frank and constructive exchange of views while you are here in our Capital, and I am confident our joint interests will be greatly advanced by your presence here.

Note: The President spoke at 11:40 a.m. on the North Portico at the White House where King Hussein I was given a formal welcome with full military honors. King Hussein responded as follows:

"Mr. President, it is a proud moment for me to bring you today the greetings of my Jordanian family and to have the opportunity also to present you the greetings of my brethren leaders of the Arab world. I wish to thank you most sincerely for your very kind invitation that has given me this opportunity to meet you, sir, and to come back to the United States, where I have always been most proud of the very good relations that have existed between our two countries, and we are sure that these relations not only will continue to exist, but will always grow stronger.

"As for us in the Arab world, our sincerest hope is to have always the best relations with the United States of America, based on good understanding, mutual respect, and cooperation in attempting to attain our common objectives in life.

"I thank you, sir, for your most kind welcome and I am most happy to be with you here today."

Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks of Welcome at the White House to Hussein I, King of Jordan Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/239390

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