Statement by the President Commending NEED for Its Work in Aiding Victims of the 6-Day War in the Middle East.

LATE last summer, following the tragic 6-day war in the Middle East, a group of distinguished Americans, acting on their own impulse, formed an organization to aid its victims.

Their objective was as simple as it was selfless--to help the men, women, and children blamelessly uprooted by violence. Their compassion and concern were a brilliant example of the American humanitarian tradition.

The organization they founded--called NEED--has collected over 8 million dollars. Much of that has already been used to provide emergency supplies--food, clothing, and temporary shelter--to Arab refugees. More is going to help establish schools and other institutions of rehabilitation.

The President wants to compliment the magnificent efforts of NEED's founders as well as of the many hundreds of private organizations and individual citizens who have shared in this outpouring of human concern.

The work NEED is doing not only supplements the substantial official aid the American people are giving to Arab refugees through United States contributions to UNRWA. It also illustrates to what a high degree American aid is a genuine expression of the good will of Americans toward the Arab people.