Statement by the President Following a Meeting With the High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
ALTHOUGH I very much regret that time won't permit a personal visit to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, I believe that Commissioner Norwood's impressive analysis has given me a vivid sense of the progressive spirit now at work in Micronesia. Under his inspired leadership, I am confident that the people of the Trust Territory can look forward to new victories in the never-ending battle against poverty, ignorance, and disease.
Mr. Norwood has the support of every American in this noble cause.
Note: The President's statement was made public as part of a White House press release which noted that High Commissioner William Norwood and other Trust Territory officials had been invited to Guam by the President "to brief him on conditions and prospects in the Territory," which the United States administers under United Nations supervision.
Commissioner Norwood described for the President recent advances in health and education, the release added, stressing the contribution of the 500 Peace Corps volunteers in the Territory.
The release also stated that the President was pleased with the political progress of the Territory as reflected by the formation of the Congress of Micronesia and the growing number of islanders in responsible government positions, and that the President expressed the full support of the American people for these developments. The full text of the release, which was made public in Guam, is printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (vol. 3, p. 522).
On the same day the Guam press office announced the allocation of funds for disaster relief assistance to Koror and Babelthuap Islands in the Trust Territory, which had been severely damaged by a typhoon (3 Weekly Comp. Pres. Docs., p. 521).
For a statement by the President upon approving increased appropriations for the government of the Trust Territory see Item 218.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President Following a Meeting With the High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/237840