JOHN STEINBECK was a man who had two abiding passions--a love of people and a hatred of injustice--and he fashioned these feelings into some of the most memorable books of our time.
He was a uniquely American writer. He wrote for all Americans about all Americans. His humor, his compassion, and above all, his humanity enriched the Nation and the world. The country he loved so well will sorely miss him.
Note: John Steinbeck died on December 20, 1968, at the age of 66 at his home in New York City.
The statement was released at Bethesda Naval Medical Center.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President on the Death of John Steinbeck. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/236393