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The President's Toast at a Dinner Honoring Prime Minister Wilson of the United Kingdom

June 02, 1967

I do not propose to make a long speech tonight. This is an occasion for family and close friends--not for pomp and circumstance. The bonds between us, like those be° tween our two countries, are far too strong to need formal ceremony. We are delighted, Mr. Prime Minister, to welcome you and Mrs. Wilson to this house.

Today, Mr. Prime Minister, you and I must call upon our peoples for sacrifices not easily explained or readily understood. It is all the more essential that we seek each other's help.

You and I have spent the day talking over the troubled state of the world. In the course of a few hours, we have traveled great distances--from the Middle East to Vietnam, from Europe to Africa.

We have talked of our mutual problems and their possible solutions. Yet tonight we can be impressed by the hopeful signs in the world as well as the dangers.

On your side of the Atlantic, old suspicions are giving way to new ventures of partnership.

The Kennedy Round has moved the world a step closer to freer trade, which will help us all.

Britain has taken a far-reaching decision about her own place in Europe. We know that your bid for Common Market membership is first a concern for Britain and Europe. But--to employ a bit of English understatement-it is of some interest to us. So we wish you well.

An Englishman said this: "I do not believe in a Fate which strikes men however they act. But I do believe in a Fate which strikes men unless they act."

Tonight, together, we are ready to support our common purposes, our mutual hopes for peace--with deeds.

If we do that, no problem will ever be so great that we cannot overcome it.

I pay tribute to you, Mr. Prime Minister, and to the friendship of our people.

Ladies and gentlemen, a toast--to Her Majesty, the Queen.

Note: The President proposed the toast at 10:08 p.m. at a dinner in the State Dining Room at the White House.

As printed above, this item follows the text released by the White House Press Office.

Lyndon B. Johnson, The President's Toast at a Dinner Honoring Prime Minister Wilson of the United Kingdom Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238444

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