To the Congress of the United States:
I am pleased to transmit the report for 1968 on the Food for Peace Program under Public Law 480--a program which over the years has helped provide better diets for millions of people in more than 100 nations. In addition to its primary humanitarian aspects, Food for Peace contributes significantly to the maintenance of export markets for U.S. agricultural commodities and to the U.S. balance of payments position.
While this is my first official report on the program as President, I have been closely associated with it since its beginning. This great humanitarian effort began in 1954 during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. As Vice President at the time, I was keenly interested in the program and have followed its development and accomplishments ever since.
It is evident that the battle against hunger must continue, both in the United States and in the world at large, through programs such as Food for Peace. The present Administration eagerly accepts this challenge and dedicates itself to dealing effectively with the problems of hunger and malnutrition at home and abroad.
RICHARD NIXON
The White House
April 22, 1969
Note: The report is entitled "The Annual Report on Activities Carried Out Under Public Law 480, 83d Congress, As Amended, During the Period January 1 Through December 31, 1968" (157 pp. and appendixes, processed).
Richard Nixon, Message to the Congress Transmitting the Annual Report on the Food for Peace Program. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238895