PLEASE accept my warm congratulations on your elevation to the rank of Cardinal.
Your fellow countrymen are proud of the international recognition that you have gained for the continuing contributions you make to our society--and to all mankind.
America's religious leaders guard more than just the sacred tenets of the faith they preach. You personify the spirit of human brotherhood and charity that form the cornerstone of peace and understanding among men and nations. Your distinguished decades of religious service--both individually and collectively---equip you well for a dynamic role in our challenging and changing times. And you are accompanied in your noble mission by our prayers and those of all men of goodwill.
RICHARD NIXON
Note: The message was addressed to Bishop James Hickey, Rector of the North American College at the Vatican in Rome, who read the message at a luncheon honoring Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York; John Cardinal Dearden, Archbishop of Detroit; John Cardinal Carberry, Archbishop of St. Louis; and John Cardinal Wright, Archbishop of Pittsburgh.
Richard Nixon, Message of Congratulations to Newly Elevated American Cardinals. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238963