Remarks to Editors and Publishers of the Foreign Language Press.

Ladies and gentlemen:

I am very pleased to welcome the ethnic press of this Nation to the East Room of the White House this afternoon.

Of course, it is difficult for me to read some of your newspapers because of the language gap. But I hope you don't feel too bad about that.

These days, it is difficult for me to read some of the English newspapers as well.

An observer of America 30 years ago wrote that America was fighting wars with itself. This was 1938. The wars were:

--the rich versus the poor,

--isolationists versus internationalists,

--Catholic versus Protestant,

--gentile versus Jew,

--white versus Negro,

--old-stock Americans versus immigrants, and

--immigrants against one another.

I don't think anyone in 1938 could imagine how much headway we would make in America in 30 years--at least on some of these issues. The frictions between religions and between nationalities, the discrimination against ethnic groups--these have been eased somewhat. In some instances, they have been eased almost to the vanishing point.

But some of the issues are still very much with us.

So we in government today address ourselves to the problems that remain with us. As we do, we ask the help of those who have known for at least these 30 years those problems firsthand.

The problem of poverty among us still exists. Many of those who were poor in 1938--perhaps some of the 5 million readers of your newspapers--are now among the privileged and so are their children. But for some of your readers, poverty is as real as where next month's rent is going to come from--just as poverty is real for the Americans in Appalachia, and for the Americans in the ghettos, just as poverty or the threat of poverty is real for the aged Americans who need more social security and Americans on fixed income who must be protected against inflation.

I am pleased to say today that we are adding one Federal poverty project that will help us fight poverty. It is a Department of Labor grant of almost $200,000 that will enable ethnic fraternal organizations in Pittsburgh to begin training household workers for industry. The women who are now earning $8 to $10 a day will soon begin to earn $18 to $20 a day--and we expect that this will be only the first of many programs in this direction.

The race problem--that is still with us, too. In 1938 it was noted that "The dice are loaded against the colored people." Today we are trying to unload those dice. And we ask for help and we ask for your understanding and we ask Americans to ask themselves, who once faced the loaded dice of discrimination and prejudice, to try to unite and help us with this problem.

The split concerning America's role in the world--the split that they referred to in 1938 as isolationism versus internationalism--still exists in this country. In 1968--as in 1938-- some Americans are asking, "Why does it matter to us whether some faraway little nation retains its right to self-determination?"

Once again, I think many of your readers have had personal experiences that may help them--and may help us--to answer that kind of question that is being asked in the homes of America this afternoon. They have seen the nations enslaved and they have seen nations tyrannized; and they have seen that tyranny is a contagious disease. They can see that it reaches epidemic proportions if it is not stopped and if it is not halted.

So your President asks for your help. We have seen over 30 years that America can resolve the wars that it fights with itself. We can live with each other if we try and we can build greatness here as we have in the last 30 years.

You have helped us to build this greatness in America through your newspapers, through your community services, and through your interest in building a better and a stronger America. You have done it, and we have done it--and with your help we will all continue to work toward a still greater and a still fairer America.

I have no doubt that when historians record this period of time that they will say that we in 1968 were as enlightened and were as aware of the dangers that confronted us and were as responsible in facing up to those dangers as were our citizens of 1938.

So have faith, be men of steady purpose, and I have no doubt but what America will not only protect its own great heritage and traditions, but will also make its due and proper contribution to helping those who want to help themselves.

Thank you very much.