Remarks to a Group of Exchange Teachers From Great Britain, France, and Canada.

Mr. Ewing, and ladies and gentlemen:

It is a very great pleasure to welcome you to the United States. I hope you will enjoy your stay here, and that you will take back an impression that will make our relations with France, Britain, and Canada more cordial. And I hope our teachers who are returning your visit will come back to us with information that will improve our understanding and relations with your countries.

I hope you will enjoy yourselves while you are here. I hope you will give us something that we ought to have: more information about your own country, and how you do things, and see if we can't coordinate it so that we can travel along together on the road to freedom.

We represent, as you know, the freedom of the world--the freedom of the individual. And there is another concept which does not represent the freedom of the individual, which is totalitarianist in its approach. We can't stand for totalitarianism. Britain began coming from under totalitarianism back in the 12th century. The French began coming from under totalitarianism about the same time we did--in the 1770's -- 1790's. We want to continue the programs for the welfare of the world as a free place in which to live so the individual can do as he pleases, as long as he does not injure his neighbor.

I hope you will have a grand time. I want to say to you that it is not always this way in Washington, so far as sunshine and heat is concerned. It is sometimes very pleasant here. I say sometimes. But in other parts of the country--I know you are going all over the country--you will find, maybe, locations and weather conditions exactly as you have them back home. You will find some that are a little warmer than this, and some that are not quite so warm.

I appreciate your coming. I hope you will enjoy it. And I hope we will get some good out of it.

Thank you very much.