Remarks to a Group of Point 4 Agricultural Trainees.

WELL, what I am principally interested in is development of those areas of the world that are not developed as they can be. If some of the areas of the world were in a position to produce on the basis of the efficiency that we are now acquainted with, and that you have been studying since you have been here, I am sure the world could support five times its present population in luxury.

With your indulgence, I would like to point out some of the things in which I myself am personally interested.

Dr. Bennett of Oklahoma A. & M. spent a year in Ethiopia. He made a complete survey of the situation in Ethiopia and came back and made a report to me that intrigued me immensely.

He told me that there was a plateau here--[indicating on map ]--here in Ethiopia, between six and eight thousand feet high, that has a black soil of unknown depth, and a climate almost like the temperate climate that we are used to here, and that there are 65,000 square miles of that territory with soil just like Illinois and northern Iowa that would produce anything that will grow in a temperate zone, and that enough products could be produced there to feed 100 million people. Well, you see what a pressure that would take off.

I had an interview yesterday with Dr. Dodd, former Under Secretary of Agriculture, and who is now in the United Nations and works on the implementation of point 4--about which there has been so much conversation. And the idea, of course, on point 4, is to help people to help themselves, to give them the know-how to produce more food, to overcome insect pests, and to make the standard of living better in the countries that are interested. And I find that nearly every country is interested.

Dr. Dodd told me that he had a United Nations team in nearly every country in the Western Hemisphere and also in the Eastern Hemisphere. We eliminated an insect pest for Iran, here last spring. All we needed to do was to take two little hedge-hopping planes over there and sprinkle a lot of bug killing dust on the space that was covered with insects--and they all left--they saved the crops, and they got acquainted with the people who do the work in the United States.

When they find out that our interest is their interest, and not our own, eventually if the whole world gets prosperous, that is going to help keep us prosperous; that is the only selfish interest we have in the thing.

Down here, in this part of the world (Central America), there are wonderful resources that can be developed. I understand that we have a team now working on a plan to create food in this part of the world that will support hogs and cattle, and things of that sort, that up to now I understand there has been no way to raise hogs, because the feed is so expensive, it has to be transported from the north, or from Argentina, that it has not been possible to raise them. But they have discovered a way to make the food down there available, so eventually you will have exactly the same sort of program down there that we have here.

And I hope that you will go back with a kindly and friendly feeling toward what we are trying to do.

I don't believe that there is a single country here (Mexico), or up here (Canada), or in this part of the world (Central America) or in this part of the world (South America) that feels any fear that the United States of America is going to try to cause them any difficulties. We are simply trying to be a good neighbor.

I wish that same thing could be said for this part of the world over here (Russia and Asia). It can't be, because they are afraid over there.

We want to eliminate that fear from the world, if we can. And I think such things as you have been doing will help eliminate that fear.

These United Nations teams are not made up of, and confined to, the experts from this country. For instance, some country in this part of the world (Brazil) wanted to find out the best way to raise dates. And Dr. Dodd went over to Iraq, to Damascus, and found two experts who are now on the team that is working on that very thing. We have people from The Netherlands, and from each one of your countries that you represent here, on these teams working all over the world, in South America, and Africa, and even in Alaska, trying to find out the best way to make use of the resources of all those countries.

I just want to be perfectly plain that this is a United Nations effort, that we are making every contribution we can, and that we have experts and information and everything that we have that will be useful to make the world a better place in which to live.

I think what you are doing here, and our efforts in this improvement of the living conditions of people all over the world, is much more likely to create a peaceful world than all the armaments that we can produce.

We are certainly pleased to have you. We are mighty glad to receive you here at the White House. I hope you will go home with a pleasant and friendly feeling toward the United States of America.

Thank you very much.