Remarks in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Mayor Stanton, Governor Thomson, former Senator Norris Cotton, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

I do want to thank you from the very bottom of my heart for the wonderful reception. I am deeply grateful, and I thank you very, very much.

New Hampshire, as we know, is not the largest State. It doesn't have the most people of all of our 50 States. But New Hampshire does have a first-class record at the very top in history and tradition in America, and I compliment you and congratulate you for that wonderful record.

New Hampshire is also a State that has many firsts, and one that is probably the most important--as I was looking over the history--is that New Hampshire took action on a declaration of independence even before the Continental Congress did. And for that, I congratulate your forefathers.

May I add that over the- years, the State of New Hampshire has had a wonderful record of outstanding statesmen. Of course, Daniel Webster had no peer. But I have known many of the United States Senators and Representatives from your great State, and I can say that you can be proud of men like Norris Cotton and others.

May I just conclude by saying this, that I came to New Hampshire first back in the late 1930's. I came up here for the purpose of skiing, but in the process of going to Tuckerman's Ravine and going down the headwall, I became very familiar with the terrain.

But it is a great, great State with all its beauty, and it is an even greater State with all of the wonderful people. I thank you again for the warm welcome. It is a wonderful day, and I am most grateful.