Remarks to the Brazilian Ambassador and a Group of Brazilian Students.

AMBASSADOR, we are delighted to welcome all of you to the White House and most especially to the United States.

I have been reading about your trip and I have also been reading about some of your views of our country. I am very glad that you have a chance to travel through the United States to talk to the people who live here, to make some judgment of our institutions, where we have been and where we are going.

Rather than making a speech to you this morning, I would be glad to answer any questions that you might have for a couple of minutes about this country or about our policies.

Do any of you have any questions about the United States?

[1.] Q. Mr. President, I should like to say to you that this contact that I have had the opportunity to have with your country and your people here in this highly developed country has left a profound impression at least on my spirit.

I should also like to express the shock that I felt when we realized or saw clearly the situation of underdevelopment in which we are living in our country. In view of this, I should like to ask you, Mr. President, what would be the reaction of the U.S. Government in the event we were to socialize the means of production in our country as a way to more effectively wage the battle against underdevelopment?

THE PRESIDENT. I think that the decision of your country as to the means of providing progress is your decision, and if by socialization you mean ownership of the means of production or of the basic industries, that is a judgment which you must make.

What we are opposed to is a denial of civil liberties, a denial of opportunity for people to assemble, to have their press, to make a free choice of what kind of government they want.

For example, Great Britain in 1945 chose a Socialist Party which nationalized some of the means of production. Other countries with whom the United States has had friendly relations have made that kind of choice themselves.

We prefer the competitive market economy here. We believe that by free competition we can satisfy the needs of our people best. Every country must make its own choice. But whatever choice Brazil makes, free choice, of course, is their decision. These phrases about socialization are used rather loosely. What we stand for is a free choice, the means of making an alternate choice if that choice should prove unwise. So it is our belief that through a system of freedom we can best achieve the satisfaction of the desires of the people.

I notice that some of you felt that this country, from a story I saw in the paper a couple of days ago, was dominated by the business community and that the Government was dominated by business. That will come as a great shock and a source of pleasure to the business community here in the United States.

We regard business, labor, the farmers, the general public interest as pre-eminent, and we believe that the competition of our enterprise system has best provided for our people.

You may decide that or you may decide on another course of action. We would accept that as long as it represented a free choice. What we are against is tyranny.

I noticed in the paper the other day a story about some of you expressing your views about the United States. And it seemed to me many of the points you are making about this country are almost 50 years old; that the view that you have of Western Europe and the United States and its economic, political, and social developments are really views that are pre-World War I.

You ought to take a good look at the extraordinary progress that has been made in the Common Market, the rate of economic growth, what we have been able to do in this country and also contrast that with the rather obvious failures stretching all the way from the Berlin wall, all the way to China, in the fields of agriculture, organization, civil liberties, and all the rest.

I think that those of you who are students, particularly those of you who may be somewhat attracted by Marxist dogmas and philosophies, should take a look at this country, the relationship between the Government and the citizen, between the various groups in our society, the extraordinary progress of Europe in the last 10 years, and the failures behind the Iron Curtain before making a judgment of what is needed in your country or any other underdeveloped country is a revolution, a class struggle, or a denial of liberty, and all the rest. What you get is a denial of liberty, the class struggle, the rifle squads, and it seems to me you get no commensurate economic progress.

[2.] Q. Mr. President, I should like to submit a request to you at this moment. In the course of our travels in the United States, we have had the opportunity to observe this country, especially the fact that the Government of your country and its people have difficulties and problems to face.

As an example, the bill that you submitted to Congress for approval for aid to senior citizens of your country, which was rejected by Congress during this session, was indeed a bill highly worthy of the democracy that prevails in this country. So that during the course of our trip here, we have had the opportunity to see that, whereas before our concept was that the United States was a country that had no problems, we see indeed that the United States has many problems to face.

I should like to request of you, Mr. President, namely, that when you visit our country in November, I should hope that you will come into contact with people at all levels, from all walks of life, especially in the Northeastern sector of our country where the people are living in a calamitous situation and that you come into close contact with the people so that you will be able to gain firsthand knowledge of the situation which afflicts our people living there.

THE PRESIDENT. I will. We will go, if it is agreeable to the Government, to the Northeast.

[3.] Q. Mr. President, how do you reconcile the fact that in spite of all the talk of peace that you say that your country advocates, apparently the youth of this country, at least, is being prepared for war through all types of aggressive war propaganda through all the mass media--radio, television, and newspapers?

for instance, last Sunday on television we saw 2 to 3 hours of military programs. It would seem in this country instead of orienting the conscience of the people towards peace, it seems that you are orienting them in a way that reminds us of the way of Germany, the militaristic Germany of Hitler.

THE PRESIDENT. I think that we have made it very clear that there is not going to be any winner of the next war. No one who is a rational man can possibly desire to see hostilities break out particularly between the major powers which are equipped with nuclear weapons. So your view of the United States in this regard is really inaccurate.

We certainly desire peace. I am not aware of any action which the United States has taken since the end of the second war which has not been in the direction of securing peace.

We have not been guilty of aggression against our neighbors. We occupy no territories. Any troops of the United States which may be stationed abroad are there at the request of the country in order to participate in their defense. The United States believes in national sovereignty, national independence, individual security and liberty, and that is the objective of our policy.

Now we are at Geneva taking part in a disarmament conference. We will accept and have sought for a number of years a nuclear test ban. We have sought a program of general disarmament with inspection. We have been unable to secure the agreement of the Soviet Union, but we shall keep at it. So whatever the television may have been on Sunday--and I was not observing it--I can tell you this is a very peaceful country, and that anyone who desires war these days is insane.

We arm to protect our security, but I can assure you that the United States will not be guilty of aggression but, of course, it will meet its commitments to people and to countries.

In any case, I want to express our thanks, and welcome you here.

We have a new cabinet official who is going to be the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare whom we have to swear in. Perhaps you could just stay and watch the ceremonies if you have a minute. I hope all of you will come and see us when we come to Brazil.

Ambassador Campos: Mr. President, the students wish to express their appreciation for the welcome you gave them and for the welcome they have received in this country.

THE PRESIDENT. Thank you very much.