Remarks to the Foreign Delegates of the Inter-American Bar Association.

WE ARE most happy to have you in this Republic of ours.

I understand that you have listened to addresses by able and distinguished lawyers, the Vice President of the United States, the Senior Senator from New Mexico, and a great many of our distinguished barristers from around over the country.

And now I am glad to welcome you, in the name of the common people of the United States, whom I represent in the Presidency, not being a lawyer myself.

I hope that your meeting has been constructive. I hope you have added to the knowledge of international law and international trade, and that you have helped cement further the friendship which we have for all of your countries represented here.

I appreciate your coming, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy yourselves as long as you are in this country, and that you will have a happy trip home.

You know, I pinned a medal on General Montgomery out here in the yard one day, shortly after the war, and he inquired of me why that building is called the White House.

I told him that in 1814 a British regiment burned it down and smoked it all up so that we had to paint it white to wash off the British burns. And he asked me whether it wouldn't be well for me to come over and burn Whitehall. I hold him that I didn't think that would be at all proper, that we had lived in peace and amity for nearly 150 years, and we want to continue that way, and that we would probably be more likely to help him rebuild Whitehall, as it was damaged in the war.

And of course that pleased him immensely. And we want all of our neighbors to feel that we are a good neighbor. I think the best demonstration to you of our good-neighbor policy is the fact that our neighbors to the north and south of us are not afraid of us. They are our friends, and we are theirs.

We want to continue that.

Thank you very much.