Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Alliance for Progress.

TODAY, on the second anniversary of the Alliance for Progress, I am heartened by the advances that have been made in a short space of time. A peaceful revolution is under way in Latin America and this gives promise of bringing a better life to millions of our fellow Americans in this hemisphere.

The advances made in the first 2 years are only a start, but they are impressive. Some 140,000 new housing units have been constructed, slum clearance projects have begun, there are 8200 new classrooms, more than 700 new water systems have been built where there had been danger of widespread disease from contamination, land reform and tax reform measures have been adopted by many countries, more than 160,000 agriculture credit loans have been made and more than 4 million schoolbooks have been distributed, two Common Market agreements are gaining new impetus, a revolutionary step has been taken to stabilize the price of coffee in world markets, more than 9 million children are being fed in 18 countries in a Food for Peace program, road construction, especially in some agricultural areas, is proceeding ahead rapidly.

All this is a beginning, but it is only a beginning. We have to do a good deal more if this is going to be the sixties, a great Decade of Development. This is a cooperative effort by all of us who live in this hemisphere, North and South, an attempt to provide a better life for our people, a better chance for children to live, a better chance for them to be educated, a better chance for them to hold jobs, better housing for them, a chance to live their older age in peace and in dignity.

These are the objectives of the Alliance for Progress. These objectives must be realized. This program must be a success. The first 2 years is only a beginning. But it is my hope that the people of my own country, the people of the other countries of this hemisphere, will continue to join together in a great international effort to make this continent, to make this hemisphere, a source of credit to all of us who live here and an inspiration to all the world. We still have a good deal more to do.

It is my hope that the governments of this hemisphere, including the Government of the United States, those who enjoy the advantages, people who enjoy the advantages in this hemisphere, including the people of my own country, that all of us will continue to work closely together to provide a better life for all of our people. That is what the Alliance for Progress means, to provide progress, revolutionary progress through peaceful democratic means. I think it can be done. I think we have set out on an important journey. I think it is a journey that must be finished. To the completion of that journey, I pledge the people of the United States.