Remarks Upon Signing the United Nations Loan Bill

I am pleased to sign the bill authorizing a loan to the United Nations and appropriating the funds therefor.

This legislation will permit the United States to lend up to $100 million to the United Nations in order to help it meet the financial crisis it faces. This crisis is largely the result of the failure of some members of the organization to pay their share of the costs of the peace-keeping machinery in the Middle East and in the Congo. I believe that that machinery and those activities of the United Nations are vital to the peace of the world. They have helped prevent major armed conflicts and advanced the means of reconciliation between opposing factions. We must continue to give our firm and full support to these efforts.

For centuries, men have dreamed of a way to secure world peace. To translate these dreams into hard reality has become the great imperative of our time. This legislation demonstrates the determination of the American people to support the United Nations in this demanding task in the years ahead, and to help marshal the resources needed by the United Nations in pursuit of a just and lasting peace among all nations of the world.

I congratulate the members of Congress who participated in this important demonstration of our dedication to that ideal, and I express my pleasure in having them here in the company of our Ambassador to the United Nations who has served us there with distinction.