Remarks by Vice President Richard M. Nixon, Following Arrival at International Airport, Honolulu, HI

Governor QUINN. It is now my great privilege to introduce to you the Vice President of the United States, who has been a great Vice President and who will make a great President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon.

Vice President NIXON. Governor Quinn, Secretary Seaton, Senator Fong, and our friends here in Hawaii, I want you to know how much my wife, Pat, and I particularly appreciate your coming out today and welcoming us on this very beautiful and, I understand, very typical Hawaiian day.

I could only say that as we stand here, our regret is that we have to return to the mainland so soon, but we hope that in the next 2 days we will have the opportunity to meet and greet just as many of the citizens of our newest State as we possibly can.

As I stand here, I naturally tend to think of the times that we have visited Hawaii before. This is actually the fifth time that I have come to this State as formerly the Territory of Hawaii.

The first time nobody knew much about it except the Navy because I passed through here on my way home after having been overseas in the Solomons not on a ship but on land. I was here for only 1 night and what I remembered about that 1 night in Hawaii in 1944 was that I had the first hot shower, the first fresh eggs, the first fresh milk that I had had in 14 months, and believe me, I loved Hawaii ever since.

Since that time, I came back again in 1952, with Taft. We had a marvelous visit. We were then in the Senate We went to virtually all of the islands and we stayed 10 days and, incidentally, it was the longest vacation we had had in the 14 years we had been in Washington.

After that, in 1953, when we were traveling around the world, in 1956, when we were again traveling around the world, we had 2 delightful days on each of those occasions and now this time.

Many of you may have forgotten but when I was here last in 1956 I made a very rash statement. I said, "I shall not return to Hawaii until it is a State," because I felt that surely in that session of Congress it would become a State.

I could not return in 1957 when I might have wanted to and did want to, but I can return today because Hawaii is a State and I just want to say this: Whatever happens this November, I am going to come back to Hawaii with Pat every time I can, either officially or unofficially, in the years ahead. [Applause.]

In meeting the president of the chamber of commerce, I told him you don't need a chamber of commerce for Hawaii. It is such a wonderful place that people will know about it all over the world without any advertising whatever.

But now if I might just say one serious note before we move on down through the clay, for those of you who have so graciously come out to welcome us, Governor Quinn referred to my speech of acceptance in Chicago. I was trying to speak the national purpose but I was really speaking for what I believe is the faith, of what I believe is in the heart of doctrines and impersonal government or nations, but of the people of America, the people of all of the States of America, the people of Hawaii, of course, included.

I want to tell you today that as we move into these next 3 months which will decide the leadership of this country for the next 4 years that whatever your political affiliations may be I hope and I know you will study the issues and listen to the candidates and make the decisions that you believe will best serve the interests of your State and your country and the interest of free men throughout the world, because I am convinced as I stand here that the leadership that America provides in these years of the 1960's will determine whether we have peace in the world and whether we have freedom not only for ourselves but for people everywhere.

In speaking of people and freedom, there are just two things I would like to say.

We are in a race today, a great battle between the forces of bravery on the one side and the forces of freedom with which we are associated on the other and in this battle it is not enough for us to be satisfied with what we have, it is not enough for us simply to hold the line against those who assault the citadels of freedom, if we are to survive we must move forward. In other words, we must win the battle for freedom, not just hold the line against communism within the battle for freedom for aU the peoples of the world. [Applause.]

And to win that battle, it means we must not only have a President and Members of the Cabinet and Members of the Senate and Governors and other leaders who are dedicated to that cause, but it means that 180 million Americans must feel it deeply in their hearts, that they must work for the victory of freedom as the Communists work for the victory of communism, and that is the message I bring to you.

I bring it to you today because I believe it, because I have seen what the Communists do, and what they are trying to do to all the world, and I know that we can win, but we can win only if we not only have great military strength and great economic strength but we can win only if our faith is greater than theirs, if our will to win is greater than theirs, if we will work harder, if we will outlast the enemies of freedom, and this is my message on that score.

Now a word about the fight for peace.

By our strength we maintain the peace by deterring aggression - our military strength. Also, as far as peace is concerned, we must recognize that in the end we are not going to have a world of peace until it comes from the hearts of people everywhere.

You hear of good will trips spoken of in derogatory terms in some quarters today because people say there were riots in Caracas, there were riots in Tokyo; why should we have the President and the Vice President and other officials of our Government go abroad when there is a possibility that the enemies of freedom may stir up the people to have riots against them?

My answer is that that is just the reason that we should do it, because the reason the Communists stir up this trouble is because they know that our message of peace and friendship and freedom is getting through, and I say that we in this country must not allow them to cut off the communications with the freedom-loving and the peace-loving people of this world on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

We must carry this message around the world, and what is the message, and that brings me right back to where we began.

You have a wonderful phrase in Hawaii, "aloha." The spirit of aloha is what America needs to present to the world, the spirit of aloha. [Applause.]

And by the spirit of aloha I mean the example to all the world that people can live together in friendship, recognizing the dignity of men and women regardless of their background and Hawaii is the finest example of that for the whole world to see.

That is why, when people wrote to me when statehood was granted, people from Hawaii said, "Thank you, Mr. Vice President, for your support of statehood." My answer to them was that, of course, the people of Hawaii were glad to have statehood but it was for America, it was for the people of the United States, it was for us the great privilege because, by having a wide interest in the State and a member of the United States, and the 50th State, we are giving an example to all the world that the spirit of Aloha, of the recognition of the decency of men and women regardless of their backgrounds, of equality of opportunity, that that recognition lived in the heart of the whole United States and of all people. And, so, in conclusion, may I say again, thank you for giving to the rest of the States and thank you for allowing the United States to present to the world the spirit of Aloha and the cause of peace and freedom will win and it will win because you have it and we have it in our hearts.

Thank you very much. [Applause.]