President Kennedy and President Betancourt joined in expressing their hope that this statement made today in the birth place of Simon Bolivar will be received by the peoples of this continent as a message of faith and optimism.

We wish you success, and we are joined with you in this effort in the future, as we have on so many occasions in the past.

We are for the social justice for our people, because we recognize that we cannot have freedom unless all of our people have an equal opportunity to the advantages of a productive life--homes-education--work.

When they see you they see the United States.

The great fight in the next decade-the decade in which we are now upon--is to prove that freedom and abundance go hand in hand.

We believe in freedom--in the United States and in Colombia.

It is, it seems to me, obligatory upon all those of us who believe in freedom to work together to make freedom, as you have said, Mr. President, not merely an abstraction or a phrase, but to demonstrate that under a system of freedom…

Every one of you symbolizes our country, and that is a great responsibility, far greater than it has ever been in the past.

And as I have said, I think the welcome we got today is in good part due to your efforts--and I know that you will continue them.

I therefore want to express my appreciation to all of you for your generosity in permitting us to be here today in Techo.

I return tonight to the United States, and I do not want to leave without saying to the people of Colombia that my wife and I have received the most heart-warming welcome that we have ever received.