You children have a great and a very strong Nation--a Nation which wants nothing from any other nation on earth, but which earnestly wants all mankind to enjoy the blessings of freedom, of peace, of justice, of good health, of good…

You have shown the good citizenship of which we are all very proud, and I am pleased to tell you that the whole Nation is proud of you.

Towards this end, there is pending in the House of Representatives a measure (H.R. 6277) to provide much needed Amendments to the Foreign Service Act of 1946.

These documents emphasize the need for legislative action this year.

I urge the Congress to enact amendments to the Foreign Service Act this year.

When we know what is right, when we know what is just, when we know what is true, then we just must stand up for it, whatever the consequences.

I want you to know this morning that all Americans are proud of you, too, for what you have done.

Our ability to seize the opportunities and to use our vast resources to further the aims of the United States foreign policy must in large measure rest on the dedication and capabilities of people involved in our foreign activities.

There is hereby established the interdepartmental Committee on the Status of Women

Today I have signed an Executive Order 'Providing for the Appointment in the Competitive Service of Certain Present and Former Officers and Employees of the Foreign Service.'

In no other area of governmental activity is it more vital to our national interest to develop and retain a corps of well-qualified men and women.

We believe that older Americans have earned and deserve peace of mind, not pain and panic, when misfortune strikes.

I'm delighted to meet with you today and to present to you the 20-millionth recipient of social security benefits, your first social security check.

I believe that most Americans are looking forward with me to the day when these great measures are signed into law.

We are working steadily with the enlightened Members of the Senate and the Congress and the Cabinet here with me this morning to build and to strengthen the social security system.

In this country we all believe that every man wants dignity and a decent life, and not a dole.

Today, in a figurative sense if not a literal one, I am very proud and very happy on behalf of all the American Nation to salute you as a distinguished officer and a most distinguished American.

I am convinced that when the history of the 30th century is finally written it will be a century remembered throughout all the ages for the constructive efforts toward peace, rather than for the destructive enterprises of war.