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Joint Resolution today and requesting prompt action by the Congress.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

NOTE: The joint resolution extending the "no strike" period in the railroad dispute was approved by the President on April 12 (see Item 174). See also Items 172, 188, 194, 207, 310, 311, 386.

The White House

April 10, 1967

171 Remarks Upon Arrival in Uruguay for the Punta del Este Meeting of American Chiefs of State.

President Gestido, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen:

Mr. President, I appreciate deeply your warm and generous welcome.

This is the first time that I step on South American soil. It is my very great privilege that it should be the land of Artigas.

More than 150 years ago, Artigas said: "La causa de los pueblos no admite la menor de mora-The cause of the people does not admit of the slightest delay."

The same cause brings us here to Punta del Este.

Six years ago a great charter was written in Punta del Este. Under its banner we have moved forward and made progress. We are demonstrating that "free men working through institutions of representative democracy can best satisfy man's ambitions."

But we also know that our task is only in its beginning. The experience of the first 6 years of the Alliance tells us where we must quicken the pace.

Diligent work has gone on during the past year in preparing the program which the Presidents will consider at this con

April 11, 1967

ference. This program is not a reaction to crisis, but it is a response of farsighted Latin American leadership to the needs of present and future generations.

The progress of our Alliance shows that the initiative is increasingly with Latin America. We in the United States welcome this-as we believe you do. I would repeat what I said to my fellow Presidents last August: "Move boldly along this path and the United States will be at your side."

So Mr. President, I look forward to this conference and to the opportunity it will afford me to exchange views with my fellow Presidents. I believe that personal contact is essential to understanding-and I know that understanding is the foundation of our common effort.

The hemisphere is grateful to your government and your people for opening its doors to all of us. I should like to join my colleagues in saying to you and to your people muchas gracias.

NOTE: The President spoke at 11:40 a.m. at Carrasco Airport, Montevideo. In his opening words he referred to Oscar D. Gestido, President of Uruguay.

172 Statement by the President on the Joint Resolution Extending the "No Strike" Period in the Railroad Dispute. April 11, 1967

EVERY American should be gratified by Congress' prompt action in extending the "no strike" period in the railroad dispute.

The "no strike" period under the Railway Labor Act would have expired at midnight

tomorrow.

Today's action extends that period for an additional 20 days.

In responding to that emergency so quickly after the resolution was presented, Congress has well-earned the Nation's gratitude.

I now urge both the carriers and the workers to use every hour of these 20 days to negotiate in earnest in an attempt to reach an equitable decision in the American

way of true collective bargaining.

Otherwise, Congress will again be required to help avoid the many terrible consequences that will flow from a nationwide rail strike.

NOTE: The joint resolution extending the "no strike" period in the railroad dispute was approved by the President on April 12, 1967 (see Item 174). See also Items 170, 188, 194, 207, 310, 311, 386.

The statement was released at Punta del Este, Uruguay.

173 The President's Toast at the Dinner in Punta del Este, Uruguay, for the Presidents of Central American States. April 11, 1967

My fellow Presidents:

I am glad that we have the opportunity of meeting together before the formal sessions of this conference begin. For your spirit and cooperation should inspire all the 19 nations gathered here. It should be the standard and the meaning of what we do here.

It is easy to speak of "cooperation and partnership"-of "cooperation" and "unity." Those words will be used many times during the next 2 days. But they will remain only words-only ideals-unless we take the actions that will give them meaning and power.

You have been taking those actions: -In building the great inter-American highway, and

-In developing a common market.

We have helped you in both, although the initiative and determination were yours. We want to move on to help you connect your

highway with South America by closing the Darien Gap.

We have supported you as you used the common market to increase trade between yourselves fivefold. I was pleased to sign the loan, at the White House in 1965, that helped to make the promise of integration a reality.

We rejoice in the promise and the dedication of Central America.

We are sorry that the illness of former President Somoza has kept President Guerrero of Nicaragua from our midst. Our thoughts are with him.

Gentlemen, I propose a toast to the great example of Central America. May the practical example you have given us become the hallmark of this conference.

NOTE: The President proposed the toast at the dinner in the Hall of the Americas at the San Rafael Hotel. As printed above, this item follows the text of the White House press release issued at Punta del Este.

174 Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill Extending the "No Strike" Period in the Railroad Dispute. April 12, 1967

IN ENACTING S.J. Res. 65, the Congress expressed the will of the American peopleswiftly and decisively.

The immediate threat of a grim and paralyzing rail strike has been postponed. The railroads and the unions now have another 20 days to pursue their quest for a settlement through collective bargaining.

The urgency which prompted Congress to act should serve to notify both sides, as they return to the bargaining table, that the American people look to them for selfless and responsible action in the tradition of industrial democracy.

This resolution is a call upon their conscience. I am sure their concern for America will not allow that summons to go unheeded. I am today appointing a special panel of three judicious Americans: Judge Charles

Fahy, recently retired Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, George Taylor, professor of industry, University of Pennsylvania, and John Dunlop, professor of economics, Harvard University.

I have asked this panel to help the parties mediate their differences, and if the parties. should fail to reach agreement, to recommend whatever additional action may be necessary.

I urge the parties to cooperate fully with this special panel in making collective bargaining a success in the extra time Congress has provided.

NOTE: As enacted, S.J. Res. 65 is Public Law 90-10 (81 Stat. 12). See also Items 170, 172, 188, 194, 207, 310, 311, 386.

The statement was released at Punta del Este, Uruguay.

175 Statement by the President at an Informal Meeting With the American Chiefs of State at Punta del Este, Uruguay.

April 12, 1967

Mr. Chairman, fellow Chiefs of State:

I shall be presenting some thoughts in the agenda of our conference tomorrow; but as we enter into our private discussion of the declaration before us which our Foreign Ministers have prepared, I wish to make a few specific observations.

First, I want to restate my support of the program which you have set for yourselves.

my message to the Congress on March 13, I recommended increased financial assistance to your countries in the areas covered by the declaration before me: economic integration, multinational projects, agriculture, education, and health. This rep

resents my convictions and my policy today.

The decisions which you make here-and the followup action which you take in the months ahead-will enable me to pursue that policy.

Second, I wish to state my country's posi tion on how we might assist in expanding Latin American trade.

Much of our thought and work in the hemisphere has centered in recent years on ways to expand the volume and the value of Latin American exports.

We all know that basically the answer lies in the diversification of agriculture and in making overly protected Latin American.

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industry competitive and efficient. This is one of the reasons that we all support Latin American economic integration.

But we wish to be as helpful as we can in this transitional period in Latin American. history.

We are now devoting a major effort to try to make the Kennedy Round negotiations a success. If they succeed, they will help us all-including Latin America.

But the process of freeing trade from unnecessary restrictions will not come to an end when the current important Kennedy Round negotiations are completed.

We have been examining the kind of trade initiatives that the United States should propose in the years ahead. We are convinced that our future trade policy must pay special attention to the needs of the developing countries in Latin America and elsewhere in the world.

We have been exploring with other major industrialized countries what practical steps can be taken to increase the export earnings. of all developing countries. We recognize that comparable tariff treatment may not always permit developing countries to advance as rapidly as desired. Temporary tariff advantages for all developing countries by all industrialized countries would be one way to deal with this.

We think this idea is worth pursuing. We will be discussing it further with Members of our Congress, with business and labor leaders, and we will seek the cooperation of other governments in the world trading community to see whether a broad consensus can be reached along these lines.

We also recognize the very special importance for certain Latin American countries of earnings from coffee exports. In our programs for assistance for agricultural development, we are already helping to carry

forward the process of diversificationwhich alone can prevent chronic surpluses. As a further step in this direction, we are prepared to lend $15 million to the proposed international coffee diversification and development fund with the understanding that the coffee producing countries agree to contribute $30-50 million per year over the next 5 years; and to lend up to $15 million more to match contributions by other coffee consuming members of the International Coffee Agreement.

I have been informed of the great importance which you attach to the use of Alliance for Progress funds to finance procurement in other Alliance for Progress countries as well as in the United States. I know that you are all aware of the United States balance of payments problems and we deeply appreciate your cooperation in helping us meet them.

The cooperative nature of our Alliance is very important to me. I want you to know that we shall undertake consultations on this matter. We shall try to establish whether we can agree that aid funds for capital projects and related technical assistance can be used in Alliance for Progress countries in ways which will protect the U.S. balance of payments.

The final point I would make has to do with the declaration which is before us. As the political leaders of our countries we have the responsibility to translate complex issues into understandable language for peoples. The decisions reached at this meeting are complicated decisions. Though essential to the progress and prosperity of our people, they may seem removed from pressing everyday needs, unless we extract them. from the language of the economists and diplomats-on whom we so greatly rely.

I know that when I return home, I shall try to make clear to our people these basic

decisions we have made together. And I am sure you will all wish to do the same.

NOTE: The President's statement was released in

Punta del Este following an informal but private session in the San Rafael Hotel. President Oscar D. Gestido of Uruguay served as chairman.

176 Remarks in Punta del Este at the Public Session of the Meeting of American Chiefs of State. April 13, 1967

Mr. Chairman, fellow Chiefs of State, ladies and gentlemen:

First, President Gestido, may I express, on behalf of my entire delegation, gratitude to you for the courtesy and generosity that Uruguay has offered her sister nations at this

conference.

We have come to Punta del Este as the leaders of 20 governments—and as the trustees for more than 400 million human beings.

We meet in a city where, 51⁄2 years ago, an alliance was formed-a pledge was made— and a dream begun.

Now we must measure the progress we have made. We must name the barriers that still stand between us and the fulfillment of our dream. Then we must put in motion plans that will set us firmly on the way toward the proud destiny that is our peoples' right.

We meet as friends, as neighbors, and as allies. Hundreds of years ago we were the New World. Now each of us faces the problems of growing maturity-of industrialization, of rapid urban growth, of sharing the opportunities of life among our people.

We no longer inhabit a New World. We cannot escape from our problems-as the first Americans could-in the vastness of an uncharted hemisphere. If we are to grow and prosper, we must face the problems of our maturity. And we must do it both boldly and wisely-and we must face them now. If we do, we can create a new Americawhere the best in man may flourish in free

dom and in dignity. If we neglect the planning, if we ignore the commitments that it requires-if our rhetoric is not followed by action—we shall fail not only the Americans of this generation, but hundreds of millions

to come.

In unity-and only in unity-is our strength. The barriers that deny the dream of a new America are stronger than the strongest among us-acting alone. But they cannot stand against our combined will and our common effort.

So I speak to you as a ready partner in that effort. I represent a Nation committed by history, by national interest, and by simple friendship to the cause of progress in Latin America. But the assistance of my Nation will be useful only as it reinforces your own determination and builds on your own achievements and only as it is bound to the growing unity of our own hemisphere.

As I have listened to the able and eloquent addresses of my fellow Presidents and Prime Ministers who have gathered here, and as I have surveyed the constructive suggestions that have been made, here are the tasks before us as I see it:

First, you will be forging a great new common market-expanding your industrial base, increasing your participation in world trade, and broadening economic opportunities for your people. I have already made. my position clear to my Congress and my people: If Latin America decides to create a common market, I shall recommend a substantial contribution to a fund that will help

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