Conversation 786-013

Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Mr. President, Mr. Curtis.

How are you?

Good to see you.

Right.

Good, good, good.

You've got your whole delegation here, right?

Yes.

Let's get a group photograph first, John.

Let me see.

Why don't we break them on either side of me this way?

That's right.

So we look.

Let's look out.

Excuse me a second.

All right.

I got it, sir.

Good, good.

You've got groups.

We'll give each of you a copy of this.

You've got a good one for everybody.

There might be a presentation.

Oh, yeah, let's get that, too.

This is the gold medal.

For 50 years.

We have to remember this in the offices.

We'd like to present this with the presence of the American Marines.

All right.

Well, I don't need to tell you that, uh, that, uh, how strong we feel about it.

So, so, uh, great background.

You're okay.

It's, uh, it's, uh, it's, uh, five and a half.

Yeah, five and a half.

I don't know if these folks aren't Alaskan.

But when I find some of these boys and gentlemen, usually he's got a brief background.

Or a little bit of Italian.

The only thing you've got to do is to shorten those names.

The only names that aren't Polish names.

This is what we will do.

We'll put this in the presidential library.

I don't know if these will be properly displayed.

I don't know if they think of 50 years and what has happened.

I don't know.

I was so much better at 50 than I am at 50.

Hey, listen, 50 is the best years of your life.

Nine years ago, I became 50.

Sir, I'm going to write a World War I issue.

And I'm going to give you a story of a church without a country, a world without a country, not what Greece has been through.

They've had so much problems and so forth.

But the main thing about the Greeks, it doesn't make any difference what their government is.

I mean, it does, of course.

Everybody has a choice.

The Greek people are so strong.

And they were doing great.

The people's economy is going on again.

That's right.

Well, they're producing.

They're working.

They're strong.

I mean, that's something that impresses me.

I always look beyond governments and people.

It's the people that matter.

All Americans are being better than I am.

Of course, they take very political places.

I was in Greece in 1947.

That was the time when there was a terrible fight between the communists.

We were up there in the border.

Basically, they were supporting the king.

Actually, we were supporting it.

I was in that grant .

And there was a young state department .

And we were chatting about it.

It was about 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

And I said, no, let me think.

They said, well, the Greek snake will come.

I said, no, never.

He said, no, never.

He said, let me show you why.

He took me to the window.

We stepped out of the balcony there and looked out in the square.

And out there, there were perhaps

There's a thousand people in that square sitting around having coffee and arguing all day.

They said whenever you get a thousand people you get a thousand different opinions.

They'll never go past that.

It's the individuality which is the strength, the strength in this country to liberty-loving people.

You love, that's right, and so you'll fight and argue and this and that and the other thing.

Boy, they're gutsy people.

As the president, I have a couple of silver medals that I'd like to present to our two friends.

Good.

Permission?

Sure, sure.

I mean, they get silver.

It's great.

Hard work, sir.

Thank you.

Bill Rogers spoke at your class meeting.

Yeah.

I asked him to do it.

We wanted to make it non-political.

Now that's a good artist.

Now, for you to distinguish, now, let me cut the presidential couplets.

These are the seal of the flag.

Thank you very much.

This is the presidential seal.

Did you see that?

Yes.

There.

There it is.

Thank you.

Oh, your daughter.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President.

They did something wrong.

Thank you.