US Presidency
1967

THE PRESIDENT. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have been asked to give a statement about the consular convention that is pending before the United States Senate. I should like to say very briefly that I hope the Senate will give its advice and consent to the proposed convention with the in 1881.S.R. I feel very strongly that the ratification of this treaty is very much in our national interest. I feel this way for two principal reasons: First, we need this treaty to protect 18,000 American citizens who each year travel from this country to the Soviet The convention requires immediate notification to us whenever an American is arrested in the Soviet Union. It insures our right to visit that citizen within 4 and as often thereafter as is desirable. We think that we need these rights help to protect American citizens. These are rights which the Soviet citizens already have who travel in this country, because guaranteed by our Constitution. Second, the convention does not require the opening of consulates in this country or in the Soviet Union.