US Presidency
1966

Secretary Connor, Secretary Fowler, Senator Mansfield, Senator McClellan, Senator Jackson, distinguished Speaker McCormack, Chairman Dawson, Congressman Holifield, Mrs. Congresswoman Dwyer, other Members of Congress, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished Mayors: We are deeply grateful for your presence in the East Room of the White House today. In a large measure, America's history is a history of her transportation. Our early cities were located by deep water harbors and inland waterways; they were nurtured by ocean vessels and by flatboats. The railroad allowed us to move east and west. A thousand towns and more grew up along the railroad's gleaming rails. The automobile stretched out over cities and created suburbia in America. Trucks and modern highways brought bounty to remote regions. Airplanes helped knit our Nation together, and knitted it together with other nations throughout the world. And today, all Americans are really neighbors. Transportation is the biggest industry we have in this country. It involves one out of every five dollars in our economy. Our system of transportation is the greatest of any country in the world.