Gentlemen, Mr. Justice, Mr. Vice President:
I want to welcome all of you
here to this reception. The purpose was to complete the swearing-in of
those members of the administration who had not had the oath administered
to them, and also, and equally important, was our desire to have a chance
to see these names we have been reading about in the paper.
One of the unsatisfactory features
of a most satisfactory and interesting job has been the fact that we have
had a chance to see-and perhaps that will also be true in the future-comparatively
few members of this administration.
All of the positions which are
held by the men who are being sworn today, and by those of you in the audience
who have been sworn before, are all extremely important; and the kind of
work that you do is vital to the success of this administration, and vital
to the success of our country.
And therefore we want - and
the Vice President and I hold this view very strongly - the closest possible
working relationship between all members of the administration and the
White House; so that I hope that this is the first of many visits you pay
here, and I hope that you will also, all of you, feel not only free but
also a responsibility to maintain the closest contact with each other and
with the Vice President and myself.
Now, if the busiest man in Washington
would administer the oath of office.