Dec. 11, 1962 - President Kennedy welcomed Chile’s President Jorge Alessandri to Washington today with a promise that the U.S. will do “everything we possibly can” to assure the success of the Alliance for Progress. Speaking at a White House luncheon in honor of his guest, Mr. Kennedy said he knew there were some who say the alliance has been unsuccessful and that the living standard of the people has not risen. “I would give two answers to that,” Mr. Kennedy said. “One is that the people of the U.S. and other countries have not been sufficiently aware of how great the need is, and the other is that the resources available for the job are limited. In other words, the problems that we face in this hemisphere are staggering, and require the best from all of us.” After the luncheon, the two leaders spent two hours in Mr. Kennedy’s office. There has been concern in Washington over the fact that Chile has refused to break diplomatic relations with Cuba. Mr. Alessandri defended his position at his press conference today on legalistic grounds.
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