Speaking for myself and my associates here present I thank you for the warmth of your welcome. More particularly I thank you for the generous hospitality you have extended to every member of the Allied Expeditionary Forces who has entered your great country.

This occasion seems to me to be almost a unique incident in history. I doubt that ever before have the elected representatives of a democratic country invited into their legislative halls as honored guest the commanders of a great fighting force, present in that country. We are especially happy to come so that we may express to you our admiration and respect for the fortitude and courage you displayed throughout the four years of enemy occupation and for the great help you gave us in the task of liberating your country. We worked together because of our common love of and our devotion to the cause of freedom, and in that sense, at least, we are members of one great brotherhood.

We have come to make you a pledge. We expect help from you in the future, just as you have given it in the past, to the end that all of us remain devoted to the one great objective of defeating our common enemy. That enemy understands one thing only - force. So we intend to apply force without stint; force to the uttermost! By making this our first task I realize that there will be imposed upon the Belgian people further privation, further suffering. We are aware of the crying needs of the Belgian people. My pledge is this: so far, as the requirements of the battle will permit, we will bring to you every help, every thing we possibly can.

I am sure that our two governments would want me to make this pledge to you! We have faith in you; in turn you must have faith in us, in our intentions and determination to carry out those intentions. We must both have faith in our final victory.

That confidence and faith can be based in solid accomplishment of the past. Only six short months ago, who among us could have foreseen that on this date we could have met here, in your legislative halls, to celebrate the complete liberation of Belgium? Let us all continue in that same decisive fashion to the end!

Long live Belgium!