1964-65 New York World's Fair Groundbreaking and Dedication Booklets

PAVILION OF THE SEPTEMBER 19, 1963

UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC

FOUNDATION LAYING CEREMONY AT THE NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR 1964-1965

The UAR Pavilion will consist of two structures, primarily
constructed of concrete, with panels of colored cut glass — a
typical architectural feature of the ancient mosques of Egypt.
The exhibits will include a museum in which will be displayed
great treasures from the Valley of the Kings. Architects are
Mr. Ismail Nazif, general director of the General Organization
for International Exhibitions and Fairs. Cairo, and
Mr. Thomas V. DiCarlo, New York.

Excerpts from cranscription of remarks made by
officials of the United Arab Republic and the
World's Fair at foundation laying ceremonies
for the Pavilion of the United Arab Republic at
the New York World's Fair. Thursday, Septem-
ber 19. 1963.

AMBASSADOR RICHARD C. PATTERSON, JR.
[Chief of Protocol]: Your Excellencies, Mr. Consul Gen-
eral, Governor and Mrs. Poletti, ladies and gentlemen. It
is a great pleasure for me, on behalf of World's Fair
directors and our president, Mr. Robert Moses, to welcome
you today at the laying of the foundations for the Pavilion
of the United Arab Republic, which promises to be one
of the most attractive and interesting pavilions at the Fair.

I would now like to introduce the vice president of the
International Division of the World's Fair, former Gover-
nor of New York State, the Honorable Charles Poletti.

GOVERNOR CHARLES POLETTI [Vice President,
International Affairs and Exhibits]: Ambassador Patter-
son, Your Excellencies, Mr. Consul General, ladies and
gentlemen. We are all very happy that we are assembled
today for the dedication of the UAR Pavilion. I speak on
behalf of the Fair, but I also speak principally on behalf
of Charlie Poletti, and express my own feelings. I made
a great effort to persuade the United Arab Republic to
come to this Fair. I think it is very important for all of us
to have a UAR Pavilion here. There aren't many countries

that have made great contributions to the civilization of
rhe world — but certainly the UAR is one. Greece is
another, and Italy, the land of my ancestors, is another.

These countries have made special contributions to what
we are trying to achieve at the Fair. We are going to have
millions of people here, principally Americans — 70 mil-
lions, and fortunately a good number of them will be
young people. Young people don't know as much about
the world as they should. Neither do we for that matter
— but we have lived a few more decades and we have
absorbed something in the process.

I think it is very important for the American people to
learn more about the extraordinary conttibutions made to
the world by the LTAR. I think of the Egyptian Museum
in Cairo, one of the greatest museums in the world. It is
so rich in the extraordinary achievements of this wonder-
ful people.

The UAR has so much to show. I don't know whether
it will be possible, but I wish you would show the con-
tributions of the Islamic religion. I hope in preparing
your exhibits you will give some attention to the impor-
tance of conveying to the American people an apprecia-
tion of the religion which is the predominanr religion of
your country. I am tremendously impressed with how-
fortunate we are to have millions and hundreds of mil-
lions of faithful Moslems. A great religion — wonderful
people. I hope that the Pavilion of the UAR will reflect
this glorious past and religious background.

I trust that this pavilion will also include exhibits de-

1963 New York World's Fo!r 1964-1965 Corporation

■•■•

piecing the contributions thac Egypt has made in perpetu-
ating the educational heritage of the world. We ought to
be told about the contributions of Alexandria, about the
University of Cairo. We ought to be told about Al-Azhar
University, the oldest university in the world, founded in
970 AD — a great university chat has enriched not only
the people of that part of the world, but also all the
scholars of the entire world.

And, finally, I hope chat the exhibits will show us che
new Egypc — che new UAR. We are very much impressed
by the progress made in che UAR. For example, I hope
che pavilion will concain a display abouc che Aswan Dam.
I hope thac che plans for the future, to build a new Suez
Canal paralleling che present one, will be displayed in
your pavilion.

I hope your pavilion will be exceedingly successful. In
che pasc chose of us on che scaff of che Fair have cried co
be of assiscance co you and we shall concinue in that spirit.
We want to help you and all parcicipancs. chrough our
Public Relations Department, co spread your message
chroughouc che Uniced Scaces and abroad during 1964
and L965.

So, in conclusion, speaking as an official of che New-
York World's Fair and also speaking as Charlie Polecti
and expressing whac I feel deeply in my hearc, I hope
your pavilion will achieve my wish, chat it will have tre-
mendous success, thereby improving and cementing the
relations between the people of the UAR and the people
of che Uniced Scaces. Thank you very much.

i?*-

Present at the luncheon honoring His Excellency, Dr.
Mostafa Kamel, Ambassador of UAR to the United States,
are: fief/ to right) Mr. Lionel Harris, International
Division, World's Fair Corporation : The Honorable
Mohamed Kamel Ahmed, Consul General of UAR in
Sew York City; Governor Charles Poletti, vice president.
International Affairs and Exhibits; His Excellency. Dr.
Mostafa Kamel, Ambassador of UAR to the United States
(guest of honor) : Mr. Robert Moses, president of the
New York World's Fair Corporation; Ambassador Richard
C. Patterson. Jr.. Chief of Protocol, World's Fan-
Corporation : His Excellency, Ambassador Mohamed H.
El-Zayyat. Deputy Permanent Representative of UAR

to the U.N.

(Inspecting the com true! ion at the UAR site are: (jrom
left to right) Mr. Aly Kamel, Director of UAR Touri
Office in New York Cit) : Mr. Mohamed Habih. Pren
Counselor, U AR Embassy : General Mohamed A. Khalifa.
Director General of United Arab Airlines for North
America: The Honorable Mohamed Kamel Ahmed .
Consul General of UAR in New York City; His
Excellency, Ambassador Mohamed Kamel Abdel-Rahim.
Head of Arab States Delegation: His Excellency. Dr.
Most a fa Kamel. Ambassador of UAR to the United States:
Mr. Lionel Harris, International Division^ World's fair
Corporation : His Excellency, Ambassador /Mohamed H.
El-Zayyat. Deputy Permanent Rep UAR to

theU.\

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Thank you, Governor
Polecci. Next I have the great honor to call upon the
distinguished Deputy Permanent Representative of the
United Arab Republic to the United Nations, His Excel-
lency Mohamed El-Zayyat.

HIS EXCELLENCY MOHAMED H. EL-ZAYYAT:
Thank you very much, Sir. Ladies and gentlemen, I am
speaking wholly extemporaneous!;/, but I am inspired by
Governor Poletti. He spoke about the different founda-
tions of civilization and he reminded me of my days in
Washington when I frequently traversed the Memorial
Bridge. I frequently used to scop and study the three great
memorials there — the Washington, the Lincoln and the
Jefferson. In contemplating them it always occurred to me
chac they represented three styles of architecture — the
Greek, the Roman, and the Egyptian. And I always asked
myself if the founding fathers of this great country really
established these great memorials and showed these three
styles of buildings on purpose. Did they mean to convey
to their people that America, a new and young country,
was going to build on the foundations laid down by other
peoples of other lands, and was going to continue to pro-
gress toward the zenith of civilization by using the torches
that have been lighted and carried by different peoples in
different lands? I really didn't know.

But Governor Poletti has just given me the answer in
the affirmative. For when he spoke just now about the
contributions of Greece and ancient Egypt, and his own
old country, Rome and the Romans, I got the answer I

sought. Governor Poletti really meant that you are going
to go on building new strata over other strata built bv
other peoples in different lands : that you are going to go
on progressing, having at heart the interests of all men all
over the world, that you are seeking to build new zones
and have new horizons opened for mankind.

In our long history we have discovered that whenever
we opened our frontiers, we invited different streams of
thought, of culture, from all surrounding lands and our
own valley was enriched by all these new streams which
enriched our culture and our lives. Whenever circum-
stances made us cut ourselves off from the outside world,
we withered.

I am now very happy to find in this international
World's Fair in New York, and through the great efforts
being made by all you gentlemen around me, a real effort
to get all the streams of the world coming into America
to enrich your lives. We all need to reach out and see to it
that we have roots growing all over the world. Thank you.

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Thank you, Your Ex-
cellency. I now have the high honor to introduce our guest
of honor — a distinguished diplomat, who has many times
been honored by his own country and also by other coun-
tries. Ladies and gentlemen, the Ambassador of the United
Arab Republic to the United States, His Excellency, Dr.
Mostafa Kamel.

HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. MOSTAFA KAMEL: Pres-
ident Moses, Governor Poletti, distinguished guests, ladies
and gentlemen. I am grateful to you, President Moses and

Governor Poletti, for inviting this distinguished gathering
on the occasion of laying the foundations for the United
Arab Republic Pavilion at the New York World's Fair.

You know that the United Arab Republic Government
and our people feel that their participation at the World's
Fair is an expression of our desire to respond to an invita-
tion from this great friendly country', the United States
'"x-nc.i. It is also an expression of our desire to par-
re in the activities of international society.

I am certain that we shall all witness, in this Fair, the
human mind with its unlimited capacities expressing itself
fully in the different pavilions. The objects which are
going to be displayed are the result of that long voyage
which this great and incomparable instrument — the
human brain — has undertaken in different spheres and
domains.

It is not without significance that this first pioneer —

the human brain — will express in the various pavilions

vonders which it has created and achieved. These

ions, as a result of these pioneering efforts of human

thinking, will be in the right place in a country of pio-

Never in the history of man, has man achieved such

magnificent, incomparable, and unmatched pioneering in

all fields of human activities as this great American nation

has achieved in a few decades.

Let us hope that this World's Fair will be instrumental
in bringing people from all corners of this world closer
together. Let us hope that this World's Fair will open new
channels of cooperation among nations. Let us hope that

this World's Fair will give a chance to the people from
different countries to profit from what others have
achieved. Again, let us hope that this Fair will stimulate
the atmosphere of relaxation in international relations,
which we all hope and work for.

The United Arab Republic is pleased to be a part of
this great event, as it will always be pleased to be a part
of constructive cooperation between nations. We hope that
our pavilion will reflect the old and the new, the past and
the present, and how they meet in harmony and progress.

Mr. Moses and Governor Poletti, the United Arab Re-
public wishes all success to the New York World's Fair.
1 am sure that this great event will always be recorded as
one of the most memorable and unforgettable in the his-
tory of this fabulous century.

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Your Excellency,
thank you so very much for what you said. Your remarks
will be printed and widely distributed, and as will the
remarks of Ambassador El-Zayyat. Mr. Moses and Gov-
ernor Poletti. I now have the great honor to present the
president of the New York World's Fair Corporation, the
Honorable Robert Moses.

MR. ROBERT MOSES: Your ExceJlencies, ladies
and gentlemen. After working with you for some time,
we are delighted with the progress that's been made
on the UAR Pavilion. Overall, from the point of view
of production and expediting here at the Fair, there has
now been a shift from construction, in the stria sense,
to the exhibits. First, you have to have a building in which

to put your exhibits — and the finer the building archi-
tecturally, the better, and the more it creates the kind of
image you are interested in, the better. But finally you get
down to the installation of the exhibits, and there, I'm
frank to say, we don't know at this point just what our
problems are going to be. We are concerned about hav-
ing the exhibits ready on time. After all, it is the exhibits
that people want to see. I don'c say they will not want to
see the building. Of course they will. And I don't say that
they are not going to be impressed with the building. I
think they will be, notably in this particular case. But
after all, it's what you find when you get inside the build-
ing that counts. That is why we are now turning our
attention to exhibits and attempting to determine the
problems of the UAR and the other people who are ex-
hibiting here, and to see what we can do. not by way of
attempting to dictate what ought to be done, or even to
advise, but co help in the problems that are coming up.
And I have no doubt that these problems along with those
relating to roads, expressways, lighting and landscaping,
will be solved.

Now, if I may, I would like to present World's Fair
medallions to our distinguished guests, beginning with
His Excellency, Dr. Mostafa Kamel, Ambassador of the
UAR to the United States. I should like, also, to presenr
medallions to His Excellency, Ambassador El-Zayyat, to
the Honorable Kamel Ahmed, Consul General, and m
absentia to His Excellency Mahmoud Riad, Ambassador
of the UAR to the U.N.

PAVILION OF THE UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC

HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. MOSTAFA KAMEL, Ambassador of the United Arab Republic to the United States

HIS EXCELLENCY MAHMOUD RIAD, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of (he United Arab Republic to the United Notions

HIS EXCELLENCY MOHAMED H. EL-ZAYYAT, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arob Republic to the United Nations

HON. MOHAMED KAMEL AHMED, Consul General of the United Arab Republic in New York

MR. ISMAIL NAZIF, General Director, General Organization for International Exhibitions and Fairs, Cairo

MR. THOMAS V. DiCARLO, New York architect for the Pavilion of the United Arab Republic

FRANKWILL BUILDING CORPORATION, New York - Contractor for the Pavilion of the United Arab Republic

NEW YORK

WORLD'S FAIR

1964-1965

C O R P O R AT I O N

Flushing, N. Y. 11380

Tel. 212-WF 4-1964

ROBERT MOSES, President

THOMAS J. DEEGAN, JR., Chairman of fhe Executive Committee

WILLIAM E. POTTER. Executive Vice President

CHARLES POLETTI, Vice President, International Affairs and Exhibits

STUART CONSTABLE. Vice President, Operations

WILLIAM BERNS, Vice President, Communications and Public Relations

ERWIN WITT, Comptroller

MARTIN STONE, Director of Industrial Section

GUY F. TOZZOLI, (Port of New York Authority! Transportation Section

ERNESTINE R. HAIG, Secretory of the Corporation and Assistant to the President

WILLIAM WHIPPLE, JR., Chief Engineer