ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
One more note on the president's speech - not the what, but the where: Chamizal National Memorial commemorates a 1963 treaty between the U.S. and Mexico. The treaty ended a century-long border dispute centered on the Rio Grande.
The river was established as the boundary between the two countries back in 1848, but over time, the big river gradually shifted. It created new property lines and diplomatic disputes.
That all ended with the signing of the Chamizal Convention of 1963, and one year later, President Lyndon Johnson and Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos ceremoniously walked toward each other on the International Bridge between the two countries and shook hands. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.