Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323150415
label
Hamtramck, Michigan, 4/17/89
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323150415
contentType
document
title
Hamtramck, Michigan, 4/17/89
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13482-016
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Draft Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323150415
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
5c51870801dacf40
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
2011-2184-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection: George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13482
Folder ID Number:
13482-016
Folder Title:
Hamtramck, Michigan, 4/17/89
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
15
6
5
#450
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Hamtramck, Michigan)
For Immediate Release
April 17, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO CITIZENS OF HAMTRAMCK
Hamtramck City Hall
Hamtramck, Michigan
11:53 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very, very much. Cardinal
Szoka, Your Eminence. Bob, thank you for the warm greeting to your
wonderful community. Governor Blanchard -- it's an honor to have the
Governor of the great state here. And I want to pay my respects to
the members of the Michigan congressional delegation that came out
here with me -- Senator Riegle, and several distinguished members of
the House of Representatives sitting over here -- and also to Senator
John Engler, who is the Majority Leader of the Michigan State Senate,
and to other leaders -- elected leaders not only from your community,
but in other parts of this state.
I'm delighted to be here. Bread and salt are both of the
earth, an ancient symbol of a life leavened by health and prosperity.
And in this same spirit, I wish you all the same. And now, if I may,
I want to address at this important gathering the health and
prosperity of a whole nation -- the proud people of Poland.
(Applause.)
You know, we Americans are not mildly sympathetic
spectators of events in Poland. We are bound to Poland by a very
special bond -- a bond of blood, of culture, and shared values. And
so it is only natural that as dramatic change comes to Poland we
share the aspirations and excitement of the Polish people.
In my Inaugural Address, I spoke of the new breeze of
freedom gaining strength around the world. "In man's heart," I said,
"if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian
era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient
leafless tree." (Applause.) I spoke of the spreading recognition
that prosperity can only come from a free market and the creative
genius of individuals. And I spoke of the new potency of democratic
ideals -- of free speech, free elections, and the exercise of free
will.
And we should not be surprised that the ideas of
democracy are returning with renewed force in Europe -- the homeland
of philosophers of freedom whose ideals have been so fully realized
in our great United States of America. And Victor Hugo said, "An
invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has
come." My friends, liberty is an idea whose time has come in Eastern
Europe. And make no mistake about it. (Applause.)
For almost half a century, the suppression of freedom in
Eastern Europe, sustained by the military power of the Soviet Union,
has kept nation from nation, neighbor from neighbor. And as East and
West now seek to reduce arms, it must not be forgotten that arms are
a symptom, not a source, of tension. The true source of tension is
the imposed and unnatural division of
How can there be stability and security in Europe and the
world as long as nations and peoples are denied the right to
determine their own future -- a right explicitly promised by
MORE
- 2 -
agreements among the victorious powers at the end of World War II?
How can there be stability and security in Europe as long as nations,
which once stood proudly at the front rank of industrial powers, are
impoverished by a discredited ideology and stifling authoritarianism?
The United States -- and let's be clear on this -- has never accepted
the legítimacy of Europe's division. We accept no spheres of
influence that deny the sovereign rights of nations. (Applause.)
And yet the winds of change are shaping a new European
destiny. Western Europe is resurgent and Eastern Europe is awakening
to yearnings for democracy, independence and prosperity. In the
Soviet Union itself we are encouraged by the sound of voices long
silent and the sight of the rulers consulting the ruled. We see new
thinking in some aspects of Soviet foreign policy. We are hopeful
that these stirrings presage meaningful, lasting and far
more-reaching change.
So let no one doubt the sincerity of the American people
and their government in our desire to see reform succeed inside the
Soviet Union. We welcome the changes that have taken place and we
will encourage -- continue to encourage greater recognition of human
rights, market incentives, and free elections. (Applause.)
East and West are now negotiating on a broad range of
issues, from arms reductions to the environment. But the Cold War
began in Eastern Europe, and if it is to end, it will end in this
crucible of world conflict -- and it must end. The American people
want to see East and Central Europe free, prosperous and at peace.
With prudence, realism and patience, we seek to promote the evolution
of freedom -- the opportunities sparked by the Helsinki Accords and
the deepening East-West contact.
In recent years, we have improved relations with
countries in the region, and in each case, we looked for progress in
international posture and internal practices -- in human rights,
cultural openness, emigration issues, opposition to international
terror.
While we want relations to improve, there are certain
acts we will not condone or accept -- behavior that can shift
relations in the wrong direction -- human rights abuses, technology
theft and hostile intelligence or foreign policy actions against us.
Some regions are now seeking to win popular legitimacy
through reforms. In Hungary, a new leadership is experimenting with
reforms that may permit a political pluralism that only a few years
ago would have been absolutely unthinkable. And in Poland, on April
5th, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and Interior Minister Kiszczak
signed agreements that, if faithfully implemented, will be a
watershed in the postwar history of Eastern Europe.
Under the auspices of the Roundtable Agreements, the free
trade union Solidarnosc was today -- this very day, under those
agreements -- Solidarnosc was today formally restored. (Applause.)
And the agreements also provide that a free opposition press will be
legalized, independent political and other free associations will be
permitted, and elections for a new Polish Senate will be held. These
agreements testify to the realism of General Jaruzelski and his
colleagues, and they are inspiring testimony to the spiritual
guidance of the Catholic Church, the indomitable spirit of the Polish
people, and the strength and wisdom of Lech Walesa. (Applause.)
Poland faces, and will continue to face for some time,
severe economic problems. A modern French writer observed that
communism is not another form of economics. It 15 the death of
economics. In Poland, an economic system crippled by the
inefficiencies of central planning almost proved the death of
initiative and enterprise. Almost. But economic reforms can still
give free rein to the enterprising impulse and creative spirit of the
great Polish people.
- 3 -
The Polish people understand the magnitude of this
challenge. Democratic forces in Poland have asked for the moral,
political and economic support of the West. And the West will
respond. My administration is completing now a thorough review of
our policies toward Poland and all of Eastern Europe. And I've
carefully considered ways that the United States can help Poland.
And we will not act unconditionally -- we're not going to offer
unsound credits. We're not going to offer aid without requiring
sound economic practices in return. And we must remember that Poland
still is a member of the Warsaw Pact. And I will take no steps that
compromise the security of the West.
The Congress, the Polish-American community -- and I
support, I endorse strongly Ed Moskal and what he is doing in the
Polish American Congress, I might say, and I'm delighted he's here.
Good Chicago boy right here in Hamtramck. (Applause.) That the
Congress, the Polish-American community, the American labor movement,
our allies and international financial institutions our allies all
must work in concert if Polish democracy is to take root anew and
sustain itself. And we can and must answer this call to freedom.
And it is particularly appropriate here in Hamtramck for me to salute
the members and leaders of the American labor movement for hanging
tough with Solidarity through its darkest days. Labor deserves great
credit for that. (Applause.)
Now, the Poles are now taking steps that deserve our
active support. And I have decided as your President on specific
steps to be taken by the United States, carefully chosen to recognize
the reforms underway and to encourage reforms yet to come now that
Solidarnosc is legal:
I will ask Congress to join me in providing Poland access
to our Generalized System of Preferences, which offers selective
tariff relief to beneficiary countries.
We will work with our allies and friends in the Paris
Club to develop sustainable new schedules for Poland to repay its
debt, easing a heavy burden so that a free market can grow.
I will also ask Congress to join me in authorizing the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation to operate in Poland, to the
benefit of both Polish and U.S. investors.
We will propose negotiations for a private business
agreement with Poland to encourage cooperation between U.S. firms and
Poland's private businesses. Both sides can benefit.
The United States will continue to consider supporting,
on their merits, viable loans to the private sector by the
International Finance Corporation.
We believe that the Roundtable agreements clear the way
for Poland to be able to work with International Monetary Fund on
programs that support sound, market-oriented economic polices.
We will encourage business and private nonprofit groups
to develop innovative programs to swap Polish debt for equity in
Polish enterprises; and for charitable, humanitarian and
environmental projects.
We will support imaginative educational, cultural and
training programs to help liberate the creative energies of the
Polish people.
You know, when I visited Poland in September ~=
was then Vice President, and I told Chairman Jaruzelski and Lech
Walesa that the American people and government would respond quickly
and imaginatively to significant internal reform of the kind that we
now see. Both of them valued that assurance. So it is especially
MORE
- 4 -
gratifying for me today to witness the changes now taking place in
Poland and to announce these important changes in U.S. policy. The
United States of America keeps its promises. (Applause.)
If Poland's experiment succeeds, other countries may
follow. And while we must still differentiate among the nations of
Eastern Europe, Poland offers two lessons for all. First, there can
be no progress without significant political and economic
liberalization. And second, help from the West will come in concert
with liberalization. Our friends and European allies share this
philosophy.
The West can now be bold in proposing a vision of the
European future: We dream of the day when there will be no barriers
to the free movement of peoples, goods and ideas. We dream of the
day when Eastern European peoples will be free to choose their system
of government and to vote for the party of their choice in regular,
free, contested elections. (Applause.) And we dream of the day when
Eastern European countries will be free to choose their own peaceful
course in the world, including closer ties with Western Europe. And
we envision an Eastern Europe in which the Soviet Union has renounced
military intervention as an instrument of its policy -- on any
pretext. We share an unwavering conviction that one day, all the
peoples of Europe will live in freedom. And make no mistake about
that. (Applause.)
Next month, at a summit of the North Atlantic Alliance, I
will meet with the leaders of the Western democracies. The leaders
of the Western democracies will discuss these concerns. And these
are not bilateral issues just between the United States and the
Soviet Union. They are, rather, the concern of all the Western
allies, calling for common approaches. The Soviet Union should
understand, in turn, that a free democratic Eastern Europe as we
envision it would threaten no one and no country. Such an evolution
would imply and reinforce the further improvement of East-West
relations in all dimensions - arms reductions, political relations,
trade -- in ways that enhance the safety and well-being of all of
Europe. There is no other way.
What has brought us to this opening? The unity and
strength of the democracies, yes. And something else -- the bold,
new thinking in the Soviet Union, the innate desire -- the innate
desire for freedom in the hearts of all men. We will not waver in
our dedication to freedom now. And if we're wise, united and ready
to seize the moment, we will be remembered as the generation that
made all Europe free.
Two centuries ago, a Polish patriot, Thaddeus
Kosciuskzko, came to these American shores to stand for freedom. Let
us honor and remember this hero of our own struggle for freedom by
extending our hand to those who work the shipyards of Gdansk and walk
the cobbled streets of Warsaw. Let us recall the words of the Poles
who struggled for independence: "For your freedom and ours."
(Applause.) Let us support the peaceful evolution of democracy in
Poland. The cause of liberty knows no limits; the friends of
freedom, no borders.
God bless Poland. God bless the United States of
America. Thank you all very much. "Nieck Zyje Polska." (Let Poland
Live.) Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
12:14 P.M. EDT
Document No.
026525 SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
4/15/89
----
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HAMTRAMCK, MICHIGAN
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
>
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
ROGERS
BREEDEN
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1989 APR 14 PM 9: 15
April 14, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
MARK DAVIS MD
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON KG for w
SUBJECT:
Hamtramck
Your first major foreign policy address concerns Eastern Europe
and Poland. You will appear before the old Hamtramck city hall,
in a working class suburb of Detroit, to announce new economic
and political policies toward Poland.
General Scowcroft would like to delete the lines in brackets on
Page Eight ("Let Prague be free," etc.). Dave Demarest strongly
feels that these lines would add a great deal to the speech, and
provide a sound bite for the evening news. They will discuss
this over the weekend.
Most of the Michigan Delegation is expected to be present,
although we do not have confirmations on each Member.
(Davis/Rice)
April 14, 1989
Draft Four
Title: Poland
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HAMTRAMCK
CITY HALL
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1989/noon
Thank you Paul. Cardinal Szoka (Sha-ka). Bob, thank you
for that presentation. It's good to see the Michigan Delegation
has turned out for this event. Bread and salt are both of the
earth, an ancient symbol of a life leavened by health and
prosperity. In this same spirit, I wish you all the same. Now,
if I may, I want to address the health and prosperity of a whole
nation -- the proud people of Poland.
In my Inaugural address, I spoke of the new breeze of
freedom gaining strength around the world. "In man's heart," I
said, "if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The
totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves
from an ancient lifeless tree."
I spoke of the spreading recognition that prosperity can
only come from a free market and the creative genius of the
individual. I spoke of the new potency of democratic ideas -- of
free speech, free elections and the exercise of free will.
2
We should not be surprised that the ideas of democracy are
returning with renewed force in Europe -- the homeland of
philosophers of freedom whose ideals have been so fully realized
in America. Victor Hugo said: "An invasion of armies can be
resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." My friends,
liberty is an idea whose time has come in Eastern Europe
For almost half a century, the suppression of freedom in
Eastern Europe, sustained by the military power of the Soviet
Union, has kept nation from nation, neighbor from neighbor. As
East and West seek to reduce arms, it must not be forgotten that
arms are a symptom, not a source, of tension. The true source of
tension is the imposed and unnatural division of Europe.
How can there be stability and security in Europe and the
world as long as nations and peoples are denied the right to
determine their future -- a right explicitly promised them by
agreements among the victorious powers at the end of World War
Two? How can there be stability and security in Europe as long
as nations, which once stood proudly at the front rank of
industrial powers, are impoverished by a discredited ideology and
stifling authoritarianism? The United States has never accepted
the legitimacy of Europe's division. We accept no spheres of
influence that deny the sovereign rights of nations
3
Yet the winds of change are shaping a new European destiny.
Western Europe is resurgent. Eastern Europe is awakening to
yearnings for democracy, independence and prosperity. In the
Soviet Union itself, we are encouraged by the sound of voices
long silent, and the sight of the rulers consulting the ruled.
We see "new thinking" in some aspects of Soviet foreign policy.
We are hopeful that these stirrings presage meaningful, lasting
and more far-reaching change.
East and West are negotiating on a broad range of issues,
from arms reductions to the environment. But the Cold War began
in Eastern Europe; if it is to end, it will end in this crucible
of world conflict -- and it must end. The American people want
to see East and Central Europe free, prosperous and at peace.
With prudence, realism and patience, we seek to promote the
evolution of freedom -- the opportunities sparked by the Helsinki
accords and deepening East-West contact.
In recent years, we have improved relations with each
country of the region. In each case, we looked for progress in
its international posture and internal practices -- in human
rights, cultural openness, emigration issues, opposition to
terrorism. And we held them accountable for technology theft and
hostile intelligence or foreign policy actions against us.
4
Some regimes are now testing the limits of the new Soviet
tolerance, and seeking to win popular legitimacy through reforms.
In Hungary, a new leadership is experimenting with reforms that
may permit a political pluralism that only a few years ago would
have been unthinkable. And in Poland, on April 5, Solidarity
leader Lech Walesa and Interior Minister Kiszczak signed
agreements that, if faithfully implemented, will be a watershed
in the postwar history of Eastern Europe.
Under the auspices of the Roundtable agreements, the free
trade union Solidarity will be formally restored, a free
opposition press will be legalized, independent political and
other free associations will be permitted, and elections for a
new Polish Senate will be held. These agreements testify to the
realism of the Polish authorities. And they are inspiring
testimony to the spiritual guidance of the Catholic church, the
indomitable spirit of the Polish people -- and the strength and
wisdom of Lech Walesa
Poland faces, and will continue to face for some time,
severe economic problems. A modern French writer observed that
communism is not another form of economics. It is the death of
economics. In Poland, an economic system crippled by the
inefficiencies of central planning, almost proved the death of
initiative and enterprise. Almost. But economic reforms can
5
still give free rein to the enterprising impulse and creative
spirit of the Polish people.
The Polish people understand the magnitude of this
challenge. Democratic forces in Poland have asked for the moral,
political and economic support of the West. And the West will
respond. My Administration is completing a thorough review of
our policies toward Poland and all of Eastern Europe.
After consultation with allies and friends, I have carefully
considered ways pitfalls can be avoided, and ways the United
States can help Poland. We will not act unconditionally, offer
untied aid, or extend unsound credits. We must remember that
Poland is still a member of the Warsaw Pact. We must take no
steps that compromise the security of the West.
The Congress, the Polish-American community, the American
labor movement, our allies and international financial
institutions, must work in concert if Polish democracy is to take
root anew, and sustain itself. We can and must answer this call
to freedom. And it is particularly appropriate, here in
Hamtramck, for me to salute the members and leaders of the
American labor movement for hanging tough with Solidarity through
its darkest days.
6
The Poles are now taking concrete steps that deserve our
active support. I have decided on specific steps by the United
States, carefully chosen to recognize reforms underway, and to
encourage reforms yet to come once Solidarity is legal:
-- I will ask Congress to join me in providing Poland access
to our Generalized System of Preferences, which offers selective
tariff relief to beneficiary countries.
-- We will work with our allies and friends in the Paris
Club to develop sustainable new schedules for Poland to repay its
debt, easing a heavy burden so that a free market can grow.
-- I will also ask Congress to join me in authorizing the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation to operate in Poland, to
the benefit of both Polish and U.S. investors.
-- We will propose negotiations for a private business
agreement with Poland to encourage cooperation between U.S. firms
and Poland's private businesses. Both sides can benefit.
-- The United States will continue to consider supporting,
on their merits, viable loans to the private-sector by the
International Finance Corporation.
7
-- We believe that the Roundtable agreements clear the way
for Poland to be able to work with the International Monetary
Fund on programs that support sound, new, market-oriented
economic policies.
-- We will encourage business and private non-profit groups
to develop innovative programs to swap Polish debt for equity in
Polish enterprises; and for charitable, humanitarian and
environmental projects.
-- We will support imaginative educational, cultural and
training programs to help liberate the creative energies of the
Polish people.
When I visited Poland in September, 1987, I told Chairman
Jaruzelski and Lech Walesa that the American people and
government would respond quickly and imaginatively to significant
internal reform of the kind we see now. Both of them valued that
assurance. So it is especially gratifying for me to witness the
changes now taking place in Poland, and to announce these
important changes in U.S. policy. The United States keeps its
promises.
If Poland's experiment succeeds, other countries may follow.
While we must still differentiate among the nations of Eastern
Europe, Poland offers two lessons for all. First, there can be
8
no progress without significant political and economic
liberalization. Second, help from the West will come in concert
with liberalization. Our friends and European allies share this
philosophy.
The West can now be bold in proposing a vision of the
European future: We dream of the day when there will be no
barriers to the free movement of people, goods and ideas. We
dream of the day when Eastern European peoples will be free to
choose their system of government and to vote for the party of
their choice in regular, contested elections. We dream of the
day when Eastern European countries will be free to choose their
own peaceful course in the world, including closer ties with
Western Europe. And we envision an Eastern Europe in which the
Soviet Union has renounced military intervention as an instrument
of its policy -- on any pretext -- in an explicit, definitive and
convincing repudiation of the Brezhnev Doctrine. ((I call on the
Soviet Union to let Prague be free. Let Budapest be free
And, my friends, let Warsaw be free
Let ALL the peoples of
Europe live in freedom.)
Next month, at a summit of the North Atlantic Alliance, the
leaders of the Western democracies will discuss these concerns.
These are not bilateral issues between the United States and the
Soviet Union. They are, rather, the concern of all the Western
allies, calling for common approaches. The Soviet Union should
9
understand, in turn, that a free democratic Eastern Europe as we
envision it would threaten no one and no country. Such an
evolution would imply, and reinforce, the further improvement of
East-West relations in all dimensions -- arms reductions,
political relations, trade -- in ways that enhance the safety and
well-being of all of Europe. There is no other way.
The unity and strength of the democracies have brought us to
this opening. We will not waver in our dedication to freedom
now. If we are wise, united and ready to seize the moment, we
will be remembered as the generation that made all of Europe
free.
Two centuries ago, a Polish patriot named Thaddeus
Kosciuszko (Kosh-schoo-skoh) came to these American shores to
stand for freedom. Let us honor and remember this hero of our
own struggle for freedom by extending our hand to those who work
the shipyards of Gdansk, and walk the cobbled streets of Warsaw.
Let us recall the words of the Poles who struggled for
independence: "For your freedom and ours." Let us support the
peaceful evolution of democracy in Poland. The cause of liberty
knows no limits; the friends of freedom, no borders.
God bless Poland, and God bless America. Thank you.
#
#
#
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HAMTRAMCK
CITY HALL
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1989/NOON
THANK YOU PAUL. CARDINAL SZOKA (SHA-KA). BoB,
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. It's GOOD TO SEE THE
MICHIGAN DELEGATION HAS TURNED OUT FOR THIS EVENT.
BREAD AND SALT ARE BOTH OF THE EARTH, AN ANCIENT SYMBOL
OF A LIFE LEAVENED BY HEALTH AND PROSPERITY.
- 2 -
IN THIS SAME SPIRIT, I WISH YOU ALL THE SAME. Now, IF
I MAY, I WANT To ADDRESS THE HEALTH AND PROSPERITY OF A
WHOLE NATION -- THE PROUD PEOPLE OF POLAND.
AMERICANS ARE NOT MILDLY SYMPATHETIC SPECTATORS OF
EVENTS IN POLAND. WE ARE BOUND TO POLAND BY A VERY
SPECIAL BOND, A BOND OF BLOOD, OF CULTURE AND SHARED
VALUES. So IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT, AS DRAMATIC CHANGE
COMES TO POLAND, WE SHARE THE ASPIRATIONS AND
EXCITEMENT OF THE POLISH PEOPLE.
- 3 -
IN MY INAUGURAL ADDRESS, I SPOKE OF THE NEW BREEZE
OF FREEDOM GAINING STRENGTH AROUND THE WORLD. "IN
MAN'S HEART," I SAID, "IF NOT IN FACT, THE DAY OF THE
DICTATOR IS OVER. THE TOTALITARIAN ERA IS PASSING, ITS
OLD IDEAS BLOWN AWAY LIKE LEAVES FROM AN ANCIENT
LIFELESS TREE."
I SPOKE OF THE SPREADING RECOGNITION THAT
PROSPERITY CAN ONLY COME FROM A FREE MARKET AND THE
CREATIVE GENIUS OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
- 4 -
I SPOKE OF THE NEW POTENCY OF DEMOCRATIC IDEAS -- OF
FREE SPEECH, FREE ELECTIONS AND THE EXERCISE OF FREE
WILL.
WE SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED THAT THE IDEAS OF
DEMOCRACY ARE RETURNING WITH RENEWED FORCE IN EUROPE --
THE HOMELAND OF PHILOSOPHERS OF FREEDOM WHOSE IDEALS
HAVE BEEN SO FULLY REALIZED IN AMERICA.
- 5 -
VICTOR HUGO SAID: "AN INVASION OF ARMIES CAN BE
RESISTED, BUT NOT AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME. " MY
FRIENDS, LIBERTY IS AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME IN
EASTERN EUROPE
FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY, THE SUPPRESSION OF
FREEDOM IN EASTERN EUROPE, SUSTAINED BY THE MILITARY
POWER OF THE SOVIET UNION, HAS KEPT NATION FROM NATION,
NEIGHBOR FROM NEIGHBOR.
- 6 -
As EAST AND WEST SEEK TO REDUCE ARMS, IT MUST NOT BE
FORGOTTEN THAT ARMS ARE A SYMPTOM, NOT A SOURCE, OF
TENSION. THE TRUE SOURCE OF TENSION IS THE IMPOSED AND
UNNATURAL DIVISION OF EUROPE.
How CAN THERE BE STABILITY AND SECURITY IN EUROPE
AND THE WORLD AS LONG AS NATIONS AND PEOPLES ARE DENIED
THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE THEIR FUTURE -- A RIGHT
EXPLICITLY PROMISED THEM BY AGREEMENTS AMONG THE
VICTORIOUS POWERS AT THE END OF WORLD WAR Two?
- 7 -
How CAN THERE BE STABILITY AND SECURITY IN EUROPE AS
LONG AS NATIONS, WHICH ONCE STOOD PROUDLY AT THE FRONT
RANK OF INDUSTRIAL POWERS, ARE IMPOVERISHED BY A
DISCREDITED IDEOLOGY AND STIFLING AUTHORITARIANISM?
THE UNITED STATES HAS NEVER ACCEPTED THE LEGITIMACY OF
EUROPE'S DIVISION. WE ACCEPT NO SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
THAT DENY THE SOVEREIGN RIGHTS OF NATIONS
YET THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE SHAPING A NEW EUROPEAN
DESTINY. WESTERN EUROPE IS RESURGENT.
- 8 -
EASTERN EUROPE IS AWAKENING TO YEARNINGS FOR DEMOCRACY,
INDEPENDENCE AND PROSPERITY. IN THE SOVIET UNION
ITSELF, WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE SOUND OF VOICES LONG
SILENT, AND THE SIGHT OF THE RULERS CONSULTING THE
RULED. WE SEE "NEW THINKING" IN SOME ASPECTS OF SOVIET
FOREIGN POLICY. WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THESE STIRRINGS
PRESAGE MEANINGFUL, LASTING AND MORE FAR-REACHING
CHANGE.
- 9 -
LET NO ONE DOUBT THE SINCERITY OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENT IN OUR DESIRE TO SEE REFORM
SUCCEED IN THE SOVIET UNION. WE WELCOME THE CHANGES
THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO
ENCOURAGE GREATER RECOGNITION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, MARKET
INCENTIVES AND ELECTIONS.
EAST AND WEST ARE NEGOTIATING ON A BROAD RANGE OF
ISSUES, FROM ARMS REDUCTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
- 10 -
BUT THE COLD WAR BEGAN IN EASTERN EUROPE; IF IT IS TO
END, IT WILL END IN THIS CRUCIBLE OF WORLD CONFLICT --
AND IT MUST END. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO SEE EAST
AND CENTRAL EUROPE FREE, PROSPEROUS AND AT PEACE. WITH
PRUDENCE, REALISM AND PATIENCE, WE SEEK TO PROMOTE THE
EVOLUTION OF FREEDOM -- THE OPPORTUNITIES SPARKED BY
THE HELSINKI ACCORDS AND DEEPENING EAST-WEST CONTACT.
IN RECENT YEARS, WE HAVE IMPROVED RELATIONS WITH
COUNTRIES IN THE REGION.
- 11 -
IN EACH CASE, WE LOOKED FOR PROGRESS IN ITS
INTERNATIONAL POSTURE AND INTERNAL PRACTICES -- IN
HUMAN RIGHTS, CULTURAL OPENNESS, EMIGRATION ISSUES,
OPPOSITION TO TERRORISM. WHILE WE WANT RELATIONS TO
IMPROVE, THERE ARE CERTAIN ACTS WE WILL NOT CONDONE OR
ACCEPT -- BEHAVIOR THAT CAN SHIFT RELATIONS IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, TECHNOLOGY THEFT,
AND HOSTILE INTELLIGENCE OR FOREIGN POLICY ACTIONS
AGAINST US.
- 12 -
SOME REGIMES ARE NOW SEEKING TO WIN POPULAR
LEGITIMACY THROUGH REFORMS. IN HUNGARY, A NEW
LEADERSHIP IS EXPERIMENTING WITH REFORMS THAT MAY
PERMIT A POLITICAL PLURALISM THAT ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO
WOULD HAVE BEEN UNTHINKABLE. AND IN POLAND, ON APRIL
5, SOLIDARITY LEADER LECH WALESA AND INTERIOR MINISTER
KISZCZAK SIGNED AGREEMENTS THAT, IF FAITHFULLY
IMPLEMENTED, WILL BE A WATERSHED IN THE POSTWAR HISTORY
OF EASTERN EUROPE.
- 13 -
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE ROUNDTABLE AGREEMENTS,
THE FREE TRADE UNION SOLIDARITY WILL BE FORMALLY
RESTORED, A FREE OPPOSITION PRESS WILL BE LEGALIZED,
INDEPENDENT POLITICAL AND OTHER FREE ASSOCIATIONS WILL
BE PERMITTED, AND ELECTIONS FOR A NEW POLISH SENATE
WILL BE HELD. THESE AGREEMENTS TESTIFY TO THE REALISM
OF GENERAL JARUZELSKI AND HIS COLLEAGUES.
- 14 -
AND THEY ARE INSPIRING TESTIMONY TO THE SPIRITUAL
GUIDANCE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT
OF THE POLISH PEOPLE -- AND THE STRENGTH AND WISDOM OF
LECH WALESA
POLAND FACES, AND WILL CONTINUE TO FACE FOR SOME
TIME, SEVERE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. A MODERN FRENCH WRITER
OBSERVED THAT COMMUNISM IS NOT ANOTHER FORM OF
ECONOMICS. IT IS THE DEATH OF ECONOMICS.
- 15 -
IN POLAND, AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM CRIPPLED BY THE
INEFFICIENCIES OF CENTRAL PLANNING, ALMOST PROVED THE
DEATH OF INITIATIVE AND ENTERPRISE. ALMOST. BUT
ECONOMIC REFORMS CAN STILL GIVE FREE REIN TO THE
ENTERPRISING IMPULSE AND CREATIVE SPIRIT OF THE POLISH
PEOPLE.
THE POLISH PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS
CHALLENGE. DEMOCRATIC FORCES IN POLAND HAVE ASKED FOR
THE MORAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT OF THE WEST.
- 16 -
AND THE WEST WILL RESPOND. My ADMINISTRATION IS
COMPLETING A THOROUGH REVIEW OF OUR POLICIES TOWARD
POLAND AND ALL OF EASTERN EUROPE.
I HAVE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED WAYS THE UNITED STATES
CAN HELP POLAND. WE WILL NOT ACT UNCONDITIONALLY. WE
WILL NOT OFFER UNSOUND CREDITS. WE WILL NOT OFFER AID
WITHOUT REQUIRING SOUND ECONOMIC PRACTICES IN RETURN.
- 17 -
WE MUST REMEMBER THAT POLAND IS STILL A MEMBER OF THE
WARSAW PacT. WE MUST TAKE NO STEPS THAT COMPROMISE THE
SECURITY OF THE WEST.
THE CONGRESS, THE POLISH-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, THE
AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENT, OUR ALLIES AND INTERNATIONAL
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, MUST WORK IN CONCERT IF POLISH
DEMOCRACY IS TO TAKE ROOT ANEW, AND SUSTAIN ITSELF. WE
CAN AND MUST ANSWER THIS CALL TO FREEDOM.
- 18 -
AND IT IS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE, HERE IN HAMTRAMCK,
FOR ME TO SALUTE THE MEMBERS AND LEADERS OF THE
AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENT FOR HANGING TOUGH WITH
SOLIDARITY THROUGH ITS DARKEST DAYS.
THE POLES ARE NOW TAKING CONCRETE STEPS THAT
DESERVE OUR ACTIVE SUPPORT. I HAVE DECIDED ON SPECIFIC
STEPS BY THE UNITED STATES, CAREFULLY CHOSEN TO
RECOGNIZE REFORMS UNDERWAY, AND TO ENCOURAGE REFORMS
YET TO COME ONCE SOLIDARITY IS LEGAL:
- 19 -
-- I WILL ASK CONGRESS TO JOIN ME IN PROVIDING
POLAND ACCESS TO OUR GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES,
WHICH OFFERS SELECTIVE TARIFF RELIEF TO BENEFICIARY
COUNTRIES.
-- WE WILL WORK WITH OUR ALLIES AND FRIENDS IN THE
PARIS CLUB TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE NEW SCHEDULES FOR
POLAND TO REPAY ITS DEBT, EASING A HEAVY BURDEN so THAT
A FREE MARKET CAN GROW.
- 20 -
-- I WILL ALSO ASK CONGRESS TO JOIN ME IN
AUTHORIZING THE OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION
TO OPERATE IN POLAND, TO THE BENEFIT OF BOTH POLISH AND
U.S. INVESTORS.
-- WE WILL PROPOSE NEGOTIATIONS FOR A PRIVATE
BUSINESS AGREEMENT WITH POLAND TO ENCOURAGE COOPERATION
BETWEEN U.S. FIRMS AND POLAND'S PRIVATE BUSINESSES.
BOTH SIDES CAN BENEFIT.
- 21 -
-- THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO CONSIDER
SUPPORTING, ON THEIR MERITS, VIABLE LOANS TO THE
PRIVATE-SECTOR BY THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
CORPORATION.
-- WE BELIEVE THAT THE ROUNDTABLE AGREEMENTS CLEAR
THE WAY FOR POLAND TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND ON PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT
SOUND, NEW, MARKET-ORIENTED ECONOMIC POLICIES.
- 22 -
-- WE WILL ENCOURAGE BUSINESS AND PRIVATE NON-
PROFIT GROUPS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS TO SWAP
POLISH DEBT FOR EQUITY IN POLISH ENTERPRISES; AND FOR
CHARITABLE, HUMANITARIAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS.
-- WE WILL SUPPORT IMAGINATIVE EDUCATIONAL,
CULTURAL AND TRAINING PROGRAMS TO HELP LIBERATE THE
CREATIVE ENERGIES OF THE POLISH PEOPLE.
- 23 -
WHEN I VISITED POLAND IN SEPTEMBER, 1987, I TOLD
CHAIRMAN JARUZELSKI AND LECH WALESA THAT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT WOULD RESPOND QUICKLY AND
IMAGINATIVELY TO SIGNIFICANT INTERNAL REFORM OF THE
KIND WE SEE NOW. BOTH OF THEM VALUED THAT ASSURANCE.
So IT IS ESPECIALLY GRATIFYING FOR ME TO WITNESS THE
CHANGES NOW TAKING PLACE IN POLAND, AND TO ANNOUNCE
THESE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN U.S. POLICY. THE UNITED
STATES KEEPS ITS PROMISES.
- 24 -
IF POLAND'S EXPERIMENT SUCCEEDS, OTHER COUNTRIES
MAY FOLLOW. WHILE WE MUST STILL DIFFERENTIATE AMONG
THE NATIONS OF EASTERN EUROPE, POLAND OFFERS TWO
LESSONS FOR ALL. FIRST, THERE CAN BE NO PROGRESS
WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
LIBERALIZATION. SECOND, HELP FROM THE WEST WILL COME
IN CONCERT WITH LIBERALIZATION. OUR FRIENDS AND
EUROPEAN ALLIES SHARE THIS PHILOSOPHY.
- 25 -
THE WEST CAN NOW BE BOLD IN PROPOSING A VISION OF
THE EUROPEAN FUTURE: WE DREAM OF THE DAY WHEN THERE
WILL BE NO BARRIERS TO THE FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE,
GOODS AND IDEAS. WE DREAM OF THE DAY WHEN EASTERN
EUROPEAN PEOPLES WILL BE FREE TO CHOOSE THEIR SYSTEM OF
GOVERNMENT AND TO VOTE FOR THE PARTY OF THEIR CHOICE IN
REGULAR, CONTESTED ELECTIONS.
- 26 -
WE DREAM OF THE DAY WHEN EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
WILL BE FREE TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN PEACEFUL COURSE IN THE
WORLD, INCLUDING CLOSER TIES WITH WESTERN EUROPE. AND
WE ENVISION AN EASTERN EUROPE IN WHICH THE SOVIET UNION
HAS RENOUNCED MILITARY INTERVENTION AS AN INSTRUMENT OF
ITS POLICY -- ON ANY PRETEXT
WE SHARE AN
UNWAVERING CONVICTION THAT ONE DAY ALL THE PEOPLES OF
EUROPE WILL LIVE IN FREEDOM.
- 27 -
NEXT MONTH, AT A SUMMIT OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
ALLIANCE, THE LEADERS OF THE WESTERN DEMOCRACIES WILL
DISCUSS THESE CONCERNS. THESE ARE NOT BILATERAL ISSUES
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION. THEY
ARE, RATHER, THE CONCERN OF ALL THE WESTERN ALLIES,
CALLING FOR COMMON APPROACHES. THE SOVIET UNION SHOULD
UNDERSTAND, IN TURN, THAT A FREE DEMOCRATIC EASTERN
EUROPE AS WE ENVISION IT WOULD THREATEN NO ONE AND NO
COUNTRY.
- 28 -
SUCH AN EVOLUTION WOULD IMPLY, AND REINFORCE, THE
FURTHER IMPROVEMENT OF EAST-WEST RELATIONS IN ALL
DIMENSIONS -- ARMS REDUCTIONS, POLITICAL RELATIONS,
TRADE -- IN WAYS THAT ENHANCE THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING
OF ALL OF EUROPE. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.
WHAT HAS BROUGHT US TO THIS OPENING? THE UNITY AND
STRENGTH OF THE DEMOCRACIES, AND SOMETHING ELSE -- THE
BOLD NEW THINKING IN THE SOVIET UNION; THE INNATE
DESIRE FOR FREEDOM IN THE HEARTS OF ALL MEN.
- 29 -
WE WILL NOT WAVER IN OUR DEDICATION TO FREEDOM NOW. IF
WE ARE WISE, UNITED AND READY TO SEIZE THE MOMENT, WE
WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE GENERATION THAT HELPED ALL OF
EUROPE FIND ITS DESTINY IN FREEDOM.
Two CENTURIES AGO, A POLISH PATRIOT NAMED THADDEUS
Kosciuszko (KOSH-SCHOO-SKOH) CAME TO THESE AMERICAN
SHORES TO STAND FOR FREEDOM.
- 30 -
LET US HONOR AND REMEMBER THIS HERO OF OUR OWN STRUGGLE
FOR FREEDOM BY EXTENDING OUR HAND TO THOSE WHO WORK THE
SHIPYARDS OF GDANSK, AND WALK THE COBBLED STREETS OF
WARSAW. LET US RECALL THE WORDS OF THE POLES WHO
STRUGGLED FOR INDEPENDENCE: "FOR YOUR FREEDOM AND
OURS." LET US SUPPORT THE PEACEFUL EVOLUTION OF
DEMOCRACY IN POLAND. THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY KNOWS NO
LIMITS; THE FRIENDS OF FREEDOM, NO BORDERS.
- 31 -
GOD BLESS POLAND, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA. THANK
YOU.
#
#
#