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Arrival from Europe Trip 7/18/89
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Arrival from Europe Trip 7/18/89
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
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:
13496
Folder ID Number:
13496-001
Folder Title:
Arrival from Europe Trip 7/18/89
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
4
2
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
July 18, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
UPON ARRIVAL FROM
EUROPEAN TRIP
The South Lawn
2:52 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you for this warm welcome
home. Barbara and I are delighted to be back and we thank you for
this warm welcome back. And I know you've seen some of what we
experienced during this trip, but let me just share with you now some
of the memorable moments of the last 10 days that will certainly stay
in my mind: The open arms of the people of Poland; American flags
waving in the square at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk; the faces of
the people who lined the streets, greeting us with such joy; the
thousands who endured a driving downpour in Budapest to welcome us to
Hungary; the students I spoke to there -- the hope of Hungary's
future -- and images we won't forget. The warmth Barbara and I felt
is a reflection of the warmth the people of Poland and Hungary feel
for America and for our ideals.
And then there was Paris, celebrating the bicentennial of
the revolution that brought forth the rights of man. And how
satisfying it was to witness the unity of purpose that emerged from
the summit, ranging from East-West relations to the environment. And
finally, The Netherlands and that church at Leiden -- spiritual home
of the pilgrim fathers and American ideals.
But of all these special moments, I want to share one
with you that is truly special in its message. It's a story told by
a Polish woman at a luncheon meeting that I hosted in Warsaw. Around
the table sat members of Poland's Communist Party and members of
Solidarity -- in some cases, men and women who had been imprisoned on
the party's orders not so long ago and who were now elected members
of the Polish Parliament. And it was remarkable proof of how far
Poland has come.
But in Poland and in Hungary as well, progress hasn't
come without heroic efforts -- a heroism that comes from deep within
the heart. And this woman, who'd worked at personal risk for the
release of many who had been jailed, was asked: How is it possible,
after such a short time, to break bread with the men who ordered
those imprisonments -- why the absence of bitterness? And she said,
"Our joy at what is now happening is more powerful than memory. " And
those are the words of someone who means to build a better future --
the desire to move forward towards a better life a life of
freedom. It's a source of tremendous strength.
It's the strength that enabled the government and
Solidarity to sit down at the roundtable to negotiate new political
progress for Poland, the strength that enabled Lech Walesa and
General Jaruzelski to sit side-by-side at the opening of the new
Polish Parliament. And it's a strength that in Hungary is enabling
the government and an emerging opposition to find a common ground in
reform -- to sit together in writing a new constitution and in
planning truly free elections.
And we must not forget that is was the strength and
cohesion of our Western Alliance that has helped make these dramatic
changes possible. Everywhere -- in Warsaw, Gdansk and Budapest,
among the leaders of the summit nations in Paris and then in The
MORE
- 2 -
Netherlands -- I found an enormous amount of excitement - -- excitement
at the times in which we are living and the possibilities they offer
-- the chance we have in our lifetimes to move beyond containment to
end the division of Europe to make that continent truly whole and
free. Everywhere people seem to sense that we live at a moment when
positive change is possible.
And, as I said yesterday in the Dutch city of Leiden,
history's great wheel is turning once again. And just as the wind of
hope carried the Pilgrims to a new world, we, too, now find a new
world within our reach -- a world where the yearnings for freedom
overcomes discord and confrontation -- where freedom and democracy
flourish for others, as they have for this great country of ours.
Thank you for this welcome home. It is good to be back.
And God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.
(Applause.)
END
2:57 P.M. EDT
REMARKS: ARRIVAL STATEMENT
THE WHITE HOUSE
FINAL
JULY 18, 1989
THANK YOU. I AM DELIGHTED TO BE BACK. BARBARA AND
I THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL WELCOME HOME.
You've HEARD OUR STATEMENTS, WATCHED THE PRESS
CONFERENCES, AND I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THE
REMARKABLE EVENTS WE'VE EXPERIENCED THESE PAST TEN
DAYS.
- 2 -
WHAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU RIGHT NOW IS SOME OF THE
MANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS THAT WILL STAY IN MY MIND.
THE OPEN ARMS OF THE PEOPLE OF POLAND. AMERICAN
FLAGS WAVING IN THE SQUARE AT THE LENIN SHIPYARD IN
GDANSK -- THE FACES OF THE PEOPLE WHO LINED THE
STREETS, WHO GREETED BARBARA AND ME WITH SUCH JOY. THE
THOUSANDS WHO ENDURED A DRIVING DOWNPOUR IN BUDAPEST TO
WELCOME ME TO HUNGARY. THE STUDENTS I SPOKE TO
THERE -- THE HOPE OF HUNGARY'S FUTURE.
- 3 -
IMAGES WE WON'T FORGET. THE WARMTH BARBARA AND I FELT
IS A REFLECTION OF THE WARMTH THE PEOPLE OF POLAND AND
HUNGARY FEEL FOR AMERICA AND OUR IDEALS.
BUT OF ALL THESE SPECIAL MOMENTS, I WANT TO SHARE
ONE WITH YOU THAT IS TRULY SPECIAL IN ITS MESSAGE.
It's A STORY TOLD BY A POLISH WOMAN AT A LUNCHEON
MEETING ON OUR SECOND DAY IN WARSAW.
- 4 -
AROUND THE TABLE SAT MEMBERS OF POLAND'S COMMUNIST
PARTY AND MEMBERS OF SOLIDARITY -- IN SOME CASES, MEN
AND WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN IMPRISONED ON THE PARTY'S ORDERS
NOT so LONG AGO, AND WHO ARE NOW ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE
POLISH PARLIAMENT.
IT WAS REMARKABLE PROOF OF HOW FAR POLAND HAS COME.
BUT IN POLAND -- AND IN HUNGARY AS WELL -- PROGRESS
HASN'T COME WITHOUT HEROIC EFFORTS -- A HEROISM THAT
COMES FROM DEEP WITHIN THE HEART.
- 5 -
THIS WOMAN WHO HAD ENDURED SO MUCH WAS ASKED: How IS
IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO SIT AT THIS TABLE? How IS IT
POSSIBLE TO BREAK BREAD WITH THE MEN WHO ORDERED YOUR
IMPRISONMENT?
LET ME TELL YOU WHAT SHE SAID: "My JOY IN WHAT IS
HAPPENING IS MORE POWERFUL THAN MEMORY.'
THOSE ARE THE WORDS OF SOMEONE WHO MEANS TO BUILD A
BETTER FUTURE.
- 6 -
THE DESIRE TO MOVER FORWARD -- TOWARDS A BETTER LIFE, A
LIFE OF FREEDOM -- IS A SOURCE OF TREMENDOUS STRENGTH.
IT IS THE STRENGTH THAT ENABLED THE GOVERNMENT AND
SOLIDARITY TO SIT DOWN AT THE ROUNDTABLE, TO NEGOTIATE
A NEW POLITICAL PROCESS FOR POLAND -- THE STRENGTH
ENABLED LECH WALESA AND GENERAL JARUSZELSKI TO SIT SIDE
BY SIDE AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW POLISH PARLIAMENT.
- 7 -
IT IS A STRENGTH THAT IN HUNGARY IS ENABLING THE
GOVERNMENT AND A STRONG, EMERGING OPPOSITION TO FIND A
COMMON GROUND IN REFORM.
AND LAST OF ALL, THAT STRENGTH IS A POWERFUL
IMPULSE THAT TELLS ME REFORM WILL SUCCEED BECAUSE IT
HAS THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE.
- 8 -
WE CAME FULL CIRCLE ON THIS TRIP. FROM POLAND AND
HUNGARY -- TWO NATIONS STRIVING FOR A FUTURE OF FREEDOM
-- TO FRANCE, AS IT CELEBRATED THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE
REVOLUTION THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THE RIGHTS OF MAN. ON TO
THE NETHERLANDS, WHERE OUR PILGRIMS SET OUT FOR THE NEW
WORLD -- AND FINALLY, HOME TO AMERICA WHERE THE
PILGRIMS FOUND THE FREEDOM THEY SOUGHT.
- 9 -
EVERYWHERE -- IN WARSAW, GDANSK, AND BUDAPEST,
AMONG THE LEADERS OF THE SUMMIT NATIONS -- I FOUND AN
ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF HOPE. HOPE THAT WE CAN SOLVE THE
DIFFICULT CHALLENGES WE FACE: WHETHER IT'S CLEANING UP
POLLUTION, HELPING DEBTOR NATIONS ONTO THEIR FEET AND
ONTO THE PATCH TO ECONOMIC GROWTH -- OR PUTTING
AMERICA'S OWN FISCAL HOUSE IN ORDER.
- 10 -
HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO BUILD BETTER RELATIONS
WITH THE SOVIET UNION -- MOVE BEYOND CONTAINMENT -- AND
MAKE PROGRESS ON REDUCING ARMS.
EVERYWHERE, PEOPLE SEEM TO SENSE THAT WE LIVE AT A
MOMENT WHEN POSITIVE CHANGE IS POSSIBLE. AND AS I SAID
YESTERDAY IN THE DUTCH CITY OF LEIDEN, JUST AS THE
WINDS OF HOPE CARRIED THE PILGRIMS TO A NEW WORLD, WE
TOO NOW FIND A NEW WORLD WITHIN OUR REACH.
- 11 -
A WORLD WHERE THE YEARNING FOR FREEDOM OVERCOMES
DISCORD AND DIVISION -- WHERE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY
FLOURISH FOR OTHERS AS THEY HAVE HERE.
ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU. IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME. GOD
BLESS YOU, AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
###