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200th Anniversary of the Attorney General 9/22/89
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Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/20/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
WINSTON
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
11:2d 02 SEP 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 20, 1989
E0 : 21d 02220 60
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON cw
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY and
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE 200th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration and review are draft
remarks for Friday's address commemorating the 200th anniversary
of the office of the Attorney General.
II. DISCUSSION
At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, September 22, 1989, you are
scheduled to arrive at the Departmental Auditorium in Washington,
to address a gathering commemorating the bicentennial of the
office of the Attorney General. Most of the approximately 650 in
attendance will be Justice Department employees or officials.
Attorney General Richard Thornburgh will introduce you.
In addition, almost every living Attorney General will be joining
you on the auditorium stage, including Edwin Meese III, William
French Smith, Benjamin Civiletti, Griffin Bell, Edward Levi,
Elliot Richardson, Richard Kleindienst, Ramsey Clark, Nicholas
Katzenbach, William Rogers, and Herbert Brownell, as well as Mrs.
Ethel Kennedy.
(McNally/Simon)
Sept. 20, 1989, 10:00 a.m.
Draft Four (B:AG)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding job he is doing for this Department, and for America.
[[ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]]
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
2
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in to
appear before the Supreme Court. President Madison's Attorney
General resigned because he was forced to move from Baltimore to
Washington. If he thought that was bad, it's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming until 1818, when Congress
voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by giving him
money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about ten years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
3
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for brevity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department submitted a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]]
Taft didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the
Secretary of Agriculture spent two days at the White House
consumed in oral argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes
great" -- "Less Filling." [[PAUSE]]
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Generals in times of crisis. Robert Jackson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal allowed FDR to
rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in the
Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike on
his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. And it was
Bobby Kennedy's astute advice to respond to the first Khrushchev
letter -- ignoring the hard-line letter that followed -- that
enabled the President to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The British destroyers, and the
withdrawal of the Cuban missiles, helped preserve America's
4
freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this nation to
honor its promise of equality for all men and women of all races.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
You are indeed the bravest and the best. Today there are
four thousand lawyers in the Justice Department, and Dick tells
me that some of you are SO clever, you've had loopholes named
after you. [[PAUSE]]
And these days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest
and the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI,
DEA, and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
5
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in June. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will boost the capacity of federal prisons by
almost 80 percent.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
6
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best. "
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE N/C phone
R
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
R
PINKERTON N/C phone
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT M/C phone
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
LI :8v EI PEP 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
89 SEP 12 P6: 18
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
Tr.pp
outstanding job he is doing for this Department, and for America.
633-3699
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
ten
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity brevity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced submitted a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
JACKSON
Generals in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
of all roces.
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and womenx
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
boost
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisonsy by almost 50%
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best."
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 14, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON cu
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY grew
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE 200th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
I.
SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration and review are draft
remarks for next week's address commemorating the 200th
anniversary of the office of the Attorney General.
II. DISCUSSION
At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, September 22, 1989, you are
scheduled to arrive at the Departmental Auditorium in Washington,
to address a gathering commemorating the bicentennial of the
office of the Attorney General. Most of the approximately 1,200 650
in attendance will be Justice Department employees or officials.
Attorney General Richard Thornburgh will introduce you.
In addition, almost every living Attorney General will be joining
you on the auditorium stage, including Edwin Meese III, William
French Smith, Benjamin Civiletti, Griffin Bell, Edward Levi,
Elliot Richardson, Richard Kleindienst, Ramsey Clark, Nicholas
Katzenbach, William Rogers, and Herbert Brownell, as well as Mrs.
Ethel Kennedy.
4
change May to June(ox-sr)
3 'S
11
(McNally/Simon)
Sept. 14, 1989, 10:00 a.m.
Draft Three (B:AG)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding job he is doing for this Department, and for America.
[Acknowledgements]
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
2
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in to
appear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about ten years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
3
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for brevity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department submitted a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
S
General in times of crisis. It was Robert Jackson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
*
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
In 1462, Robert Kinnedy advised his bracher
about highe aspects Culvan missile crisis.
4
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women of
all races.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
5
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will boost the capacity of federal prisons by
almost 80%.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best. "
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 14, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: 200th Anniversary
of the Attorney General
The draft remarks on the 200th Anniversary of the Attorney
General for delivery on Friday, September 22nd, look good.
They include a large number of interesting anecdotes that
should be a real hit.
My only suggestion is that on page 4 in the paragraph
which begins "You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill se
sent to Congress in May," this should be changed to "June,"
when the legislation was transmitted. The President made his
proposals in May, but the actual Crime Control Bill was
transmitted in June.
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
P
SUNUNU
У
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
i
ROGERS
i
CARD
R
PINKERTON
P
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
R
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
39 SEP 12 P6: 18
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding he is doing for this Department, and for America.
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Generals in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisons.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best. "
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
S
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
9
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
\
ROGERS
CARD
PINKERTON
P
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
R
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
No comment.
Robpentain 6:80 9/13/89 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 13, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
LEE S. LIBERMAN Iss
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
200th Anniv. of A-G Remarks
I have one picky suggestion. On p. 3, third line, you might want
to replace "clarity" with "brevity." I am not sure the President
ought to say anything that sounds like an endorsement of the
reasoning of that opinion. Otherwise no objections.
CC: James W. Cicconi
85 : 8v rl d3S 68
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
>
MCCLURE
P
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
P
PINKERTON
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
6E :8v 68
"See
Comments 9/13/89
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
89 SEP 12 P6: 18
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Several
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
other A6's on my
friend Dick job Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding he is doing for this Department, and for America.
call Tripped
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
Layd 633-3699
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
for info. more
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G. 's
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling. "
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney's
General in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson Jackson legal
Check.
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisons.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. -I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best. "
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
STATE EXECUTIVE BUDGET UNITED OFFICE WIN RESIDENT
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
NOTICE:
Enclosed are comments from staff members of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). Such comments do not necessarily
represent the official position of the Director of OMB or of the
Office of Management and Budget. If you wish to have the
Director's personal comments, please let me know --- and contact
me if you have any questions.
David J. Haun
Executive Assistant
to the Director
89 SEP 13 P5 : 47
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
d
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
See comments
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
89 SEP 12 P6: 18
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
frigging
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding Liob (he is doing for this Department, and for America.
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former M S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Generals in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
Grashy
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisons.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best. "
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
Simon edits
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
job
outstanding he is doing for this Department, and for America.
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [ [PAUSE]] In another
ten
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
submitted
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced a brief
X
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Jackson's
Generals in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson legal
X
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
boost
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisons. by almost 80%
X
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best."
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding he is doing for this Department, and for America.
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
7
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G. 's
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Generals in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisons.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best."
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
>
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
Я
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
R
PINKERTON
P
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
nice work
RESPONSE:
LS 29 pl SEP 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Simon)
September 12, 1989, 6:00 p.m.
Draft Two (B:AG)
69 SEP 12 P6: 18
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick job Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding he is doing for this Department, and for America.
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in
2
toappear before the Supreme Court. In 1814, President Madison
insisted that Attorney General William Pinkney move from
Baltimore to Washington as a condition of his continued
employment. Pinkney refused and resigned. It's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming at Justice until 1818,
when Congress voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by
giving him money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about twenty years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G. 's
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
3
A.G. 's Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for clarity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department produced a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]] Taft
didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the Secretary
of Agriculture spent two days at the White House consumed in oral
argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes great" -- "Less
Filling."
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Generals in times of crisis. It was Robert Johnson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal that enabled FDR
to rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in
the Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike
on his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The destroyers helped preserve
America's freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this
nation to honor its promise of equality for all men and women.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
4
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
These days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest and
the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI, DEA,
and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in May. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
5
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will almost double the capacity of federal
prisons.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best."
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#
BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 9-13-89 :11:01AM ;
96732511;# 2
Document No. 071992
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 6:00 p.m. 09/13
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SUBJECT:
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
1
MCCLURE
d
SUNUNU
R
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
PINKERTON
\
WINSTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
Fine as written. -Dainttell for WM. 9/13/84 Bennett.
8E rd 11 d3S 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Document No. 071993
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 6:00 p.m. 09/13
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
(09/12 6:00 p.m. draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
>
MCCLURE
d
SUNUNU
9
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
P
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 09/13, with a copy to my
office. Thanks.
RESPONSE:
No Comments.
86 rd d3S 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 20, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
cw
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY 2mw
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE 200th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration and review are draft
remarks for Friday's address commemorating the 200th anniversary
of the office of the Attorney General.
II. DISCUSSION
At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, September 22, 1989, you are
scheduled to arrive at the Departmental Auditorium in Washington,
to address a gathering commemorating the bicentennial of the
office of the Attorney General. Most of the approximately 650 in
attendance will be Justice Department employees or officials.
Attorney General Richard Thornburgh will introduce you.
In addition, almost every living Attorney General will be joining
you on the auditorium stage, including Edwin Meese III, William
French Smith, Benjamin Civiletti, Griffin Bell, Edward Levi,
Elliot Richardson, Richard Kleindienst, Ramsey Clark, Nicholas
Katzenbach, William Rogers, and Herbert Brownell, as well as Mrs.
Ethel Kennedy.
(McNally/Simon)
Sept. 20, 1989, 10:00 a.m.
Draft Four (B:AG)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: 200TH ANNIV. OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989 -- 9:00 A.M.
Good morning. And thank you all. And thanks especially to
my friend Dick Thornburgh, for those kind words and for the
outstanding job he is doing for this Department, and for America.
[[ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
All of America's history is traced from austere beginnings,
from the spare and difficult lives of the first colonists, to the
hardships of the revolutionary army, to a small and meagerly
funded federal government.
The American adventure started down the path of history with
little in the way of any concrete resources: Too few funds. Too
little manpower. Too many dangers. And too little assurance of
success. It's been quite a journey.
Today, Dick Thornburgh may think his efforts are plagued by
budget complications. George Washington's Attorney General
didn't have any budget complications. He simply wasn't given any
budget. [[PAUSE]]
And for years Congress never criticized our A.G.'s about
conflicts of interest. Until 1853, Congress paid the A.G. a
lower salary because he was expected to make most of his money
from private practice. Extend that plan to all 4,000 lawyers
here and the problem today would be the budget surplus. [PAUSE]
2
In fact, the early A.G.'s often did not even live in the
capital, but did business at home by mail, only coming in to
appear before the Supreme Court. President Madison's Attorney
General resigned because he was forced to move from Baltimore to
Washington. If he thought that was bad, it's a good thing he
never saw the new financial disclosure forms. [[PAUSE]]
Things didn't really begin booming until 1818, when Congress
voted to double the size of the A.G.'s office -- by giving him
money to hire his first clerk. [[PAUSE]]
Four years later, Congress relented and also gave the two of
them an actual office in which to work. [[PAUSE]] In another
milestone about ten years after that, Congress set aside some
money so that the office could get its first law books. [PAUSE]
Austere beginnings, yes. But part of the genius of America
is that, well, we've never really minded having the odds that
way. Again and again, we've succeeded against the odds because
the one element that's never been lacking is what the world has
come to know as the American spirit.
The American spirit means initiative. Commitment. Hard
work. Fairness. And it means faith -- faith in God, faith in
our ideals, and faith that, no matter the challenge or the
difficulties, justice will prevail in the end.
And it is justice that we celebrate today -- equal justice
for all Americans.
Every President since Washington has depended on his A.G.'s
counsel when the big decisions had to be made. Andrew Johnson's
3
A.G., James Speed, lived up to his name by writing the shortest
A.G.'s Opinion on record, authorizing Lincoln's assassins to be
tried by a military court. It contained just 28 words -- and
might serve as a model for brevity of writing.
A generation later, President Taft, a former S.G., went to
the other extreme. During the pure food laws debate on the legal
definition of "whiskey," the Justice Department submitted a brief
numbering 1,242 pages. Taft read it in its entirety -- a
presidential record I hope never to break. [[PAUSE]]
Taft didn't resolve the debate until after the A.G. and the
Secretary of Agriculture spent two days at the White House
consumed in oral argument. And this was 50 years before "Tastes
great" -- "Less Filling." [[PAUSE]]
Presidents have particularly turned to their Attorney
Generals in times of crisis. Robert Jackson's legal
justification of the "bases for destroyers" deal allowed FDR to
rush 50 surplus warships to Churchill at a critical time in the
Battle for the Atlantic. In 1957, William Rogers advised Ike on
his constitutional authority to send federal troops to enforce
court-ordered desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. And it was
Bobby Kennedy's astute advice to respond to the first Khrushchev
letter -- ignoring the hard-line letter that followed -- that
enabled the President to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.
These were bold and effective steps, and a tradition of
which you can all be proud. The British destroyers, and the
withdrawal of the Cuban missiles, helped preserve America's
4
freedom. And the desegregation effort helped this nation to
honor its promise of equality for all men and women of all races.
The A.G. today continues the honorable tradition of serving
as "America's lawyer." Today, the Justice Department stands at
the forefront of protecting American's rights and of ensuring
fairness throughout society. In matters of business and
antitrust, environment and civil rights -- matters which strike
at the very core of our sense of right in a nation of free men
and women -- your 200 year history stands as a testament to
America's spirit, and to the continuing pursuit of a dream.
The great jurist Benjamin Cardozo said: "The process of
justice is never finished, but reproduces itself, generation
after generation, in ever-changing forms, and today, as in the
past, it calls for the bravest and the best."
You are indeed the bravest and the best. Today there are
four thousand lawyers in the Justice Department, and Dick tells
me that some of you are so clever, you've had loopholes named
after you. [[PAUSE]]
And these days more than ever, we're relying on the bravest
and the best throughout this Department -- the Marshals, FBI,
DEA, and the Bureau of Prisons, in addition to our A.U.S.A.'s and
others in the Criminal Division -- to lead the war against the
scourge of cocaine and the violent crime it spawns.
In fighting this battle, you know you have my interest and
support, and the support of the American people.
5
You've seen our support in the anti-crime bill we sent to
Congress in June. It sends a clear, unmistakable and tough
message -- that those who bring blood and thunder to our streets
will be brought to justice. I said it on television earlier this
month, and I want to emphasize it here today:
We're changing the rules. Criminals have got to learn that
if they sell drugs, they will be caught. And once caught, they
will be prosecuted. And once convicted, they will do time.
We're counting on you to get this message out, to make it
work in practice. And we're prepared to match rhetoric with
resources, backing you up with a plan that calls for more agents
and more prosecutors -- the largest increase in A.U.S.A.'s in
history -- and that will boost the capacity of federal prisons by
almost 80 percent.
We are in this battle for the long haul; we have joined this
war for the duration. I have great respect for the leadership of
the Attorney General and the Department of Justice in waging this
battle, and for the professionalism and commitment that you on
the front lines have brought to this effort.
As we stand here today, commemorating 200 years of the
Office of the Attorney General, we should look back with pride on
the justice we have achieved as a nation. From modest
beginnings you stand today as a powerful force for justice in
America, and as a powerful example for justice in the world.
6
I salute this great office, its rich heritage, and all the
fine men and women who serve justice under its leadership today.
You are indeed the "bravest and the best. "
Congratulations on this anniversary. Godspeed you in your
service. And God bless the United States.
#
#
#