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U.S. Olympic Committee Dinner 3/28/90 [OA 4727]
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2
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 28, 1990
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
The Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, D. C.
8:00 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Senator Mitchell, thank you, George. And
let me just say this: Good athletes can't run on dirty air. And
George Mitchell is doing more to lead this country towards a new
Clean Air bill than anybody else, and I am very grateful to him for
his leadership there in the Senate. (Applause.) And thank you. I
know that the minute this is over, he'll rush back up because the
Senate is in session. I know he can afford to rent a tuxedo, but --
(laughter) -- he comes down, leaves and in just a couple of minutes
you turn on CNN, and there he'll be up there on the floor. So thank
you, sir, for taking time.
To you, Barney, thank you, sir, for being here and, more
important even than that, for what you and your great organization
are doing to support the Olympics.
To Bob Helmick, and the members of the Olympic Committee,
my thanks to all of you. And to Don and Bernie for providing a
little professionalism in the announcing. And to all the world-class
athletes assembled here. I don't want to date -- well, put it this
way -- I don't want to see that Bob Mathias is dated chronologically
-- (laughter) -- but he and I were elected to Congress on the very
same day in 1966, and I'm delighted to see my old comrade in politics
here. (Applause.)
It's been a big day for me. I received some of the
Olympic leaders in the Oval Office, and just now I've been given some
wonderful Olympic sweats backstage. I'll wear them with pride -- and
hope I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete.
(Laughter.)
Bar and I are leaving before dinner, and I apologize for
that. We heard you were having broccoli. (Laughter.) But we do
excuse ourselves. But the blessing -- the thing that some of you
from out of town don't know, if the guy that speaks leaves before
dinner, the talk is refreshingly short. And I will try to oblige you
all so these guys can sit down.
But it's a special evening. And in ancient Greece --
true story -- competing in the games was the highest honor a citizen
could receive. And back then, athletes that won didn't pay taxes for
the rest of their lives. (Applause.) I'll get back to you on that.
(Laughter.)
It's an honor -- hey, listen, it's an honor to be among
such talent. Many of you are -- all of you here and many former
medalists. Others are hard at work to bring home the gold in '92,
'96, even '98 -- when, if you'll pardon the plug, we hope to see the
games back in America in two of our most spectacular cities, Atlanta
and Salt Lake city. (Applause.) Let me put in a plug for fitness.
We want to see every kid in America get and stay in shape. Arnold
Schwarzenegger is doing a great job leading the President's Council
on Physical Fitness and I'd love to have each and every one of you
MORE
- 2 -
help him in your own way. We need your support on this.
These men and women behind me represent some of America's
greatest hopes and aspirations. They are portraits of pure
dedication. Maybe it's their discipline that sets them apart, their
natural talents -- as George said, their will to win. But I think
it's something more. They aspire to a kind of excellence that
transcends the triumph of mind over muscle, of bodies over stopwatch,
distance, high bar, hurdle. Their sense of purpose breaks through
barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward a
moment, and you know the oath: where they will compete "for the
honor of our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove
that in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from, the color
of your skin, you're rich, you're poor -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent; it's your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit, about breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals. Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying
expectations. A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee,
grew up to make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four
years later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic
golds. Tonight, she's fulfilling another ambition -- working with
the children's foundation she established. Her name -- Wilma
Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice, tore the cartilage in his ribcage. Somehow, over
the next two days -- with his torso turning shades of black, green,
blue and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made one last throw.
And won the gold medal. He's since become the only athlete to win
gold medals in four successive Olympiads. You applauded him tonight
-- Al Oerter. He's with us here. (Applause.)
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin -- we'll never forget it -- in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games
were supposed to showcase his theories about the superiority of his
so-called "master race" -- until a 23-year-old black American, Jesse
Owens, exploded to victories in the 100-, the 200-, and the 400-meter
relay -- and Hitler left the stadium.
It was an athletic triumph, but more than that; it really
was a victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House
earlier today. She, too, I believe is with us here tonight. She
received, in her husband Jesse Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold
Medal. His sprints to glory will forever be celebrated in America's
heart. When Jesse Owens broke through a barrier made of man's own
ignorance, the world would never be the same again. (Applause.)
Olympiads -- like Olymians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose and principle. Something as small as a ping-pong
ball brought Americans to China; paving the way for a breakthrough in
relations in 1971. The world smiled then, as Zhou Enlai stood next
to a 19-year-old from Santa Monica discussing the hippie movement
with him, and gazing at his purple pants and his ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great
people and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with
coach, player with player, toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York, when
a group of American kids -- one of them here with us tonight --
grabbed the American flag, took to the ice and beat the unbeatable.
(Applause.)
You watch an athlete in motion and you might just see the
bonds of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second, re-defined
forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach, the hope and
inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire to the same
MORE
- 3 -
measure of excellence in their own conduct.
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the highest
expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire to the same
perfection. If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can
-- what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe, we would
heal the wounds of 40 years of false division, on a continent made
whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation, we would see the
abolition of racial and religious discrimination, making bigotry and
bias the dusty relics of the past once and for all.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere, we would count the
blessings of democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue -- a
way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. What nations can learn from their
athletes I believe in all my heart can truly move the world. Toward
greater freedom. Justice. Security. Prosperity. And
understanding.
You might say, well, does that sound impossible? So did
the four-minute mile. So did so many barriers believed to be
insurmountable -- from the 29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see sprinters
explode out of the blocks SO hard that the Earth may almost move.
We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a vaulting-pole
handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see tiny gymnasts defy
gravity, bending the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the world
know that the only barrier remaining now is the will to make the
world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you
know that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of great
change, we must do more than simply admire. We should strive to be
your equals in our own pursuits.
As we apprach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that
just as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as an inspiration for
their country, America still serves as a dream and an inspiration for
the entire world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking
through barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you all. And God bless the United States of
America. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)
END
8:20 P.M. EST
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER / OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990 / 7:00 P.M.
THANK YOU, GEORGE. BARNEY TRESNOWSKI
[TRIZ NOW SKI], ROBERT HELMICK, MEMBERS OF THE OLYMPIC
COMMITTEE.. AND TO THE WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES ASSEMBLED
HERE: I WAS JUST GIVEN SOME WONDERFUL OLYMPIC SWEATS
BACK STAGE. I'LL WEAR THEM WITH PRIDE. JUST HOPE I
DON'T GET IN TROUBLE FOR IMPERSONATING AN ATHLETE. 11
IN ANCIENT GREECE -- TRUE STORY -- COMPETING IN THE
GAMES WAS THE HIGHEST HONOR A CITIZEN COULD RECEIVE.
<1
- 2 -
AND BACK THEN, ATHLETES THAT WON DIDN'T PAY TAXES FOR
THE REST OF THEIR LIVES I'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON
THAT... 11
It's AN HONOR TO BE AMONG SUCH TALENT. MANY OF YOU
ARE FORMER MEDALISTS. OTHERS ARE HARD AT WORK TODAY TO
BRING HOME THE GOLD IN '92, '96, AND EVEN '98 -- WHEN,
IF YOU'LL PARDON THE PLUG, WE HOPE TO SEE THE GAMES
BACK IN AMERICA IN TWO OF OUR MOST SPECTACULAR CITIES,
ATLANTA AND SALT LAKE CITY.
- 3 -
WE ALSO WANT TO SEE EVERY AMERICAN GET AND STAY IN
SHAPE. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER IS DOING A GREAT JOB
LEADING THE PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON PHYSICAL FITNESS --
AND I KNOW HE CAN COUNT ON YOUR SUPPORT.
THESE MEN AND WOMEN [BEHIND ME] REPRESENT SOME OF
AMERICA'S GREATEST HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS. THEY'RE
PORTRAITS OF PURE DEDICATION. MAYBE IT'S THEIR
DISCIPLINE THAT SETS THEM APART. THEIR NATURAL
TALENTS. THEIR WILL TO WIN.
- 4 -
BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING MORE. THEY ASPIRE TO A KIND
OF EXCELLENCE THAT TRANSCENDS THE TRIUMPH OF MIND OVER
MUSCLE, OF BODIES OVER STOPWATCH, DISTANCE, HIGH BAR
AND HURDLE. THEIR SENSE OF PURPOSE BREAKS THROUGH
BARRIERS OF EVERY KIND.
- 5 -
THROUGH THE HOURS AND WEEKS AND YEARS OF TRAINING,
WITH EVERY BREATH TAKEN, WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT, THEY'RE
MOVING TOWARD A MOMENT, AND AN OATH: WHERE THEY WILL
COMPETE "FOR THE HONOR OF OUR COUNTRY, AND FOR THE
GLORY OF SPORT." AND THEY PROVE THAT IN SPORT, NO ONE
IS ADVANTAGED. WHERE YOU COME FROM; THE COLOR OF YOUR
SKIN -- IT DOESN'T MATTER. It's JUST YOU AGAINST YOUR
OPPONENT, AND YOUR OWN LIMITS.
f
- 6 -
OLYMPIC ATHLETES UNDERSTAND, AND SHOW THE WORLD,
WHAT IT MEANS SIMPLY TO STRIVE. THEY TEACH US ABOUT
THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT. ABOUT BREAKING THROUGH
BARRIERS. AND THEY SPEAK TO OUR HIGHEST IDEALS.
SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT BEATING ODDS AND DEFYING
EXPECTATIONS. A LITTLE GIRL WITH POLIO FROM
CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE GREW UP TO MAKE THE BRONZE
MEDAL-WINNING 1956 U.S. RELAY TEAM.
- 7 -
FOUR YEARS LATER SHE BECAME THE FIRST U.S. WOMAN TO WIN
THREE OLYMPIC GOLDS. TONIGHT, SHE'S FULFILLING ANOTHER
MISSION -- WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION SHE
ESTABLISHED. HER NAME IS WILMA RUDOLPH. 11
DURING ANOTHER OLYMPIAD, AN UNDERDOG DISCUS THROWER
FELL DURING PRACTICE AND TORE THE CARTILAGE IN HIS
RIBCAGE. SOMEHOW, OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS, WITH HIS
TORSO TURNING SHADES OF BLACK, GREEN, BLUE, AND
YELLOW -- HE MADE IT TO THE FINALS. MADE ONE LAST
THROW. AND WON THE GOLD MEDAL.
- 8 -
HE'S SINCE BECOME THE ONLY ATHLETE TO WIN GOLD MEDALS
IN FOUR SUCCESSIVE OLYMPIADS. HIS NAME IS AL OERTER.
[OR-DER] HE'S WITH US TONIGHT. 11
AT OTHER TIMES, OLYMPIANS BREAK BARRIERS OF ANOTHER
KIND.
- 9 -
IN BERLIN, IN 1936, HITLER'S OLYMPIC GAMES WERE
SUPPOSED TO SHOWCASE HIS THEORIES ABOUT THE SUPERIORITY
OF HIS SO-CALLED "MASTER RACE" -- UNTIL A 23-YEAR-OLD
BLACK AMERICAN NAMED JESSE OWENS EXPLODED To VICTORIES
IN THE 100, THE 200, AND THE 400 METER RELAY -- AND
HITLER LEFT THE STADIUM.
IT WAS AN ATHLETIC TRIUMPH -- BUT MORE THAN THAT,
IT WAS A VICTORY FOR HUMANITY.
- 10 -
RUTH OWENS WAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE EARLIER TODAY. SHE,
Too, IS WITH US TONIGHT. SHE RECEIVED, IN HER HUSBAND
JESSE OWENS' MEMORY, THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. HIS
SPRINTS TO GLORY WILL FOREVER BE CELEBRATED IN
AMERICA'S HEART. WHEN JESSE OWENS BROKE THROUGH A
BARRIER MADE OF MAN'S OWN IGNORANCE, THE WORLD WOULD
NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. 11
OLYMPIADS -- LIKE OLYMPIANS -- ARE UNIQUE. THEY
UNITE THE WORLD IN PURPOSE, AND IN PRINCIPLE.
- 11 -
SOMETHING AS SMALL AS A PING-PONG BALL BROUGHT
AMERICANS TO CHINA, PAVING THE WAY FOR A BREAKTHROUGH
IN RELATIONS IN 1971. THE WORLD SMILED THEN, AS ZHOU
ENLAI STOOD NEXT TO A 19-YEAR-OLD FROM SANTA MONICA --
DISCUSSING THE HIPPIE MOVEMENT WITH HIM, AND GAZING AT
HIS PURPLE PANTS AND PONYTAIL.
- 12 -
IF OLYMPIC COMPETITION IS A DRAMA, IT'S ABOUT GREAT
PEOPLE, AND GREAT CONTESTS -- UNITING MIND WITH BODY,
ATHLETE WITH COACH, AND PLAYER WITH PLAYER TOWARD A
COMMON PURPOSE. AMONG so MANY OF THEM, WHO COULD
FORGET 1980, IN A TINY TOWN IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, WHEN A
GROUP OF AMERICAN KIDS GRABBED THE AMERICAN FLAG, TOOK
TO THE ICE... AND BEAT THE UNBEATABLE. 11
- 13 -
WATCH AN ATHLETE IN MOTION, AND YOU MIGHT JUST SEE
THE BONDS OF HUMAN LIMITS SHATTERED IN A FRACTION OF A
SECOND -- AND RE-DEFINED FOREVER. BUT THE REAL LESSON
OLYMPIC ATHLETES TEACH, THE HOPE AND INSPIRATION THEY
OFFER, IS THAT NATIONS MIGHT ASPIRE TO THE THE SAME
MEASURE OF EXCELLENCE IN THEIR OWN CONDUCT.
IF ATHLETES HAVE THE COURAGE TO BREAK BARRIERS, so
MUST NATIONS.
e
- 14 -
AND IF THE ATHLETE'S MIND AND BODY ARE AMONG THE
HIGHEST EXPRESSIONS OF GOD'S PERFECTION, NATIONS SHOULD
ASPIRE TO THE SAME PERFECTION.
IF WE COULD MAKE IT so -- AND WITH ENOUGH WILL, WE
CAN -- WHAT WOULD WE WANT THE WORLD TO LOOK LIKE BY THE
NEXT OLYMPIAD ?
- 15 -
IN A REBIRTH OF THE OLD WORLD, IN A NEW EUROPE --
WE WOULD HEAL THE WOUNDS OF FORTY YEARS OF FALSE
DIVISION, ON A CONTINENT MADE WHOLE AND FREE BY THE
WILL OF ITS PEOPLE.
IN SOUTH AFRICA, AS IN EVERY NATION -- WE WOULD SEE
THE ABOLITION OF RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION,
MAKING BIGOTRY AND BIAS THE DUSTY RELICS OF THE PAST
ONCE AND FOR ALL.
- 16 -
IN ASIA, AND IN THIS HEMISPHERE -- WE WOULD COUNT
THE BLESSINGS OF DEMOCRACY, PLURALISM, AND
SELF-DETERMINATION.
THE OLYMPICS, LIKE DEMOCRACY, ARE A KIND OF
DIALOGUE -- A WAY THAT NATIONS CAN CONVERSE IN THE
LANGUAGE OF FRIENDLY COMPETITION, NOT DEADLY CONFLICT.
- 17 -
WHAT NATIONS CAN LEARN FROM THEIR ATHLETES TRULY
CAN MOVE THE WORLD. TOWARD GREATER FREEDOM. JUSTICE.
SECURITY. PROSPERITY. AND UNDERSTANDING.
DOES THAT SOUND IMPOSSIBLE? So DID THE FOUR-MINUTE
MILE. So DID so MANY BARRIERS BELIEVED To BE
INSURMOUNTABLE -- FROM THE 29-FOOT LONG JUMP TO THE
TRIPLE AXEL.
- 18 -
LAST YEAR WE SAW A MASSIVE POLITICAL BARRIER
CRUMBLE, AS YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN JOINED HANDS ATOP THE
BERLIN WALL. IN 1992, WE'LL SEE SKIERS FLY BY IN AN
ICY BLUR OF SPEED. WE'LL SEE SPRINTERS EXPLODE OUT OF
THE BLOCKS so HARD THE EARTH MAY ALMOST MOVE. WE'LL
SEE A HALF TON OF IRON HOISTED SKYWARD -- AND A
VAULTING-POLE HANDLED LIKE THE BOW OF A FINE VIOLIN.
WE'LL SEE TINY GYMNASTS DEFY GRAVITY, BENDING THE LAWS
OF PHYSICS.
- 19 -
WHEN THE WORLD WATCHES THOSE ATHLETES, LET IT BE
REMINDED HOW MUCH IT HAS TO LEARN FROM THEM. LET EVERY
NATION OF THE WORLD KNOW THAT THE ONLY BARRIER
REMAINING NOW -- IS THE WILL TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER.
To THE ONCE AND FUTURE MEDALISTS WITH US TONIGHT:
YOU KNOW THAT WE ADMIRE YOU. You're OFTEN TOLD THAT
WHAT YOU DO BRINGS HONOR TO YOUR NATION. AND so IT
DOES.
- 20 -
BUT IN THESE TIMES OF GREAT CHANGE, WE MUST DO MORE
THAN SIMPLY ADMIRE. WE SHOULD STRIVE TO BE YOUR EQUALS
IN OUR OWN PURSUITS.
As WE APPROACH A NEW OLYMPIAD, MAY WE ALL REMEMBER
THAT JUST AS THESE ATHLETES PURSUE A DREAM AND SERVE AS
INSPIRATION FOR THEIR COUNTRY, AMERICA STILL SERVES AS
A DREAM AND INSPIRATION FOR THE WORLD.
- 21 -
So KEEP TRAINING. KEEP STRUGGLING. KEEP BREAKING
THROUGH BARRIERS. AND THE WORLD WILL FOLLOW YOU.
THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
###
126162SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
3/27/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
---
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: US OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
90 MAR 27 A9 : 34
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1993 MAR 26 PM 7:58
March 26, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
MARK LANGE
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE US OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
I. SUMMARY
On Wednesday, March 28, you will make remarks at the US
Olympic Committee fundraising dinner at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
Your are scheduled to speak before the dinner, at 7:00 p.m., and
your remarks are approximately 10 minutes long, on cards.
II. DISCUSSION
This dinner is sponsored by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Association, the main sponsor of the US Olympic Team and they
have invited slightly over 800 guests. The guests include past
Olympic gold medal winners, athletes hoping to compete in the
1992 Olympics, and many state and federal officials.
You will be introduced by Senator George Mitchell. Just as
you reach the podium, a large group of athletes will be forming a
semi-circle around you. They will be standing to your rear as
you speak. Your remarks are inspirational and draw parallels
between the glory of sport/competition and other barriers to be
overcome, mainly in world events.
(Lange/Cawley)
March 27, 1990
8:35 A.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee
and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won didn't pay taxes for the rest of
their lives
I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. Many of you are
former medalists. Others are hard at work today to bring home
the gold in '92 and, in some cases, '96 and even '98 when, if
you'll pardon the plug, we hope to see the Games back in America
in two of our most spectacular cities, Atlanta and Salt Lake
City.
These men and women [behind me] represent some of America's
greatest hopes and aspirations. They're portraits of pure
dedication. Maybe it's their discipline that sets them apart.
Their natural talents. Their will to win. But I think it's
something more. They aspire to a kind of excellence that
transcends the triumph of mind over muscle, of bodies over
2
stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle. Their sense of purpose
breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport.' And they prove that
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin -- it doesn't matter. It's just you against your
opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
Tonight, she's fulfilling another mission -- working with the
children's foundation she established. Her name is Wilma
Rudolph. 11
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore the cartilage in his ribcage. Somehow,
over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of black,
green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made one
last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the only
3
athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads. His
name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight. 11
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old Black American named Jesse
Owens exploded to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400
meter relay -- and Hitler left the stadium.
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in her
husband Jesse Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His
sprints to glory will forever be celebrated in America's heart.
When Jesse Owens broke through a barrier made of man's own
ignorance, the world would never be the same again.
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for a breakthrough in relations in 1971.
The world smiled then, as Zhou Enlai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
4
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable. 11
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- we would see the
abolition of racial and religious discrimination, making bigotry
and bias the dusty relics of the past once and for all.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- we would count the
blessings of democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict.
5
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, bending the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as a dream and inspiration
for the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
6
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1990 MAR 26 PM 7:58
March 26, 1990
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
INFORMATION
3/27/90
MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
MARK LANGE
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE US OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
I. SUMMARY
On Wednesday, March 28, you will make remarks at the US
Olympic Committee fundraising dinner at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
Your are scheduled to speak before the dinner, at 7:00 p.m., and
your remarks are approximately 10 minutes long, on cards.
II. DISCUSSION
This dinner is sponsored by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Association, the main sponsor of the US Olympic Team and they
have invited slightly over 800 guests The guests include past
Olympic gold medal winners, athletes hoping to compete in the
1992 Olympics, and many state and federal officials.
You will be introduced by Senator George Mitchell. Just as
you reach the podium, a large group of athletes will be forming a
semi-circle around you. They will be standing to your rear as
you speak. Your remarks are inspirational and draw parallels
between the glory of sport/competition and other barriers to be
overcome, mainly in world events.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
DATE:
3-27
FROM THE PRESIDENT
To:
Mark/Chriss
Like it !
But let's work in one sentence
on our fitness program.
America must be fit. join scharznegger
in me in hleping achieve thjat goal.
gb
(Lange/Cawley)
March 27, 1990
8:35 A.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee... and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won didn't pay taxes for the rest of
their lives... I'll get back to you on that... 11
It's an honor to be among such talent. Many of you are
former medalists. Others are hard at work today to bring home
the gold in '92 and, in some cases, '96 and even '98 when, if
you'll pardon the plug, we hope to see the Games back in America
in two of our most spectacular cities, Atlanta and Salt Lake
City. Play Proff
These men and women [behind me] represent some of America's
greatest hopes and aspirations. They're portraits of pure
dedication. Maybe it's their discipline that sets them apart.
Their natural talents. Their will to win. But I think it's
something more. They aspire to a kind of excellence that
transcends the triumph of mind over muscle, of bodies over
2
stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle. Their sense of purpose
breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove that
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin -- it doesn't matter. It's just you against your
opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
Tonight, she's fulfilling another mission -- working with the
children's foundation she established. Her name is Wilma
Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore the cartilage in his ribcage. Somehow,
over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of black,
green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made one
last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the only
3
athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads. His
name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight. 11
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old Black American named Jesse
Owens exploded to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400
meter relay -- and Hitler left the stadium.
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in her
husband Jesse Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His
sprints to glory will forever be celebrated in America's heart.
When Jesse Owens broke through a barrier made of man's own
ignorance, the world would never be the same again.
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for a breakthrough in relations in 1971.
The world smiled then, as Zhou Enlai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
4
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable. 11
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- we would see the
abolition of racial and religious discrimination, making bigotry
and bias the dusty relics of the past once and for all.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- we would count the
blessings of democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict.
5
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, bending the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as a dream and inspiration
for the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
6
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
(Lange/Cawley)
March 27, 1990
6:15 A.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee and to the world-
class athletes assembled here; I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. And back then,
athletes that won didn't pay taxes for the rest of their lives
I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. Many of you are
former medalists. Others are hard at work today to bring home
the gold in '92, '96, and even '98 -- when, if you'll pardon the
plug, we hope to see the Games back in America in two of our most
spectacular cities, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
We also want to see every American get and stay in shape.
Arnold Schwärzenegger is doing a great job leading the
President's Council on Physical Fitness -- and I know he can
count on your support.
These men and women [behind me] represent some of America's
greatest hopes and aspirations. They're portraits of pure
dedication. Maybe it's their discipline that sets them apart.
Document No. 126167
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
23
90 MAR 26 P8: 40
DATE: 03/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 03/26
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
SUBJECT:
(03/23 6:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
WINSTON
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston Thanks. by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 03/26, with a copy to my office.
RESPONSE:
March 26, 1990
TO: CHRISS WINSTON
NSC clears the Presidential remarks for the U.S. Olympic Committee
dinner with the changes indicated.
Brent
R Sates 27 06
James W. Cicconi
CC: James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
6:30 P.M.
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee
and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives
I'll get back to you on that
It's an honor to be among such talent. These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport. And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin; the nature of your God -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight.
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again.
@lympiads Sports like lympians are unique They unite the special.
the proud meriand when who compete in them are very
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
Accuracy
a breakthrough in
1971.
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in (1972) The
It was in
Zhou Enlai
April 1971.
world smiled then, as Chou En lai) stood next to a 19-year-old
No
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
diplomatic relations"
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail. J
until
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
1979.
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
Waswt
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
Olympics
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
BA
World
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
Table Tennis
the ice
and beat the unbeatable. \\
Championship.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- The abolition of
racial and religious discrimination, no matter what form it
takes.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. So tonight, to our brothers
No
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation to Cuba
Join us in the next Olympiad.
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, making fools of the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
Document No. 126162
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
.
DATE: 03/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 03/26
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
(03/23 6:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
R
FITZWATER
WINSTON
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston Thanks. by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 03/26, with a copy to my office.
RESPONSE:
to 6v MARE 26 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
6:30 P.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee
and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. \\
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. * These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
religious beliefs
of your skin; the nature of your God -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
Tonight, she's fulfilling another mission - working with
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph. \\
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight. \\
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
Black american
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
her husband
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
sprints to
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again.
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in 1972. The
world smiled then, as Chou En-lai stood next to a 19-year-old
?
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
we would see)
In South Africa, as in every nation The abolition of
racial and religious discrimination, no matter what form it
making bigotry and bias the dusty
relies of the past once and for all.
takes.
we old count
In Asia, and in this hemisphere the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. [ So tonight, to our brothers
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation -- to Cuba:
Join us in the next Olympiad and take a first step back into
the community of nations.
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, making bendung fools of the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
CAROLYN'S COMMENTS
p.1/para.2:
I can not confirm that winning athletes got free meals.
(Mark got this verbally from Dave or Rogich.) The part about tax
exemption is OK, though.
p.1/para.3:
"These men and women (behind me)
"
Advance tells me that the Secret Service has approved the
athletes standing behind the President. However, this is subject
to change, so let's leave the brackets.
p.2/para.4:
"
and Hitler left the stadium." "
This is an oldie in Olympic lore, but is a bit
controversial. Apparently Hitler did leave the stadium, but it
is unclear if it was due to Owens' victory. Some say he had
other business to attend to and had to leave.
On one hand, the statement is indeed accurate. On the other
hand, the implication is there
p.3/para.1:
" (She, too, is with us tonight.) "
The Olympic Committee has extended an invitation to Mrs.
Owens, but as of 3:00 today, she has not RSVP'ed. Leave the
brackets; they should know tomorrow.
p.4/para. 3-5:
Paragraph 3, after the bold, reads "we would ". Let's
reword the beginnings of paragraphs 4 and 5 to parallel this.
For example, "In South Africa we would fight for the abolition
of racial " and "In Asia, and in this hemisphere, we would
count the blessings of democracy
=
Note: *Dan wrote in the Owens award
remarks that Hitler stormed from
the stadium. Mark changed this to
say "he left" of again, factual but
has implications.
Document No. 126162 V
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
.
DATE: 03/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 03/26
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
(03/23 6:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
x
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
WINSTON
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 03/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
Please Ell suggestions
3/26/9012 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
6:30 P.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee
and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. \\
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin; the nature of your God -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph.
7
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight.
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
black American
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
dembrassed
and
distraught
her husband
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again.
\\
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in 1972. The
world smiled then, as Chou En-lai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- The abolition of
racial and religious discrimination, no matter what form it
takes.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. [ So tonight, to our brothers
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation -- to Cuba:
Join us in the next Olympiad.]
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, making fools of the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
###
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 26, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
JIM PINKERTON Q
SUBJECT:
U.S. Olympic Committee Dinner
pg. 3, para. 3
"Something as small as a "
I would avoid bringing up the politically-sensitive topic of
China, and of chinese-communist leaders unnecessarily.
4, 5
"In Asia, and in this hemisphere.. "
The implication in this part of the speech seems to be that
"democracy, pluralism, and self-determination" are criteria for
participation in the Olympiad. This is confusing, given that
China has been a participant in the Olympiad for many years.
4, 6, line 4 "Let me extend an invitation "
The implication is that participation in the Olympiad
demands "democracy.. What are we implying about not only the
PRC but also other non-democratic Olympic participants?
#
THE WHITE house
WASHINGTON
March 26, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR COMMUNICATIONS
FROM:
NELSON LUND
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
Ant
SUBJECT:
Draft Presidential Remarks: U.S. Olympic
Committee Dinner
At the request of James W. Cicconi, Counsel's office has reviewed
the captioned remarks. We have no legal objections to the
contents of these remarks. Suggested changes are marked on the
attached hard copy.
We appreciate having had the opportunity to review these remarks.
Attachment
CC: James W. Cicconi
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
6:30 P.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
religious beliefs)
of your skin; the nature of your God -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight. 11
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again.
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in 1972. The
world smiled then, as Chou En-lai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the 2 same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- The abolition of
racial and religious discrimination, no matter what form it
takes.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. [ So tonight, to our brothers
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation -- to Cuba:
Join us in the next Olympiad.]
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, making fools of the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #
Document No. 126162
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 03/23/90
.
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 03/26
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
SUBJECT:
(03/23 6:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
WINSTON
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 03/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
Are comments AA
SO MAR 26 A10 : 29
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
6:30 P.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee
and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin; the nature of your God -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
Tonight she's fulfilling another mussion - working with
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight. 11
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His spints race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again. \\
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in 1972. The
world smiled then, as Chou En-lai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests --- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
we would see
In South Africa, as in every nation The abolition of
Having making begoting and vias
racial and religious discrimination, RO matter what form it
takes.
the dusty relies of the
we would count
past once and for all.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. [ So tonight, to our brothers
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation -- to Cuba:
Join us in the next Olympiad.
and take ] a fust step back into the
community of nations.
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, making bending fools of the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #.
Document No. 126162
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
.
DATE: 03/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 03/26
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
SUBJECT:
(03/23 6:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
n
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
WINSTON
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 03/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
OH
RESPONSE:
Bruce Запи for Siy Rajish
29 6v 26 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
6:30 P.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives I'll get back to you on that
\\
It's an honor to be among such talent. These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport.' And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin; the nature of your God -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight. 11
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again.
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in 1972. The
world smiled then, as Chou En-lai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
when a. group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- The abolition of
racial and religious discrimination, no matter what form it
takes.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. [ So tonight, to our brothers
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation -- to Cuba:
Join us in the next Olympiad.]
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity, making fools of the laws of physics.
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
###
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 24, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
U.S. Olympic Committee Dinner Remarks
I have quickly reviewed the draft remarks for the President
at the U.S. Olympic Committee dinner next week. They are
inspirational and repeatedly emphasize the theme that we should
not be bound by limits and that the human spirit can prevail.
Having attended many athletic banquets in my earlier years,
these remarks stand up well as appropriate and positive for such
occasions.
My suggestions are modest:
1. At the top of page two the phrase "the nature of your
God" is used just before the phrase "it doesn't matter.' I
suspect that the President does not want to equate the nature of
God with where individuals come from and the color of their skin.
We all applaud religious toleration, but the nature of what
people chose to worship does matter. Many, based on their
convictions about the nature of God, have engaged in highly
destructive behavior. I recommend simply dropping the phrase
"the nature of your God."
2. At the end of the first paragraph on page five there is
a phrase "making fools of the laws of physics." Given the
President's close association with science and math education, it
is probably not appropriate for him to be making a statement such
as this, even though most would recognize it as hyperbolic.
Simply leaving it, "We'll see tiny gymnasts defy gravity,' is
enough. Of course, they don't actually defy gravity. But this
hyperbole is almost certainly acceptable.
These are modest points. The speech is excellent.
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document No. 126162
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
.
DATE: 03/23/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Monday 03/26
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
SUBJECT:
(03/23 6:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
WINSTON
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 03/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Cawley)
March 23, 1990
1990 MAR 23 PM 7: 00
6:30 P.M.
[OLY.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DINNER
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1990
7:00 P.M.
Thank you, George. Barney Tresnowski [triz NOW ski], Robert
Helmick, Members of the Olympic Committee
and to the world-
class athletes assembled here: I was just given some wonderful
Olympic sweats back stage. I'll wear them with pride. Just hope
I don't get in trouble for impersonating an athlete. 11
In ancient Greece -- true story -- competing in the Games
was the highest honor a citizen could receive. Still true. And
back then, athletes that won got free meals, and didn't pay taxes
for the rest of their lives
I'll get back to you on that
11
It's an honor to be among such talent. These men and women
[behind me] represent some of America's greatest hopes and
aspirations. They're portraits of pure dedication. Maybe it's
their discipline that sets them apart. Their natural talents.
Their will to win. But I think it's something more. They aspire
to a kind of excellence that transcends the triumph of mind over
muscle, of bodies over stopwatch, distance, high bar and hurdle.
Their sense of purpose breaks through barriers of every kind.
Through the hours and weeks and years of training, with
every breath taken, with every heartbeat, they're moving toward
a moment, and an oath: where they will compete "for the honor of
our country, and for the glory of sport." And they prove that
2
in sport, no one is advantaged. Where you come from; the color
of your skin; [the nature of your God] -- it doesn't matter. It's
just you against your opponent, and your own limits.
Olympic athletes understand, and show the world, what it
means simply to strive. They teach us about the triumph of the
spirit. About breaking through barriers. And they speak to our
highest ideals.
Sometimes it's about beating odds and defying expectations.
A little girl with polio from Clarksville, Tennessee grew up to
make the bronze medal-winning 1956 U.S. relay team. Four years
later she became the first U.S. woman to win three Olympic golds.
She would have been here, but she's busy with the children's
foundation she established. Her name is Wilma Rudolph.
During another Olympiad, an underdog discus thrower fell
during practice and tore up the cartilage in his ribcage.
Somehow, over the next two days, with his torso turning shades of
black, green, blue, and yellow -- he made it to the finals. Made
one last throw. And won the gold medal. He's since become the
only athlete to win gold medals in four successive Olympiads.
His name is Al Oerter. [OR-der] He's with us tonight.
At other times, Olympians break barriers of another kind.
In Berlin, in 1936, Hitler's Olympic Games were supposed to
showcase his theories about the superiority of his so-called
"master race" -- until a 23-year-old named Jesse Owens exploded
to victories in the 100, the 200, and the 400 meter relay -- and
Hitler left the stadium.
3
It was an athletic triumph -- but more than that, it was a
victory for humanity. Ruth Owens was at the White House earlier
today. [She, too, is with us tonight.] She received, in Jesse
Owens' memory, the Congressional Gold Medal. His race of glory
will forever be celebrated in America's heart. When Jesse Owens
broke through a barrier made of man's own ignorance, the world
would never be the same again.
Olympiads -- like Olympians -- are unique. They unite the
world in purpose, and in principle.
Something as small as a ping-pong ball brought Americans to
China, paving the way for diplomatic relations in 1972. The
world smiled then, as Chou En-lai stood next to a 19-year-old
from Santa Monica -- discussing the hippie movement with him, and
gazing at his purple pants and ponytail.
If Olympic competition is a drama, it's about great people,
and great contests -- uniting mind with body, athlete with coach,
and player with player toward a common purpose. Among so many of
them, who could forget 1980, in a tiny town in upstate New York,
when a group of American kids grabbed the American flag, took to
the ice
and beat the unbeatable.
Watch an athlete in motion, and you might just see the bonds
of human limits shattered in a fraction of a second -- and
re-defined forever. But the real lesson Olympic athletes teach,
the hope and inspiration they offer, is that nations might aspire
to the the same measure of excellence in their own conduct.
4
If athletes have the courage to break barriers, so must
nations. And if the athlete's mind and body are among the
highest expressions of God's perfection, nations should aspire
to the same perfection.
If we could make it so -- and with enough will, we can --
what would we want the world to look like by the next Olympiad ?
In a rebirth of the Old World, in a new Europe -- we would
heal the wounds of forty years of false division, on a continent
made whole and free by the will of its people.
In South Africa, as in every nation -- The abolition of
racial and religious discrimination, no matter what form it
takes.
In Asia, and in this hemisphere -- the blessings of
democracy, pluralism, and self-determination.
The Olympics, like democracy, are a kind of dialogue --
a way that nations can converse in the language of friendly
competition, not deadly conflict. [ So tonight, to our brothers
and sisters to the South, let me extend an invitation -- to Cuba:
Join us in the next Olympiad.]
What nations can learn from their athletes truly can move
the world. Toward greater freedom. Justice. Security.
Prosperity. And understanding.
Does that sound impossible? So did the four-minute mile.
So did so many barriers believed to be insurmountable -- from the
29-foot long jump to the triple axel.
Last year we saw a massive political barrier crumble, as
5
young men and women joined hands atop the Berlin Wall. In 1992,
we'll see skiers fly by in an icy blur of speed. We'll see
sprinters explode out of the blocks so hard the earth may almost
move. We'll see a half ton of iron hoisted skyward -- and a
vaulting-pole handled like the bow of a fine violin. We'll see
tiny gymnasts defy gravity. making fools of the laws of physics
When the world watches those athletes, let it be reminded
how much it has to learn from them. Let every nation of the
world know that the only barrier remaining now -- is the will
to make the world better.
To the once and future medalists with us tonight: you know
that we admire you. You're often told that what you do brings
honor to your nation. And so it does. But in these times of
great change, we must do more than simply admire. We should
strive to be your equals in our own pursuits.
As we approach a new Olympiad, may we all remember that just
as these athletes pursue a dream and serve as inspiration for
their country, America still serves as dream and inspiration for
the world.
So keep training. Keep struggling. Keep breaking through
barriers. And the world will follow you.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States
of America.
# # #