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Lecture Series Questions & Answers 10/7/91 [OA 6037] [1]
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Document No. 275806SS
91 OCT 7 A8: WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
---
DATE: October 5, 1991 ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
SUBJECT:
(10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
SNOW
CARD
FIRESTONE
DEMAREST
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
91 OCT 4 P6: 05
October 4, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
TONY SNOW 75
FROM:
CURT SMITH is
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL LECTURE SERIES
On Monday, October 7th, at 5:00 p.m. you will deliver
remarks (eight minutes) introducing the fourth lecture in the
Presidential Lecture Series. President George Washington is the
focus of this lecture, and Professor Gordon Wood is the
historian. Your speech focuses on Washington's unique role as
America's first President, his accomplishments, and his legacy.
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress. Distinguished guests. / It is a
privilege to be with you -- and to welcome you to the White House
for the fourth in our series of Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
likeness has been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President. )) //
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
2
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
//
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
/
Those words remind me of another First Lady. But I'd have to
add of Barbara, "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful
than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single
bound. " //
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris shortly after the Battle of Yorktown.
/ First rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing
him to the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his
monarch, George III, likening him to the sun. /
3
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and the chosen occupants of this office. All
Presidents derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
4
((Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 27618455
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 OCT 7 P12: 36
DATE: October 5, 1991
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BYMonday, 10/07, 10:00 a.m.
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: Lecture Series Q & A/October 7th.
(10/04 draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
>
BRADY
ROGICH
У
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
>
SNOW
DEMAREST
<
FIRESTONE
PORTER ROSE
FITZWATER
>
GRAY
HOLIDAY
S
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than 10:00 a.m.
on Monday, 10/07, with a copy to this office.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Th
DS
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Grossman/Smith)
October 4, 1991
01 OCT 4 PS: 37
Draft Two
QA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
LECTURE SERIES Q&A
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
1) What is there about President George Washington that you
admire most?
We remember Washington as Father of our Country. Few men
could have confronted the challenges of the birth of a nation
with his quiet strength and insight. He used his executive
powers wisely. He made the conduct of foreign policy a
presidential priority. He set the standard of leadership for
future Presidents to follow.
2) Thomas Jefferson wrote of President Washington, "[His mind]
was slow in operation but sure in conclusion." Could
Washington, known for his deliberate prudence, function in
today's world?
The world of 1776 was far different than any of us can even
imagine. A simple trip from New York to Philadelphia took
three days. Imagine how long it took for a diplomatic
response to cross an ocean. Today, information and
communications travel at the speed of light. Decision-making
requires the ability to respond to events -- not be controlled
by them. of course, Washington might not be able to answer
all his mail the way he liked to \ but I believe his
deliberation and prudence would serve him well.
3)
In his farewell address, Washington urged caution when dealing
with foreign nations. In fact he wárned against becoming
politically involved to any degree. Does Washington's "Great
rule" hold any lesson for us today?
Again, the world that witnessed the American Revolution was
different place our world. As Washington was helping mold a
young and fragile democracy, the clouds of conflict were
gathering in Europe. Washington feared that American
involvement in the storm could only threaten her "sacred flame
of liberty." Americans have always been wary of involvements
where our interests are not at stake. But as we emerged as
the world's preeminent power, we also understood the
responsibility that comes with strength.
Washington also wrote: "Our cause is noble, it is the cause
of mankind!" I believe he understood that the ideals for
which America stands cannot be locked within borders. I
believe he understood the universal implications -- and
responsibilities -- that flowed from America's great
experiment.
4)
Washington was disturbed by the growth of conflicting
political parties. In fact he tried to discourage their
growth. Washington believed unity was the main pillar of our
independence. Obviously today, political parties thrive and
conflicting influences flourish. Do you see any threat to our
"main pillar"?
President Washington led as Americans built that "main
pillar. Today we enjoy a security in our consensus on the
values of our Founding Fathers. Remember, at the end of the
Revolution, there were voices demanding the institution of an
American monarchy. Much of the America we now take for
granted was still in the making. But history has proven the
American experiment successful. We do not tolerate diversity
merely because America is strong -- America is strong because
we tolerate diversity.
5)
Let's talk about Washington's military achievements. Although
he was slow to decide political issues, Washington was a
tenacious military commander. He was one of the first
American leaders to consider using force against the British
crown to "maintain liberty." He was our first commander in
chief. How would you gauge his military record?
America's revolutionary soldiers didn't have superior weapons
or fancy brass-buttoned uniforms. But they did have the most
essential military resource -- a great leader. His command
showed great tenacity and faith in his troops and his cause.
His troops fought -- and won -- against the odds. He was
called the Fox, as a tribute to his wily, calculated tactics.
And while lack of equipment and training often defeated his
troops in battles, his determination and commitment that
helped us win a war. Washington was motivated not by the
promise of booty or decorations, but by a belief in the cause
of liberty, writing, that no man should scruple, or
hesitate to use arms in defense of so valuable a blessing.
6) In the colonies the idea of independence was not widely
accepted. There was a general distrust of the leaders of the
Congress. Yet Washington became the chief symbol in our
revolution against the King. why was that?
The movement to break with the British crown was not a popular
one. The delegates attending the Continental Congress were
not popularly elected. But even as the majority of colonists
respected the King's authority, Washington was emerging as a
figure of broad appeal and near-legendary accomplishment. His
war record as a frontier commander lionized him in the eyes
of early Americans; and his fifteen year record as a Virginia
legislator was respected and admired.
7) What lessons can we today draw for ourselves given our world
of independence movements?
First, the American revolution was not waged to preserve any
particular boundary or to impose dominance over a neighbor.
Rather, our revolution defended a universal value: "the right
of people to make and to alter their constitutions of
government." Secondly, while our founders -- and residents
of various colonies -- disagreed on particular aspects of our
Constitution, all agreed on the necessity of unity amidst
diversity. "E Pluribus Unum" had to be made real, if the
American experiment was to be made successful.
8) In his Farewell address Washington wrote the habits of
thinking in a free Country should inspire caution in those
entrusted with its administration " As the first president,
Washington gave shape to the office of the Presidency. How
would you describe that shape?
Washington did two great things as the nation's first
President. First, he defined the separation of powers.
Washington believed that the President, Congress and Supreme
Court should be responsible for their respective
constitutional spheres. He could have opposed that concept
and set the country on an entirely different course.
Second, Washington deeply believed in democracy. He welcomed
the advice of his cabinet. He developed the concept of
Cabinet meetings which allowed the Executive branch to fashion
effective policies.
9) You're the 41st President. Has the evolution of this office
retained the spirit of Washington's words?
Yes. I think our country has survived and grown stronger
because we have respected the constitutional separation of
powers. Each President puts his own stamp on the office, but
we have all understood and adhered to the guiding principles
of Washington.
10) Education was a key ingredient in Washington's philosophy.
He wrote in 1796, "Promote institutions for the general
diffusion of knowledge it is essential that public opinion
should be enlightened." Would you consider him our first
education president?
Washington believed in education because he knew that
education was important in a democracy. Knowledge is strength.
Shared knowledge is shared strength. Washington believed that
what he called the "diffusion of knowledge" would keep our
government honest.
LECTURE SERIES \ EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991 \ 5:30 P.M.
MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESS. DISTINGUISHED GUESTS. /
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE WITH YOU -- AND TO WELCOME YOU
TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE FOURTH IN OUR SERIES OF
PRESIDENTIAL LECTURES. //
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE IN THIS HOUSE AND
NOT FEEL THE PRESENCE OF ITS FORMER OCCUPANTS. THAT IS
WHY BARBARA AND I ARE THRILLED THAT WE WILL BE HERE
NEXT YEAR WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES ITS 200TH
ANNIVERSARY. //
- 2 -
TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE ONLY PRESIDENT WHO DID NOT
LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE -- BUT WHOSE SPIRIT THRIVES
HERE AND THROUGHOUT OUR LAND. GEORGE WASHINGTON LOOKS
OUT UPON US EACH DAY. HIS LIKENESS HAS BEEN PRESERVED
ON COINS, IN PORTRAITS, EVEN ON MT. RUSHMORE. / BUT
MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE SHAPED OUR VERY SYSTEM OF
GOVERNMENT. Ask ANY GRADE SCHOOL STUDENT AND YOU'LL
HEAR THAT WE REMEMBER GEORGE WASHINGTON AS THE FATHER
OF OUR COUNTRY. //
- 3 -
IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT WE CONSCIOUSLY MEASURE OUR
FIRST LOVE AGAINST ALL OTHERS. / IN THE SAME WAY,
PRESIDENTS MEASURE THEMSELVES AGAINST THE EXAMPLE SET
BY THE VERY FIRST PRESIDENT. EACH HAS WONDERED HOW HE
COULD BE WORTHY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S EXAMPLE. //
WE REMEMBER GEORGE WASHINGTON AS A MODEST AND
DEDICATED MAN -- SADDLED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
SHAPING THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFICE IN THIS NATION.
- 4 -
HE ALSO HAD TO CARRY ONE UNIQUE BURDEN. HE COULDN'T
BLAME ANY PROBLEMS ON HIS PREDECESSORS. //
OUR FOUNDERS OCCASIONALLY WORRIED THAT THE
PRESIDENCY COULD, IN THE WRONG HANDS, GROW INTO A KIND
OF MONARCHY. BUT THEN THEY REMEMBERED THE MAN WHO
WOULD DEFINE THE HIGH OFFICE -- AND IN SOME WAYS THEY
DESIGNED THE PRESIDENCY IN HIS LIKENESS.
- 5 -
GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS SHY, BUT DECISIVE; RESERVED,
BUT BELOVED. HE DID NOT SEEK THE PRESIDENCY. THE
OFFICE SOUGHT HIM. //
TONIGHT, WE SALUTE HIM. GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS A
SOLDIER / SURVEYOR / PLANTER / PRESIDENT. HE ENJOYED
GOOD FOOD AND WINE, AND SPORTS OF ALL KIND. HE MARRIED
A WOMAN WHO DESCRIBED HERSELF AS "STEADY AS A CLOCK,
BUSY AS A BEE, AND CHEERFUL AS A CRICKET." / THOSE
WORDS REMIND ME OF ANOTHER FIRST LADY.
- 6 -
BUT I'D HAVE TO ADD OF BARBARA, "FASTER THAN A SPEEDING
BULLET, MORE POWERFUL THAN A LOCOMOTIVE, AND ABLE To
LEAP TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND." //
BUT MOST OF ALL, GEORGE WASHINGTON EMBODIED THE
VALUES AND ASPIRATIONS OF A SPECIAL NATION, ONE FOUNDED
UPON IDEAS -- AND NOT MERELY PLANTED AMID THE RUINS OF
CONQUEST OR DISPUTE. ((ONE STORY CAPTURES THE SPECIAL
ESTEEM IN WHICH AMERICANS HELD HIM. BEN FRANKLIN, AS
AMERICAN MINISTER TO FRANCE, ONCE ATTENDED A DIPLOMATIC
DINNER IN PARIS SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN. /
- 7 -
FIRST ROSE A FRENCH OFFICIAL, TOASTING LOUIS XVI AND
COMPARING HIM TO THE MOON. THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR THEN
TOASTED HIS MONARCH, GEORGE III, LIKENING HIM To THE
SUN. /
FINALLY, THE AGING FRANKLIN STOOD TO SPEAK. "I
CANNOT GIVE YOU THE SUN NOR THE MOON, BUT I GIVE YOU
GEORGE WASHINGTON -- WHO, LIKE JOSHUA OF OLD, COMMANDED
BOTH THE SUN AND THE MOON TO STAND STILL, AND BOTH
OBEYED.")) //
- 8 -
FRANKLIN, OF COURSE, HAD SEEN THE UNASSUMING GIANT
IN ACTION. GEORGE WASHINGTON LED HIS TROOPS INTO
BATTLE AGAINST THE WORLD'S STRONGEST ARMY AND, CONTRARY
TO ALL PREDICTIONS, THEY WON. HE HELPED WAGE AND WIN
THE WORLD'S ONLY PERMANENT REVOLUTION -- THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION. /
ONCE, HE SAID, "WHEN LIBERTY BEGINS TO TAKE ROOT,
IT IS A PLANT OF RAPID GROWTH." //
- 9 -
EVEN TODAY, THAT BEAUTIFUL PLANT BLOSSOMS IN SOILS THAT
PREVIOUSLY HAD RESISTED IT. GEORGE WASHINGTON'S
SEEDLING HAS BECOME THE ENTIRE WORLD'S HOPE.
HE SOUGHT NOT THE SECURITY OF POWER, BUT THE POWER
TO SECURE LIBERTY. AND HE PASSED THAT POWER ON TO
EVERY AMERICAN. //
FINALLY, GEORGE WASHINGTON BEQUEATHED TO US A
REPUBLICAN MODEL OF GOVERNMENT -- "STAKED," AS HE SAID,
"ON THE EXPERIMENT ENTRUSTED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE."
- 10 -
HE DEFINED THE OFFICE IN A DEFINING MOMENT OF HISTORY
-- LEAVING A PRESIDENCY STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAD THE
NATION THROUGH TIMES OF CRISIS, BUT ALSO BALANCED BY
OTHER BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT, so AS NOT TO GROW INTO
SOMETHING MENACING. /
FOR TWO HUNDRED YEARS AMERICANS HAVE HOISTED
FREEDOM'S SACRED FLAME AND THE CHOSEN OCCUPANTS OF THIS
OFFICE. ALL PRESIDENTS DERIVE THEIR POWER FROM THE
PEOPLE, BUT THEY ALSO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM GEORGE
WASHINGTON. //
- 11 -
TONIGHT, WE HAVE A MAN WHO WILL TELL US OF
WASHINGTON -- AND HOW THE FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY
MASTERED EVENTS IN TIMES OF PERIL. // OUR SPEAKER IS
GORDON S. WOOD -- HISTORIAN AND UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AT
BROWN UNIVERSITY. /
PROFESSOR WOOD IS A NATIVE OF CONCORD,
MASSACHUSETTS. / TALK ABOUT SPRINGING FROM HISTORY'S
WOMB. /
- 12 -
HE GRADUATED FROM TUFTS, SERVED IN THE AIR FORCE,
COMPLETED WORK AT HARVARD, AND HAS BEEN PITT PROFESSOR
OF AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY AND A
VISITING FELLOW AT ALL SOULS COLLEGE, OXFORD. /
NEXT YEAR, PROFESSOR WOOD'S NEWEST BOOK, THE
RADICALS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, IS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLICATION. I'M SURE IT WILL COMPLEMENT HIS SEMINAL
WORK, THE CREATION OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, 1776-1787.
- 13 -
AND NOW, IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE ONE OF THE
GREAT SCHOLARS OF PERHAPS OUR GREATEST PRESIDENT.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN,
GORDON WOOD.
#
#
# #
LECTURE SERIES \ EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991 \ 5:30 P.M.
MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESS. DISTINGUISHED GUESTS. /
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE WITH YOU -- AND To WELCOME YOU
TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE FOURTH IN OUR SERIES OF
PRESIDENTIAL LECTURES. //
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE IN THIS HOUSE AND
NOT FEEL THE PRESENCE OF ITS FORMER OCCUPANTS. THAT IS
WHY BARBARA AND I ARE THRILLED THAT WE WILL BE HERE
NEXT YEAR WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES ITS 200TH
ANNIVERSARY. //
- 2 -
TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE ONLY PRESIDENT WHO DID NOT
LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE -- BUT WHOSE SPIRIT THRIVES
HERE AND THROUGHOUT OUR LAND. GEORGE WASHINGTON LOOKS
OUT UPON US EACH DAY. HIS LIKENESS HAS BEEN PRESERVED
ON COINS, IN PORTRAITS, EVEN ON MT. RUSHMORE. / BUT
MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE SHAPED OUR VERY SYSTEM OF
GOVERNMENT. Ask ANY GRADE SCHOOL STUDENT AND YOU'LL
HEAR THAT WE REMEMBER GEORGE WASHINGTON AS THE FATHER
OF OUR COUNTRY. //
- 3 -
IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT WE CONSCIOUSLY MEASURE OUR
FIRST LOVE AGAINST ALL OTHERS. / IN THE SAME WAY,
PRESIDENTS MEASURE THEMSELVES AGAINST THE EXAMPLE SET
BY THE VERY FIRST PRESIDENT. EACH HAS WONDERED HOW HE
COULD BE WORTHY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S EXAMPLE. //
WE REMEMBER GEORGE WASHINGTON AS A MODEST AND
DEDICATED MAN -- SADDLED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
SHAPING THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFICE IN THIS NATION.
- 4 -
HE ALSO HAD TO CARRY ONE UNIQUE BURDEN. HE COULDN'T
BLAME ANY PROBLEMS ON HIS PREDECESSORS. //
OUR FOUNDERS OCCASIONALLY WORRIED THAT THE
PRESIDENCY COULD, IN THE WRONG HANDS, GROW INTO A KIND
OF MONARCHY. BUT THEN THEY REMEMBERED THE MAN WHO
WOULD DEFINE THE HIGH OFFICE -- AND IN SOME WAYS THEY
DESIGNED THE PRESIDENCY IN HIS LIKENESS.
- 5 -
GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS SHY, BUT DECISIVE; RESERVED,
BUT BELOVED. HE DID NOT SEEK THE PRESIDENCY. THE
OFFICE SOUGHT HIM. //
TONIGHT, WE SALUTE HIM. GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS A
SOLDIER / SURVEYOR / PLANTER / PRESIDENT. HE ENJOYED
GOOD FOOD AND WINE, AND SPORTS OF ALL KIND. HE MARRIED
A WOMAN WHO DESCRIBED HERSELF AS "STEADY AS A CLOCK,
BUSY AS A BEE, AND CHEERFUL AS A CRICKET." / THOSE
WORDS REMIND ME OF ANOTHER FIRST LADY.
- 6 -
BUT I'D HAVE TO ADD OF BARBARA, "FASTER THAN A SPEEDING
BULLET, MORE POWERFUL THAN A LOCOMOTIVE, AND ABLE TO
LEAP TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND." //
BUT MOST OF ALL, GEORGE WASHINGTON EMBODIED THE
VALUES AND ASPIRATIONS OF A SPECIAL NATION, ONE FOUNDED
UPON IDEAS -- AND NOT MERELY PLANTED AMID THE RUINS OF
CONQUEST OR DISPUTE. ((ONE STORY CAPTURES THE SPECIAL
ESTEEM IN WHICH AMERICANS HELD HIM. BEN FRANKLIN, AS
AMERICAN MINISTER TO FRANCE, ONCE ATTENDED A DIPLOMATIC
DINNER IN PARIS SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN. /
- 7 -
FIRST ROSE A FRENCH OFFICIAL, TOASTING LOUIS XVI AND
COMPARING HIM TO THE MOON. THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR THEN
TOASTED HIS MONARCH, GEORGE III, LIKENING HIM TO THE
SUN. /
FINALLY, THE AGING FRANKLIN STOOD TO SPEAK. "I
CANNOT GIVE YOU THE SUN NOR THE MOON, BUT I GIVE YOU
GEORGE WASHINGTON -- WHO, LIKE JOSHUA OF OLD, COMMANDED
BOTH THE SUN AND THE MOON TO STAND STILL, AND BOTH
OBEYED. ")) //
I
- 8 -
FRANKLIN, OF COURSE, HAD SEEN THE UNASSUMING GIANT
IN ACTION. GEORGE WASHINGTON LED HIS TROOPS INTO
BATTLE AGAINST THE WORLD'S STRONGEST ARMY AND, CONTRARY
TO ALL PREDICTIONS, THEY WON. HE HELPED WAGE AND WIN
THE WORLD'S ONLY PERMANENT REVOLUTION -- THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION. /
ONCE, HE SAID, "WHEN LIBERTY BEGINS To TAKE ROOT,
IT IS A PLANT OF RAPID GROWTH." //
- 9 -
EVEN TODAY, THAT BEAUTIFUL PLANT BLOSSOMS IN SOILS THAT
PREVIOUSLY HAD RESISTED IT. GEORGE WASHINGTON'S
SEEDLING HAS BECOME THE ENTIRE WORLD'S HOPE.
HE SOUGHT NOT THE SECURITY OF POWER, BUT THE POWER
TO SECURE LIBERTY. AND HE PASSED THAT POWER ON To
EVERY AMERICAN./
FINALLY, GEORGE WASHINGTON BEQUEATHED To US A
REPUBLICAN MODEL OF GOVERNMENT -- "STAKED," AS HE SAID,
"ON THE EXPERIMENT ENTRUSTED To THE AMERICAN PEOPLE."
- 10 -
HE DEFINED THE OFFICE IN A DEFINING MOMENT OF HISTORY
-- LEAVING A PRESIDENCY STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAD THE
NATION THROUGH TIMES OF CRISIS, BUT ALSO BALANCED BY
OTHER BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT, so AS NOT To GROW INTO
SOMETHING MENACING. /
FOR TWO HUNDRED YEARS AMERICANS HAVE HOISTED
FREEDOM'S SACRED FLAME AND THE CHOSEN OCCUPANTS OF THIS
OFFICE. ALL PRESIDENTS DERIVE THEIR POWER FROM THE
PEOPLE, BUT THEY ALSO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM GEORGE
WASHINGTON. //
- 11 -
TONIGHT, WE HAVE A MAN WHO WILL TELL US OF
WASHINGTON -- AND HOW THE FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY
MASTERED EVENTS IN TIMES OF PERIL. // OUR SPEAKER IS
GORDON S. WOOD -- HISTORIAN AND UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AT
BROWN UNIVERSITY. /
PROFESSOR WOOD IS A NATIVE OF CONCORD,
MASSACHUSETTS. / TALK ABOUT SPRINGING FROM HISTORY'S
WOMB. /
- 12 -
HE GRADUATED FROM TUFTS, SERVED IN THE AIR FORCE,
COMPLETED WORK AT HARVARD, AND HAS BEEN PITT PROFESSOR
OF AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY AND A
VISITING FELLOW AT ALL SOULS COLLEGE, OXFORD. /
NEXT YEAR, PROFESSOR WOOD'S NEWEST BOOK, THE
RADICALS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, IS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLICATION. I'M SURE IT WILL COMPLEMENT HIS SEMINAL
WORK, THE CREATION OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC, 1776-1787.
- 13 -
AND NOW, IT IS MY HONOR TO INTRODUCE ONE OF THE
GREAT SCHOLARS OF PERHAPS OUR GREATEST PRESIDENT.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN,
GORDON WOOD.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
October 4, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
TONY SNOW TS
FROM:
CURT SMITH is
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL LECTURE SERIES
On Monday, October 7th, at 5:00 p.m. you will deliver
remarks (eight minutes) introducing the fourth lecture in the
Presidential Lecture Series. President George Washington is the
focus of this lecture, and Professor Gordon Wood is the
historian. Your speech focuses on Washington's unique role as
America's first President, his accomplishments, and his legacy.
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress. Distinguished guests. / It is a
privilege to be with you -- and to welcome you to the White House
for the fourth in our series of Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
likeness has been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President.) ) //
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
2
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
//
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket." "
/ Those words remind me of another First Lady. But I'd have to
add of Barbara, "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful
than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single
bound. " //
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris shortly after the Battle of Yorktown.
/ First rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing
him to the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his
monarch, George III, likening him to the sun. /
3
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people. " He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and the chosen occupants of this office. All
Presidents derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
4
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
275806
Document No.
91 OCT WHITE 4 A / : HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
N/V
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY veryNice TH
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH N/C
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
directify Talked claur
FIRESTONE 1064
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY suanson 6500
HOLIDAY N/C
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
- MASTER-
RESPONSE:
of your you l best one efforts
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
01 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress. and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Laurie Laurtone
Distinguished guests. / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
(Action
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
NO
(Tron)
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
MS
likeness/been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President.) ) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
No beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. Washington The office sought was him.
//
sought by fellow citizens to be presi- dent.
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier / (Porter)
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
Yes / Those words remind me of another First Lady. But ^I'd (Tron) have to add
Yes of Barbara, "Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a
speeding (Parter)
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth." // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. / /
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred the years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and chosen occupants of this office. All Presidents
what mean? this
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No.
275806
91 OCT 4 P5:WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
RESPONSE:
Ace comment
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
31 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress, and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Distinguished guests. / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
has
likeness preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Scelly
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
+5178
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President.) ) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
//
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket.' "
/
Those words remind me of another First Lady. I'd have to add
of Barbara, "Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and chosen occupants of this office. All Presidents
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No.
275806
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 OCT 4 P5: 46
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
31 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress, and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Distinguished guests. / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
likeness been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
AS
government. Ask any grade school IS student and you'll hear that we
remember, George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President. )) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
HE WAS
BY HIS
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency.
The
office
sought
him.
// FELLOW CITIZENS TO HOLD THE OFFICE.
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket." "
/
Those words remind me of another First Lady. I'd have to add
of Barbara, "Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." "
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ((One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ") ) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom
sacred flame and chosen occupants of this office. All Presidents
WHAT IS THIS REFERRING TO TO? ?
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
((Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
fellow
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No.
275806
91 OCT 4 P2: WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
S
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
Valled
Cut- absolutely one of jourforts. best .
David
RESPONSE:
SB
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
31 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress, and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Distinguished guests. / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
likeness been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President. )) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
//
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
/ Those words remind me of another First Lady. I'd have to add
of Barbara, "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a
A
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. " // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people.' He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, SO as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and chosen occupants of this office. All Presidents
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
D PORTER comments
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
31 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress, and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Distinguished guests. / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
likeness been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President.) )) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
Wash. was sought by fellow
//
citizens to be President
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
/ Those words remind me of another First Lady. I'd have to add
X
of Barbara, "Faster than a/bullet, speeding more powerful than a
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. II
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. " // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom
what does
sacred flame and chosen the occupants of this office. All Presidents
this mean?
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 275806
91 OCT WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
S
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
RESPONSE:
Very good- - a minor edit
PHILLIP D. BRADY
BT for SR
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
01 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Lani Fieshre are
Members of the Congress and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Distinguished guests 1 / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. / /
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George Washington looks out upon us each day. His
has
likeness been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President. )) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
//
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
/ Those words remind me of another First Lady. But I'd have to add
of Barbara, "Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a
Laurie
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth.' // Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and chosen occupants of this office. All Presidents
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 275806
9 WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
PI: 32
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
RESPONSE:
In
is
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
Document No.
275.806
91 OCT 4
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
RESPONSE:
Cent-
This was very mil.
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Thanks Jo.
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
Document No.
275806
91 OCT 4 P2: WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/03/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. 10/04
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES/OCTOBER 7th
((10/03 draft four)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FIRESTONE
FITZWATER
PORTER ROSE
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than
2:00 p.m. on Friday, 10/04, with a copy to this office. Thanks
RESPONSE:
No comment PK Thanks.
Paul Kortonta
PHILLIP D. BRADY
10/04/91
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
Dar comments
(Smith/Grossman)
October 3, 1991
Draft Four
01 OCT 3 P5: 09
WASH
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: LECTURE SERIES
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
Members of the Congress, and of the Cabinet. Lynn Cheney,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Distinguished guests. / It is a privilege to be with you -- and
to welcome you to the White House for the fourth in our series of
Presidential Lectures. //
It would be impossible to live in this house and not feel
the presence of its former occupants. That is why Barbara and I
are thrilled that we will be here next year when the White House
celebrates its 200th anniversary. //
Tonight, we honor the only President who did not live in the
White House -- but whose spirit thrives here and throughout our
land. George has Washington looks out upon us each day. His
likeness been preserved on coins, in portraits, even on Mt.
Rushmore. / But more importantly, he shaped our very system of
government. Ask any grade school student and you'll hear that we
remember George Washington as The Father of our Country. //
It has been said that we consciously measure our first love
against all others. / In the same way, Presidents measure
themselves against the example set by the very first President.
Each has wondered how he could be worthy of George Washington's
example. // ((That's especially true in the Electoral College.
Imagine -- a unanimous vote -- the envy of every President. )) //
2
We remember George Washington as a humble and dedicated man
-- saddled with the responsibility of shaping the most important
office in this nation. He also had to carry one unique burden.
He couldn't blame any problems on his predecessors. //
Our Founders occasionally worried that the Presidency could,
in the wrong hands, grow into a kind of monarchy. But then they
remembered the man who would define the high office -- and in
some ways they designed the Presidency in his likeness.
George Washington was shy, but decisive; reserved, but
beloved. He did not seek the Presidency. The office sought him.
//
Tonight, we salute him. George Washington was a soldier /
surveyor / planter / President. He enjoyed good food and wine,
and sports of all kind. He married a woman who described herself
as "steady as a clock, busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
/
Those words remind me of another First Lady. I'd have to add
of Barbara, "Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a
locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.' "
//
But most of all, George Washington embodied the values and
aspirations of a special nation, one founded upon ideas -- and
not merely planted amid the ruins of conquest or dispute. ( (One
story captures the special esteem in which Americans held him.
Ben Franklin, as American Minister to France, once attended a
diplomatic dinner in Paris during America's Revolution. / First
rose a French official, toasting Louis XVI and comparing him to
3
the moon. The British Ambassador then toasted his monarch,
George III, likening him to the sun. /
Finally, the aging Franklin stood to speak. "I cannot give
you the sun nor the moon, but I give you George Washington --
who, like Joshua of old, commanded both the sun and the moon to
stand still, and both obeyed. ")) //
Franklin, of course, had seen the unassuming giant in
action. George Washington led his troops into battle against the
world's strongest army and, contrary to all predictions, they
won. He helped wage and win the world's only permanent
revolution -- the American Revolution. /
Once, he said, "When liberty begins to take root, it is a
plant of rapid growth. 11 Even today, that beautiful plant
blossoms in soils that previously had resisted it. George
Washington's seedling has become the entire world's hope.
He sought not the security of power, but the power to secure
liberty. And he passed that power on to every American. //
Finally, George Washington bequeathed to us a republican
model of government -- "staked," as he said, "on the experiment
entrusted to the American people." He defined the office in a
defining moment of history -- leaving a Presidency strong enough
to lead the nation through times of crisis, but also balanced by
other branches of government, so as not -to grow into something
menacing. /
For two hundred years Americans have hoisted freedom's
sacred flame and chosen occupants of this office. All Presidents
4
derive their power from the people, but they also draw
inspiration from George Washington. //
( (Earlier, I said any President compares himself to the
first. I tried that -- until I heard that Washington personally
reviewed all executive mail. / I gave up. / It takes a full-
time staff just to review Millie's mail. )) //
Tonight, we have a man who will tell us of Washington -- and
how the Father of our Country mastered events in times of peril.
// Our speaker is Gordon S. Wood -- Historian and University
Professor at Brown University. /
Professor Wood is a native of Concord, Massachusetts. /
Talk about springing from history's womb. / He graduated from
Tufts, served in the Air Force, completed work at Harvard, and
has been Pitt Professor of American Institutions at Cambridge
University and a visiting teacher at All Souls College, Oxford. /
Next year, Professor Wood's newest book, The Radicals of the
American Revolution, is scheduled for publication. I'm sure it
will complement his seminal work, The Creation of the American
Republic, 1776-1787. /
And now, it is my honor to introduce one of the great
scholars of perhaps our greatest President. Ladies and
Gentlemen, the distinguished historian, Gordon Wood.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 27618455
91 OCT 7 A7: A WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: October 5, 1991 ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BYMonday, 10/07, 10:00 a.m.
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: Lecture Series Q & A/October 7th.
(10/04 draft two)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE N/V
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER N/V
BRADY
ROGICH
У
BROMLEY
SMITH N/V
>
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
<
FIRESTONE 7064 N/V
>
PORTER ROSE us
FITZWATER
GRAY 6,000 Rob
HOLIDAY N/O
S
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments directly to Tony Snow no later than 10:00 a.m.
on Monday, 10/07, with a copy to this office.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
MASTER
I
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Grossman/Smith)
October 4, 1991
01 OCT 4 P6: 37
Draft Two
QA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
LECTURE SERIES Q&A
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
1) What is there about President George Washington that you
admire most?
We remember Washington as Father of our Country. Few men
could have confronted the challenges of the birth of a nation
with his quiet strength and insight. He used his executive
powers wisely. He made the conduct of foreign policy a
presidential priority. He set the standard of leadership for
future Presidents to follow.
2) Thomas Jefferson wrote of President Washington, "[His mind]
was slow in operation. but sure in conclusion." Could
Washington, known for his deliberate prudence, function in
today's world?
The world of 1776 was far different than any of us can even
imagine. A simple trip from New York to Philadelphia took
three days. Imagine how long it took for a diplomatic
response to cross an ocean. Today, information and
communications travel at the speed of light. Decision-making
requires the ability to respond to events -- not be controlled
by them. Of course, Washington might not be able to answer
all his mail the way he liked to \ but I believe his
deliberation and prudence would serve him well.
3) In his farewell address, Washington urged caution when dealing
with foreign nations. In fact he warned against becoming
politically involved to any degree. Does Washington's "Great
rule" hold any lesson for us today?
than
Again, the world that witnessed the American Revolution was
different place our world. As Washington was helping mold a
young and fragile democracy, the clouds of conflict were
gathering in Europe. Washington feared that American
involvement in the storm could only threaten her "sacred flame
of liberty." Americans have always been wary of involvements
where our interests are not at stake. But as we emerged as
the world's preeminent power, we also understood the
responsibility that comes with strength.
Washington also wrote: "Our cause is noble, it is the cause
of mankind!" I believe he understood that the ideals for
which America stands cannot be locked within borders. I
believe he understood the universal implications -- and
responsibilities -- that flowed from America's great
experiment.
4) Washington was disturbed by the growth of conflicting
political parties. In fact he tried to discourage their
growth. Washington believed unity was the main pillar of our
independence. Obviously today, political parties thrive and
conflicting influences flourish. Do you see any threat to our
"main pillar"?
President Washington led as Americans built that "main
pillar." Today we enjoy a security in our consensus on the
values of our Founding Fathers. Remember, at the end of the
Revolution, there were voices demanding the institution of an
American monarchy. Much of the America we now take for
granted was still in the making. But history has proven the
American experiment successful. We do not tolerate diversity
merely because America is strong -- America is strong because
we tolerate diversity.
5) Let's talk about Washington's military achievements. Although
he was slow to decide political issues, Washington was a
tenacious military commander. He was one of the first
American leaders to consider using force against the British
crown to "maintain liberty." He was our first commander in
chief. How would you gauge his military record?
America's revolutionary soldiers didn't have superior weapons
or fancy brass-buttoned uniforms. But they did have the most
essential military resource -- a great leader. His command
showed great tenacity and faith in his troops and his cause.
His troops fought -- and won -- against the odds. He was
called the Fox, as a tribute to his wily, calculated tactics.
(NSC)
And while lack of equipment and training often defeated his
troops in battles, his determination and commitment that
helped us win a war. Washington was motivated not by the
promise of booty or decorations, but by a belief in the cause
of liberty, writing, that no man should scruple, or
hesitate to use arms in defense of so valuable a blessing.
6) In the colonies the idea of independence was not widely
accepted. There was a general distrust of the leaders of the
Congress. Yet Washington became the chief symbol in our
revolution against the King. Why was that?
The movement to break with the British crown was not a popular
one. The delegates attending the Continental Congress were
not popularly elected. But even as the majority of colonists
respected the King's authority, Washington was emerging as a
figure of broad appeal and near-legendary accomplishment. His
war record as a frontier commander lionized him in the eyes
of early Americans; and his fifteen year record as a Virginia
legislator was respected and admired.
7) What lessons can we today draw for ourselves given our world
of independence movements?
First, the American revolution was not waged to preserve any
particular boundary or to impose dominance over a neighbor.
Rather, our revolution defended a universal value: "the right
of people to make and to alter their constitutions of
government." Secondly, while our founders -- and residents
of various colonies -- disagreed on particular aspects of our
Constitution, all agreed on the necessity of unity amidst
diversity. "E Pluribus Unum" had to be made real, if the
American experiment was to be made successful.
8) In his Farewell address Washington wrote the habits of
thinking in a free Country should inspire caution in those
entrusted with its administration " As the first president,
Washington gave shape to the office of the Presidency. How
would you describe that shape?
Washington did two great things as the nation's first
President. First, he defined the separation of powers.
Washington believed that the President, Congress and Supreme
Court should be responsible for their respective
constitutional spheres. He could have opposed that concept
and set the country on an entirely different course.
Second, Washington deeply believed in democracy. He welcomed
the advice of his cabinet. He developed the concept of
Cabinet meetings which allowed the Executive branch to fashion
effective policies.
9) You're the 41st President. Has the evolution of this office
retained the spirit of Washington's words?
Yes. I think our country has survived and grown stronger
because we have respected the constitutional separation of
powers. Each President puts his own stamp on the office, but
we have all understood and adhered to the guiding principles
of Washington.
10) He Education wrote in was a key ingredient in Washington's philosophy.
1796,
"Promote
institutions for the general
diffusion of knowledge it is essential that public opinion
should be enlightened." Would you consider him our first
education president?
Washington believed in education because he knew that
Council's offects
education was important in a democracy. Knowledge is strength.
Shared knowledge is shared strength. Washington believed that
what he called the "diffusion of knowledge" would keep our
government honest.
LECTURE SERIES Q&A
EAST ROOM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1991
1) WHAT IS THERE ABOUT PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON
THAT YOU ADMIRE MOST?
WE REMEMBER WASHINGTON AS FATHER OF OUR
COUNTRY. FEW MEN COULD HAVE CONFRONTED THE
CHALLENGES OF THE BIRTH OF A NATION WITH HIS QUIET
STRENGTH AND INSIGHT. HE USED HIS EXECUTIVE
POWERS WISELY. HE MADE THE CONDUCT OF FOREIGN
POLICY A PRESIDENTIAL PRIORITY. HE SET THE
STANDARD OF LEADERSHIP FOR FUTURE PRESIDENTS TO
FOLLOW.
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SAID
2) THOMAS JEFFERSON WROTE OF PRESIDENT WASHINGTON,
"[HIS MIND] WAS SLOW IN OPERATION. BUT SURE IN
CONCLUSION." IF SO COULD THAT DELIBERATE
PRUDENCE, FUNCTION IN TODAY'S WORLD?
THE WORLD OF 1776 WAS FAR DIFFERENT THAN ANY
OF US CAN EVEN IMAGINE. A SIMPLE TRIP FROM NEW
YORK TO PHILADELPHIA TOOK THREE DAYS. IMAGINE HOW
LONG IT TOOK FOR A DIPLOMATIC RESPONSE TO CROSS AN
OCEAN. TODAY, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
TRAVEL AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT. DECISION-MAKING
REQUIRES THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO EVENTS -- NOT
BE CONTROLLED BY THEM. OF COURSE, WASHINGTON
MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER ALL HIS MAIL THE WAY
HE LIKED TO \ BUT I BELIEVE HIS DELIBERATION AND
PRUDENCE WOULD SERVE HIM WELL.
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3)
IN HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS, PRESIDENT WASHINGTON
WARNED AGAINST FOREIGN ENTANGLEMENTS. IS THERE ANY
LESSON THERE TODAY?
AGAIN, THE WORLD THAT WITNESSED THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION WAS A DIFFERENT PLACE THAN OUR WORLD.
AS WASHINGTON WAS HELPING MOLD A YOUNG AND FRAGILE
DEMOCRACY, CLOUDS OF CONFLICT WERE GATHERING IN
EUROPE. WASHINGTON FEARED THAT AMERICAN
INVOLVEMENT IN THE BREWING STORM COULD ONLY
THREATEN HER "SACRED FLAME OF LIBERTY." AMERICANS
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WARY OF INVOLVEMENTS WHERE OUR
INTERESTS ARE NOT AT STAKE. BUT AS WE EMERGED AS
THE WORLD'S PREEMINENT POWER, WE ALSO UNDERSTOOD
THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH STRENGTH.
WASHINGTON ALSO WROTE: "OUR CAUSE IS NOBLE, IT
IS THE CAUSE OF MANKIND!" I BELIEVE HE UNDERSTOOD
THAT THE IDEALS FOR WHICH AMERICA STANDS CANNOT BE
LOCKED WITHIN BORDERS. I BELIEVE HE UNDERSTOOD
THE UNIVERSAL IMPLICATIONS -- AND RESPONSIBILITIES
-- THAT FLOWED FROM AMERICA'S GREAT EXPERIMENT.
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Tried to discourage
4) PRESIDENT WASHINGTON WAS DISTURBED BY THE GROWTH
HE
OF CONFLICTING POLITICAL PARTIES. WASHINGTON
BELIEVED IN UNITY WAS THE MAIN PILLAR OF OUR
INDEPENDENCE. TODAY IS DIFFERENT. DO YOU SEE
ANY THREAT TO OUR "MAIN PILLAR"?
PRESIDENT WASHINGTON LED AS AMERICANS BUILT
THAT "MAIN PILLAR." TODAY WE ENJOY A SECURITY IN
OUR CONSENSUS ON THE VALUES OF OUR FOUNDING
FATHERS. REMEMBER, AT THE END OF THE REVOLUTION,
THERE WERE VOICES DEMANDING THE INSTITUTION OF AN
AMERICAN MONARCHY. MUCH OF THE AMERICA WE NOW
TAKE FOR GRANTED WAS STILL IN THE MAKING. BUT
HISTORY HAS PROVEN THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT
SUCCESSFUL. WE DO NOT TOLERATE DIVERSITY MERELY
BECAUSE AMERICA IS STRONG -- AMERICA IS STRONG
BECAUSE WE TOLERATE DIVERSITY.
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5) ALTHOUGH HE WAS SLOW TO DECIDE ON POLITICAL
ISSUES, HE WAS A TENACIOUS MILITARY COMMANDER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HIS MILITARY RECORD?
AMERICA'S REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS DIDN'T HAVE
SUPERIOR WEAPONS OR FANCY BRASS-BUTTONED UNIFORMS.
BUT THEY DID HAVE THE MOST ESSENTIAL MILITARY
RESOURCE -- A GREAT LEADER. HIS COMMAND SHOWED
GREAT TENACITY AND FAITH IN HIS TROOPS AND HIS
CAUSE. HIS TROOPS FOUGHT -- AND WON -- AGAINST
THE ODDS. HE WAS CALLED THE FOX, AS A TRIBUTE TO
HIS WILY, CALCULATED TACTICS. AND WHILE LACK OF
EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING OFTEN DEFEATED HIS TROOPS
IN BATTLES, HIS DETERMINATION AND COMMITMENT
HELPED US WIN THE WAR. WASHINGTON WAS MOTIVATED
NOT BY THE PROMISE OF BOOTY OR DECORATIONS, BUT BY
A BELIEF IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY, WRITING,
" THAT NO MAN SHOULD SCRUPLE, OR HESITATE TO USE
ARMS IN DEFENSE OF SO VALUABLE A BLESSING "
- 6 -
6) IN THE COLONIES THE IDEA OF INDEPENDENCE WAS NOT
WIDELY ACCEPTED.
THERE WAS A GENERAL DISTRUST OF
THE LEADERS OF THE CONGRESS.]
YET WASHINGTON
BECAME THE CHIEF SYMBOL IN OUR REVOLUTION AGAINST
THE KING. WHY WAS THAT?
THE MOVEMENT TO BREAK WITH THE BRITISH CROWN
WAS NOT A POPULAR ONE. THE DELEGATES ATTENDING
THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS WERE NOT POPULARLY
ELECTED. BUT EVEN AS THE MAJORITY OF COLONISTS
RESPECTED THE KING'S AUTHORITY, WASHINGTON WAS
EMERGING AS A FIGURE OF BROAD APPEAL AND NEAR-
LEGENDARY ACCOMPLISHMENT. HIS WAR RECORD AS A
FRONTIER COMMANDER LIONIZED HIM IN THE EYES OF
EARLY AMERICANS; AND HIS FIFTEEN YEAR RECORD AS A
VIRGINIA LEGISLATOR WAS RESPECTED AND ADMIRED.
- 7 -
7) WHAT LESSONS CAN WE TODAY DRAW FOR OURSELVES GIVEN
OUR WORLD OF INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS?
FIRST, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WAS NOT WAGED
TO PRESERVE ANY PARTICULAR BOUNDARY OR TO IMPOSE
DOMINANCE OVER A NEIGHBOR. RATHER, OUR REVOLUTION
DEFENDED A UNIVERSAL VALUE: "THE RIGHT OF PEOPLE
TO MAKE AND TO ALTER THEIR CONSTITUTIONS OF
GOVERNMENT." SECONDLY, WHILE OUR FOUNDERS -- AND
RESIDENTS OF VARIOUS COLONIES -- DISAGREED ON
PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF OUR CONSTITUTION, ALL AGREED
ON THE NECESSITY OF UNITY AMIDST DIVERSITY. "E
PLURIBUS UNUM" HAD TO BE MADE REAL, IF THE
AMERICAN EXPERIMENT WAS TO BE MADE SUCCESSFUL.
- 8 -
8) IN HIS FAREWELL ADDRESS WASHINGTON WROTE " THE
HABITS OF THINKING IN A FREE COUNTRY SHOULD
INSPIRE CAUTION IN THOSE ENTRUSTED WITH ITS
ADMINISTRATION " HE GAVE SHAPE TO THE OFFICE OF
THE PRESIDENCY. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT
SHAPE?
WASHINGTON DID TWO GREAT THINGS AS THE
NATION'S FIRST PRESIDENT. FIRST, HE DEFINED THE
SEPARATION OF POWERS. WASHINGTON BELIEVED THAT
THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS AND SUPREME COURT SHOULD
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE CONSTITUTIONAL
SPHERES. HE COULD HAVE OPPOSED THAT CONCEPT AND
SET THE COUNTRY ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COURSE.
SECOND, WASHINGTON DEEPLY BELIEVED IN
DEMOCRACY. HE WELCOMED THE ADVICE OF HIS CABINET.
HE DEVELOPED THE CONCEPT OF CABINET MEETINGS WHICH
ALLOWED THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH TO FASHION EFFECTIVE
POLICIES.
- 9 -
9)
YOU'RE THE 41ST PRESIDENT. HAS THE EVOLUTION OF
THIS OFFICE RETAINED THE SPIRIT OF WASHINGTON'S
WORDS?
YES. I THINK OUR COUNTRY HAS SURVIVED AND
GROWN STRONGER BECAUSE WE HAVE RESPECTED THE
CONSTITUTIONAL SEPARATION OF POWERS. EACH
PRESIDENT PUTS HIS OWN STAMP ON THE OFFICE, BUT WE
HAVE ALL UNDERSTOOD AND ADHERED TO THE GUIDING
PRINCIPLES OF WASHINGTON.
10) EDUCATION WAS A KEY INGREDIENT IN WASHINGTON'S
PHILOSOPHY. HE WROTE IN 1796, "PROMOTE
INSTITUTIONS FOR THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF
KNOWLEDGE. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT PUBLIC OPINION
SHOULD BE ENLIGHTENED." WOULD YOU CONSIDER HIM
OUR FIRST EDUCATION PRESIDENT?
WASHINGTON BELIEVED IN EDUCATION BECAUSE HE
KNEW THAT EDUCATION WAS IMPORTANT IN A DEMOCRACY.
KNOWLEDGE IS STRENGTH. SHARED KNOWLEDGE IS SHARED
STRENGTH. WASHINGTON BELIEVED THAT WHAT HE CALLED
THE "DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE" WOULD KEEP OUR
GOVERNMENT HONEST.