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Chapter One: 1989: A New Breeze

At 12:05 P.M. on January 20, 1989, standing on the U.S. Capitol's West Front, George Herbert Walker Bush addressed the American people for the first time as the forty-first President of the United States. Declaring that a "new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn," the new President launched an administration that would indeed see the winds of change remake the face of Europe and Latin America within the year. The Wall fell in Berlin; the dictator Manuel Noriega fell in Panama; and the superpowers charted a new path of cooperation at the historic Malta Summit. Meanwhile, closer to home, the President announced a new war on drugs, convened an Education Summit, and confronted the Savings and Loan crisis; and Millie, the Bushes' dog, had puppies.

Commenting on his Inaugural Address the next day, President Bush dictated to his diary: "The speech went about 20 minutes, and it was well received. Congress liked it. We've got to find ways to do this compromise, 'kinder, gentler world'"

FAITH, FAMILY, AND FRIENDS:
Values That Remain, Ties That Bind

We are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend; a loving parent; a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, and town better than he found it.

Inaugural Address, U.S. Capitol West Front,
January 20, 1989

ONE NATION UNDER GOD

Never wanting to appear "holier-than-thou," as he would often say, President Bush walked a fine line throughout his Presidency between referencing his deeply held faith and "preaching" too much in public...

I freely acknowledge my need to hear and to heed the voice of Almighty God. I began my Inaugural Address with a prayer out of a deep sense of need and desire of God's wisdom in the decisions we face.

Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, Washington Hilton Hotel
International Crystal Ballroom, Washington, D.C., February 2, 1989

__________

During their visit to China, the Bushes returned to the church where their daughter, Doro, was baptized...

Our family has always felt that church is the place to seek guidance and seek strength and peace. And when you are away from home, you realize how much that means. This church, in a sense, was our home away from home. It's a little different though. Today we came up with twenty motorcars in a motorcade, and I used to come to church on my bicycle, my Flying Pigeon.

Remarks at Chongmenwen Christian Church
in Beijing, China, February 26, 1989

__________

I am convinced that faith and family can help us honor God in a most profound and personal way -- daily, as human beings -- by the conduct of our lives. They teach us not only to revere but to practice the Golden Rule. And they also help us reflect the internal values of decency, humility, kindness, and caring.

Remarks on the National Day of Prayer,
White House State Dining Room, May 4, 1989

__________

The pupil-turned-President returns to his old school...

I can speak very briefly of my time here. I loved those years. They did, indeed, teach me the great end and real business of living. And even now its lessons of honesty, selflessness, faith in God -- well, they enrich every day of our lives.

You remember, I'm the guy that said Pearl Harbor Day was on September 7. I want to clear that up -- [laughter] -- because it was right about here, where that guy in a red coat is standing, that I heard our country was at war on December 7, 1941. And it was over there, in Cochran Chapel, that in June of 1942, a graduate of Phillips Academy gave our commencement address -- Henry Stimson. He was then secretary of war, and he observed how the American soldier should be brave without being brutal, self-reliant without boasting, becoming a part of irresistible might without losing faith in individual liberty. I never forgot those words.

For 211 years, Phillips Academy has embodied these qualities that Secretary Stimson alluded to. And it has shown we are "one nation under God." It has inculcated into its sons and daughters a sense of service to others -- each day I'm reminded of this. This is the message of our years here and the message with which I close. Without God's help we can do nothing. With God's help there is nothing we cannot do, for our children and for the world.

Remarks at the Bicentennial Convocation of Phillips Academy,
Samuel Phillips Hall, in Andover, Massachusetts, November 5, 1989

MILLIE

The Bushes' dog, Mildred Kerr Bush, was the subject of much media interest throughout 1989. Here, amid questions on terrorism and aid to the Nicaraguan contras, the new President is pressed for details about their dog's pregnancy...

Q. How many puppies are you going to have?

The President. If I had to bet -- and we've done no sonograms -- I would bet six.

Q. Are you going to keep any of them?

The President....I don't think so. A tremendous demand out there, Tom, enormous demand for these puppies. And I'm particularly interested in the op-ed page in one of the great newspapers the other day, where they had two English spaniel breeders saying this was the most outrageous thing they'd ever seen -- the attention to having these puppies here in the White House. And then, offsetting opinion, counterpoint, came by an eighty-five-year-old woman who has written a book on English spaniels, who announced that this was one of the greatest things that had ever happened. So, it's causing a very lively debate, much like the AK-47 debate -- [laughter] -- a tremendous interest in this.

Q. So, you'll be happy when it's over.

The President. Yeah. It's changed my life....Can I tell them what Barbara told me on the phone?

Mr. Fitzwater [Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater]. Sure.

The President. She said, "Tonight, you're in the Lincoln bed, alone." I said, "Well, why?" She said, "Well, Millie had a very bad night last night, thrashing around, and you would be irritable." So I am being sent down the hall, which just suits the heck out of me.

Q. Who's in the doghouse? You or the dog?

The President. The dog refuses to go in the doghouse is the problem. There's a beautiful pen made for her to have this blessed event in. It's wonderful -- little shelf built out so that the puppies can scurry under there and not get rolled on by the mother. I never thought we'd go through something like this again, after the six kids and eleven grandchildren. But it's a whole new thing.

Q. Is this worse?

The President. In a way, it is. In a way, it is. It's mainly because of Barbara's abiding interest in it. She can't move without the dog being two feet away from her. But it's exciting, and we're real thrilled. Millie's mother gave birth on the Farish [friend Will Farish, who gave Millie to the Bushes] bed at night. He woke up, and he heard a little squeak, and there were three pups and more arriving -- right on the bed. So we're trying to avoid that. It's wonderful -- [laughter] -- great new dimension to our lives.

The President's news conference, aboard Air Force One
en route to Washington, D.C., from Colorado Springs,
Colorado, March 17, 1989

__________

The biggest secret in town is that Will Farish's springer spaniel -- or English spaniel -- is actually Millie's boyfriend. [Laughter] Up to now we've tried to keep his name out of the press. [Laughter] I think it's okay now, though, to reveal his name -- Tug Farish III. [Laughter] Just what my elitist image needs -- puppies with Roman numerals after their names. [Laughter]

...You may have been reading that the pups are sleeping, or have been, on the Washington Post and the New York Times -- [laughter] -- the first time in history those papers have been used to prevent leaks. [Laughter]

Remarks at a fund-raising reception
for Senator Mitch McConnell at Lane's End Farm,
Lexington, Kentucky, May 13, 1989

__________

Q. Can you confirm these widespread stories that your dog has been eating rats and squirrels?

The President. She's doing her part. [Laughter]

Q. Has she been eating rats and squirrels?

The President. Not eating them.

Q. Just killing them?

The President. Our dog is a fearless hunter, and what she does on her own time -- that's her business.

Q. What does it tell us -- that there are rats in the White House yard here?

The President. Look, I just want to keep them out of the swimming pool. One jumped in there when Barbara was swimming. And we're relying heavily on Millie to cut that down.

Q. Mr. President, thank you very much.

The President. There was a mouse in this very room you're sitting in. I hope that doesn't terrify you, but he was done in the other day, too.

Interview with Peter Maer of Mutual/NBC Radio,
Oval Office, November 17, 1989

__________

Q. How's your dog doing?

The President. Oh, she's wonderful. I don't want to say this in front of anybody, but I had to take her into the shower the other day and give her a bath because she rolled in something bad. I mean, really bad. [Laughter] And so, Barbara, my wife, said, "Would you mind giving Millie a bath?" So, even when you're President, you've got to do some stuff that isn't too good or fun. But when she slept in our bed last night, she was very clean, and she smelled real good.

Q. How many puppies did Millie have?

The President. Millie had six puppies. She had five daughters and a son. And the son: he's now eight months old....He's much bigger than Millie, and he plays with her. We had her up to Camp David, and they run through the woods looking for things, but there's some bad news. See that rabbit over there? Don't let him out if Millie comes to this school, okay? [Laughter]

Remarks and question-and-answer session with students
at Pickard Elementary School, Room 305, in Chicago, Illinois,
November 20, 1989

A CLOSE FAMILY

Early in 1989, after a series of tests, Mrs. Bush was diagnosed with Graves' disease stemming from a thyroid gone bad. Here her husband comments on the latest prescription...

I'm delighted that Barbara Bush is with me today. She got a good, clean bill of health from Walter Reed Hospital, I might add. But I'm taking another look at her doctor. He told her, "It's okay to kiss your husband, but don't kiss the dogs." [Laughter] So, I don't know exactly what that means. [Laughter]

Remarks to participants in Project Educational Forum
at the Union High School gymnasiumin, Union, New Jersey,
April 13, 1989

__________

The war on drugs earned President Bush the wrath of South American drug cartels, as was evidenced by this exchange with reporters about the security of the President's family...

Q. Mr. President, there's a report in Newsday today that the drug lords are threatening to kidnap one of your children if they are not granted amnesty....

Q. Do you have any information about what Newsday says is a threat?

The President. I do not. And I have a feeling that that matter is of enough importance to me that it would have been brought to my attention. I don't mean to be complacent, but I have confidence in our intelligence community. I have confidence in the international cooperation in intelligence -- sometimes I wish it were more. And I have confidence in the Secret Service and their ability to do their job. So, I don't live in fear of anything like this, but, Terry [Hunt of the Associated Press], I've not heard that, and I feel confident I would have if there had been some -- what I would call hard intelligence. I can't do my job if I get deterred by rumors....I think I'd know if there was something serious --

Q. But you have increased security, and your children now all have it, when they had declined it.

The President. Yes. Varying degrees. And I don't discuss it because I think one of the contradictions in an open society is, I can understand everyone's interest in knowing every detail, but I can also understand the security system's desire that every detail not be known. I think security is better that way. But that, Helen [Thomas of United Press International] -- to the degree security has been stepped up in accordance with the law and the Bush kids, it is not because of a specific, hard piece of intelligence, hard threat. And I'm confident of that. My problem is, would I tell you if I weren't? But I am confident of that. And I'm confident that I gave you the right answer because I think I would have known that.

Q. You may be the last to know. I'm teasing...

The President. Thank you all. Any more questions on education? [Laughter]

Remarks on the Education Summit and a question-and-answer
session with reporters, Oval Office, September 27, 1989

__________

On a personal note, all four of the Bush kids played it [Little League]. I coached it. And Barbara -- well, back then there were tens of thousands of Texas kids in Little League. And as I've often said, she'd keep score, but there were times when I thought she was carpooling each and every one of them.

Remarks congratulating the Trumbull Nationals on winning
the Little League World Championship, Rose Garden,
October 10, 1989

__________

I'm very sorry that Barbara Bush is not here. She is doing a superb job as First Lady, and she is in good health. I get asked that all the time. You know, there's a magazine, that I'm sure nobody here is too familiar with, called the National Enquirer. [Laughter] But apparently they printed a story about her on the front page, and we have had more crazy letters and inquiries about her state of play [health]. But since some of you were nice enough earlier on at this little receiving line that Dan [Ouellette, former Bee County GOP chairman] worked out, that I would tell you she's in very good health. She feels great, and she's kinda winding down her responsibilities as a grandparent. We have our Dallas twins charging around the White House, having been up there at Camp David with us. And she will meet me in Houston, which is no consolation to her because she wanted very much to come back here. But she did ask me to extend to you her warm wishes. And I'll tell you -- but I've only been married for close to forty-five years; in January, it'll be forty-five -- I think Bar's doing a fantastic job for our country.

Remarks at a barbecue at the Bee County Coliseum,
Beeville, Texas, December 27, 1989

TEXAS MEMORIES

Before entering politics, George Bush was one of the original pioneers in the offshore drilling industry...

A few years after World War II, when I got out of college, I moved out to west Texas; and a couple of years after that, the early fifties, started my own business. And it was a very small firm -- not too small to teach me the economic facts of life. But we got started by risk-taking -- got the business education by helping others make that company grow. And our company was a high-risk venture. There was new technology that was unproven, full of half-starts and failures in that -- it was all called the offshore drilling business. And we took a gamble, and we invested in new technology, and then we succeeded in pioneering a new way to find America's energy.

And it wasn't always easy, even in the years that the company did reasonably well. I recall our despair one time...when one of those hurricanes swept through the Gulf of Mexico and one-third of our company's assets were invested in a brand-new drilling rig, with brand-new technology -- a hurricane swept through the Gulf. And I went out with our drilling engineer and rented a little Piper...in the aftermath of the hurricane and looked and looked and looked. And the rig had totally vanished. People had been taken off before the storm, but the rig was gone. One-third of the investment of our company totally disappeared. But from that and other such similar events, I learned some very important lessons. When that rig went down and people lost their jobs -- when we rebuilt, there was the satisfaction of seeing people go back to work. And I saw the strain of the family breadwinners, but I also saw the joy.

Remarks to the National Legislative Conference
of the Independent Insurance Agents of America,
Capitol Hilton Hotel Presidential Ballroom,
Washington, D.C., March 14, 1989

__________

Unlike Davy Crockett, I first set out for Texas not on horseback from Tennessee but from Connecticut in a red Studebaker in June of 1948. And more than forty years later, that trip is still a vivid memory: Highway 80, neon Pearl Beer signs appearing in the desert twilight...and stopping at a café -- I'll admit it I didn't know if chicken-fried steak was chicken fried like a steak or a steak that tasted like chicken, but I've learned.

Remarks to the Texas State Legislature,
Texas State Capitol House Chamber, April 26, 1989

__________

On the plains of Texas, where for twelve years Barbara and I raised our children, the story is told of a pioneer tradition that said, "Plant plums for yourself, pecans for your grandchildren." A hundred years ago, some farsighted Texas settlers planted these tiny pecan seedlings, and it took hours of backbreaking work, hauling water in the hot prairie sun. But pecan trees take many years to mature, and the settlers themselves would never live to enjoy the shade or food from the tree. It was called, therefore, a grandchildren's cove. Other settlers -- well, they wanted quick results, and they planted the fast, quick-growing plum trees. And for a few years they got good fruit. Soon, the soft bark split, sprouting tangled, barren plum bushes. And instead of enjoying the protection of these tall, stately pecan trees, the grandchildren who followed were saddled with the hardship of clearing a thicket.

Remarks at the South Dakota Centennial Celebration
at Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, September 18, 1989

"ANCHOR TO WINDWARD"

I started fishing at the age of five or so, in the cold waters along the Atlantic coast at Maine, using a lead jig with...a little white cloth for bait, trolling with one those old green cotton lines. And after a while, you get the hang of it, pulling in the fish -- mackerel and maybe a flounder. But I became acquainted with the waters up there, and so well now that I think I know every reef, when the swells will break and where they will, the sea conditions and where you can find the seals on a given day.

Remarks at the Boy Scout National Jamboree
at Fort A. P. Hill, Bowling Green, Virginia, August 7, 1989

__________

This is a place where we really enjoy ourselves -- but more than that, kind of refurbish our souls and get our batteries all charged up and enjoy life really to the fullest. It's a point of view. You can feel it in the land and in the water here. And I know that people that are members of this chamber and other visitors that we have here with us understand exactly what I'm talking about. Barbara has told you that I've been coming here every summer since 19 -- well, I was born in '24. And the only one I missed was in 1944 when, like many of you, I was in the service. That's the only time we missed being here. And there is a certain magic about the place.

Our kids live in five different states -- one in Cape Elizabeth and the others, four different states -- and for them, this is an anchor to windward because not far from where this picture was painted my mother was born in a house still standing right there -- not too far from St. Ann's Church.

Remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Chamber
of Commerce at Shawmut Inn, Kennebunkport, Maine,
August 30, 1989

FRIENDS

I used to play baseball. Knew I'd never make the big leagues, but I made a lot of friends -- friends I learned to count on, both on and off the field. And we trusted each other to come through, no matter how tough it got. And I learned from that. I learned that the kind of people you make your friends can either give you strength or take it away. I'm not sure why it is, but some people just make you find the best in yourself. They can help you become a better person, help you discover more of who you are.

Nationwide Address to Students on drug abuse,
televised from the White House Library, September 12, 1989

__________

Poking fun at Lee Atwater, Republican National Committee chairman and amateur guitarist...

The tunes Lee likes to play aren't always music to everyone's ears. I hear Lee asked [Republican Utah senator] Orrin Hatch, "If I bring my guitar tonight, would you have any special requests?" Orrin said, "Yes, just one. Don't play it."

Remarks at the National Hispanic Heritage Presidential Tribute Dinner, Omni Shoreham Hotel Regency Ballroom, September 12, 1989

__________

We're pleased that Governor [ John] Sununu is with us today. Like many young Catholics, as a boy John dreamed of one day becoming pope. [Laughter] It was only after having eight kids that we got him to settle for chief of staff.

Remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Catholic Lawyers Guild
at the Park Plaza Hotel Ballroom, Boston, Massachusetts,
September 23, 1989

__________

The friends you make here last you for the rest of your life, and I'm grateful for that. Some other things don't change. Kindness doesn't change. The education and service that is embodied in the Phillips constitution -- talk about -- it says both goodness and kindness come from the noblest character and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind.

Remarks to the Phillips Academy Board of Trustees,
at the Borden Gymnasium, in Andover, Massachusetts,
November 5, 1989

THE VISION THING:
On Peace and the Presidency

A President is neither prince nor pope, and I don't seek a window on men's souls. In fact, I yearn for a greater tolerance, and easygoingness about each other's attitudes and way of life.

Inaugural Address, U.S. Capitol West Front,
January 20, 1989

__________

When the record of our time is finally written, I hope it will be the story of the final triumph of peace and freedom throughout the globe, the story of the sunrise in the day of mankind's age-old aspirations.

Remarks aboard the USS America, Norfolk, Virginia,
January 31, 1989

THE CHALLENGE TAKEN TO HEART

His first full day on the job, January 21, the new President commented on his new life at a reception for campaign staff members...

When you spend the first night in the White House and then when you go to work in that Oval Office, it does sink in, but it sinks in in a wonderful way.

I opened the top drawer of my desk now -- a beautiful, historical presidential desk -- and there was a really lovely, warm note from my predecessor, which I think demonstrates more than the continuity. It says a lot because it said a lot about our own personal friendship, and it said a lot to me -- though he, the modest, now former President, would never say it -- but a lot of how I got the chance to be in this job. And so, it was emotional, and yet it had a nice steady feeling to it: that the presidency goes on....

You've got plenty of problems to go around. But because of the reestablished credibility of the United States, because our word is seen as good, because our determination is not doubted, I think I have been dealt a very good hand.

Remarks to campaign staff members and political supporters,
State Department Diplomatic Reception Room, January 21, 1989

__________

Response when asked if, as a World War II veteran, he felt uneasy appearing before the coffin of the late Emperor Hirohito, who had led Japan against the Allies in World War II...

I'm representing the United States of America. And we're talking about a friend, and we're talking about an ally. We're talking about a nation with whom we have constructive relationships....Back in World War II, if you'd predicted that I would be here, because of the hard feeling and the symbolic nature of the problem back then of the former emperor's standing, I would have said, "No way." But here we are, and time moves on; and there is a very good lesson for civilized countries in all of this.

The President's news conference in Tokyo,
United States ambassador's residence, February 25, 1989

__________

This nation must stand for tolerance, for pluralism, and a healthy respect for the rights of all minorities.

Remarks to members of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith,
Old Executive Office Building, Room 450, March 14, 1989

__________

A truly free society is within reach if, in our hearts, we abolish bias and bigotry and discrimination.

Remarks on signing the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission Extension Act, White House East Room,
May 17, 1989

__________

The Chinese government's repression of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations shook the world. In this reference, President Bush reveals the value he places on personal contacts between leaders and also comments on one of the most indelible images of his presidency...

I have a special affection for the Chinese people. I've kept up my relationship with various leaders there. I've been back to China five times since Barbara and I left in 1975. And she's been back six times. And it is with a saddened heart that I, joining many of you, watched the proceedings in Tiananmen Square.

I was so moved today by the bravery of that individual that stood alone in front of the tanks rolling down the main avenue there. And I heard some speculation on the television on what it is that gives a young man the strength, gives him the courage, to stand up in front of a column of tanks right there in front of the world. And I'll tell you, it was very moving, because all of us have seen the bravery and the determination of the students and the workers, seen their commitment to peaceful protest. And that image, I think, is going to be with us for a long time. And all I can say to him, wherever he might be, or to people around the world is: We are and we must stand with him. And that's the way it is, and that's the way it's going to be.

Remarks at the annual meeting of the Business Roundtable,
J. W. Marriott Hotel Capitol Ballroom, June 5, 1989

__________

The condition of our inner cities isn't a matter of charts and graphs and these cold statistics. It's more than an exercise in sociology or public policy. It's a question of how people live their lives, a question of human dignity; and it's a challenge that I take to heart.

Remarks at the Urban League Conference,
Washington Convention Center, August 8, 1989

__________

I think America is waking up, and we are beginning to condemn that which, let's face it, we've condoned.

Remarks at the South Dakota Centennial Celebration
at the Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, September 18, 1989
Securing the Peace

This is a time for America to reach out and take the lead, not merely react. And this is a time for America to move forward confidently and cautiously, not retreat. As the freest and fairest and the most powerful democracy on the earth, we must continue to shine as a beacon of liberty, beacon of justice, for all the people of the world.

Remarks at the swearing-in ceremony for James A. Baker III
as secretary of state, White House East Room, January 27, 1989

__________

On February 9, suffering from laryngitis, President Bush traveled to Capitol Hill to outline his administration's goals before a Joint Session of Congress, in the House Chamber. "Even the President worries about getting the jitters," he would later write. But as he noted in his diary of that night: "My voice held out, although I had to drink some water; but I felt in command and in control, no nervousness..."

Securing a more peaceful world is perhaps the most important priority I'd like to address tonight. You know, we meet at a time of extraordinary hope. Never before in this century have our values of freedom, democracy, and economic opportunity been such a powerful and intellectual force around the globe. Never before has our leadership been so crucial, because while America has its eyes on the future, the world has its eyes on America.

__________

Veterans share a special bond. We've seen the face of war; we know its terrible costs. Americans will never knowingly choose conflict. But we know, as well, that we must be ready and willing to respond when our interests and our ideals come under threat.

Let me be clear. I prefer the diplomatic approach. Nations can and should explore every avenue toward working out their differences without resorting to force or military intimidation, but I'm also a realist. I know there is no substitute for a nation's ability to defend its ideals and interests. And too often we hear that we face a stark choice in coping with conflict. We can pursue a diplomatic situation, or we can seek resolution through military means. One, we're told, is incompatible with the other.

Well, this doesn't square with real-world experience. Diplomacy and military capability are complementary; they're not contradictory. Creative diplomacy can help us avert conflict. Negotiations stand the greatest chance of success when they proceed from a position of strength. The fundamental lesson of this decade is simply this: strength secures the peace. America will continue to be a force for peace and stability in the world provided we stay strong.

Remarks at the annual conference of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sheraton Washington Hotel Ballroom, March 6, 1989

__________

Yes, we're a prosperous country, and we are at peace. But such quiet moments often become pivotal in the nation's history. The choices we make now are going to determine whether the door to the next American century is closing or opening wide, for all who dare to dream.

Remarks to the National Association of Manufacturers,
Mayflower Hotel Grand Ballroom, March 23, 1989

__________

No peace can succeed in a political vacuum.

Remarks following discussions with Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir of Israel, at the White House South Portico,
April 6, 1989

__________

As you know, I've just had an audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II. He was so generous with his time and so generous with his thinking and imparted to me once again his views on world peace and his views on how perhaps we can all work together in that regard. He has devoted his whole life to serving God, and the things that we focused on in this meeting were broad questions of peace and freedom and justice as they apply, or might be applied, all around the world. So, it's a talk that I'll long remember.

Remarks to students at the American Seminary in Vatican City,
Sala Clementina, May 27, 1989

__________

Democracy has captured the spirit of our time. Like all forms of government, though it may be defended, democracy can never be imposed. We believe in democracy -- for without a doubt, though democracy may be a dream deferred for many, it remains, in my view, the destiny of man.

Remarks to the Polish National Assembly,
Parliament Building Main Chamber, Warsaw, July 10, 1989

"EUROPE WHOLE AND FREE"

Throughout the spring of 1989, the Bush administration conducted a thorough review of U.S. foreign policy -- particularly as it related to Central and Eastern Europe. The first of four major speeches outlining the administration's new strategy was set for Hamtramck, Michigan -- a community outside Detroit with strong ethnic ties to Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. Of that speech, President Bush would later write: "The Hamtramck speech was one instance when I was involved from the outset. I worked on the content, and on my delivery, at Camp David the weekend before I was supposed to give it. There were a number of points I wished to make and several issues to avoid....Hamtramck decked itself out in festival manner, with American flags in every window, and smaller ones in what seemed every hand....This was small town ethnic America at its best...".

Unknown to the President at the time, an assassin was in the back of the audience but was deterred from getting too close by the Secret Service's metal detectors. He was later apprehended. Meanwhile, the President began setting forth his strategy to engage the world...

The West can now be bold in proposing a vision of the European future. We dream of the day when there will be no barriers to the free movement of peoples, goods, and ideas. We dream of the day when Eastern European peoples will be free to choose their system of government and to vote for the party of their choice in regular, free, contested elections. And we dream of the day when Eastern European countries will be free to choose their own peaceful course in the world, including closer ties with Western Europe.

Remarks to citizens at Hamtramck City Hall,
Hamtramck, Michigan, April 17, 1989

__________

The United States now has as its goal much more than simply containing Soviet expansionism. We seek the integration of the Soviet Union into the community of nations. And as the Soviet Union itself moves toward greater openness and democratization, as they meet the challenge of responsible international behavior, we will match their steps with steps of our own. Ultimately, our objective is to welcome the Soviet Union back into the world order....

Forty-three years ago, a young lieutenant by the name of Albert Kotzebue, the class of 1945 at Texas A&M, was the first American solider to shake hands with the Soviets at the bank of the Elbe River. Once again, we are ready to extend our hand. Once again, we are ready for a hand in return.

Remarks at Texas A&M University
Commencement Ceremony, G. Rollie White Coliseum,
College Station, May 12, 1989

__________

While an ideological earthquake is shaking asunder the very Communist foundations, the West is being tested by complacency. We must never forget that twice in this century American blood has been shed over conflicts that began in Europe. And we share the fervent desire of Europeans to relegate war forever to the province of distant memory. But that is why the Atlantic alliance is so central to our foreign policy. And that's why America remains committed to the alliance and the strategy which has preserved freedom in Europe. We must never forget that to keep the peace in Europe is to keep the peace in America.

Remarks at the Boston University commencement ceremony,
Dickerson Field, Massachusetts, May 21, 1989

__________

For too long, unnatural and inhuman barriers have divided the East from the West. And we hope to overcome that division, to see a Europe that is truly free, united, and at peace.

Remarks upon departure for Europe, Andrews Air Force Base,
May 26, 1989

__________

Of course, leadership has a constant companion: responsibility. And our responsibility is to look ahead and grasp the promise of the future. I said recently that we're at the end of one era and the beginning of another. And I noted that in regard to the Soviet Union, our policy is to move beyond containment. For forty years, the seeds of democracy in Eastern Europe lay dormant, buried under the frozen tundra of the Cold War. And for forty years, the world has waited for the Cold War to end. And decade after decade, time after time, the flowering human spirit withered from the chill of conflict and oppression; and again, the world waited. But the passion for freedom cannot be denied forever. The world has waited long enough. The time is right. Let Europe be whole and free.

Remarks at the Rheingoldhalle to the citizens of Mainz,
Federal Republic of Germany, May 31, 1989

__________

On July 11, President and Mrs. Bush traveled to Gdansk, where they had lunch at the home of Lech and Danuta Walesa before the two men addressed the biggest crowd Walesa said he had ever seen outside the Lenin Shipyard -- the birthplace of the Solidarity movement. President Bush later wrote: "At the end of the day, I had the heady sense that I was witnessing history being made on the spot..."

A new century is almost upon us. It is alive with possibilities. And in your quest for a better future for yourselves and for those wonderful children that I saw coming in from the airport -- in that quest America stands shoulder to shoulder with the Polish people in solidarity. Americans and Poles know that nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. The dream is a Poland reborn, and the dream is alive.

Remarks at the Solidarity Workers Monument,
outside the Lenin Shipyard, Gdansk, Poland, July 11, 1989

__________

News of the fall of the Berlin Wall reached President Bush in the Oval Office midafternoon on November 9; and while reports of what was transpiring were still unconfirmed, a decision was made to hold an impromptu press conference in the Oval Office rather than holding a more formal press briefing. President Bush would later reflect: "It was an awkward and uncomfortable conference. The press wanted me to give a summation of this historic moment. Of course, I was thankful about the events in Berlin, but as I answered questions my mind kept racing over a possible Soviet crackdown, turning all the happiness to tragedy. My answers were cautious...".

Q. Mr. President, do you think now that East Germany appears to be moving in the direction of Poland and Hungary that the rest of the Eastern Bloc can continue to resist this? I'm thinking of Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania -- will they be next?

The President. No, I don't think anyone can resist it, in Europe or in the Western Hemisphere.

Q. Did you ever imagine --

The President. That's one of the great things about dynamic change in Central America: it's moving in our direction.

Q. Did you ever imagine anything like this happening?

Q. On your watch?

The President. We've imagined it, but I can't say I foresaw this development at this stage. Now, I didn't foresee it, but imagining it -- yes. When I talk about a Europe whole and free, we're talking about this kind of freedom to come and go, this kind of staying with and living by the Helsinki Final Act, which gives the people the right to come and go.

Q. In what you just said, that this is a sort of great victory for our side in the East-West battle, but you don't seem elated. And I'm wondering if you're thinking of the problems.

The President. I am not an emotional kind of guy.

Q. Well, how elated are you?

The President. I'm very pleased. And I've been very pleased with a lot of other developments. And, as I've told you, I think the United States part of this, with us not related to this development today particularly, is being handled in a proper fashion. And we'll have some that'll suggest more flamboyant courses of action for this country, and we're, I think, handling this properly with allies, staying in close touch in this dynamic change -- try to help as developments take place, try to enhance reform, both political and economic.

And so, the fact that I'm not bubbling over -- maybe it's getting along towards evening, because I feel very good about it.

Remarks and a question-and-answer session with reporters
on the relaxation of East German border controls,
Oval Office, November 9, 1989

__________

What is happening in Berlin and on our television screens is astounding. World War II, fought for freedom, ironically left the world divided between the free and the unfree; and most of us alive today were born into that sundered world. And now almost fifty years have passed, and some have wondered all these years why we stayed in Berlin. And let me tell you! We stayed because we knew, we just knew -- all Americans -- that this day would come. And now a century that was born in war and revolution may bequeath a legacy of peace unthinkable only a few years ago.

Remarks on presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom
to Lech Walesa and the Presidential Citizen's Medal
to Lane Kirkland (President of the AFL-CIO),
White House East Room, November 13, 1989

__________

Some historians point to the Malta Summit as the beginning of the end of the Cold War. It was also known as the Seasick Summit because of high winds that buffeted the harbor-bound U.S. and USSR ships...

Frankly, I'd like to get Chairman Gorbachev to get an idea of what U.S. navy food is like. [Laughter] Maybe not -- [laughter] -- what I'm trying to do is ease tensions.

Remarks to the crew and guests on the USS Forrestal
in Malta, December 1, 1989

__________

President Bush would later comment on "Malta's positive effect upon my personal relationship with Gorbachev, which I thought was symbolized in our joint press conference -- the first ever in U.S.-Soviet relations. The talks had shown a friendly openness between us and a genuine willingness to listen to each other's proposals..." Quoting from that historic press conference...

For forty years, the Western alliance has stood together in the cause of freedom. And now, with reform under way in the Soviet Union, we stand at the threshold of a brand-new era of U.S.-Soviet relations. And it is within our grasp to contribute, each in our own way, to overcoming the division of Europe and ending the military confrontation there.

Remarks of the President and Soviet Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev
and a question-and-answer session with reporters on the Soviet liner Maxim Gorky in Marsaxlokk Harbor, Malta,
December 3, 1989

__________

The modern Atlantic alliance was born at sea. It was on a battleship off the coast of Canada that Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met during Europe's darkest hours -- great leaders, a rendezvous at sea, a rendezvous with destiny. The legacy of that meeting became known as the Atlantic Charter, significant not for its details but for its vision. And it spoke of a day when nations would resolve their differences at the negotiating table, not on the field of battle.

Tonight, I've come to Brussels to share with our friends and our allies the results of that vision, results born of strength and solidarity, continuity and commitment. It seems like the world is changing overnight. But the yearning for freedom lives within all of us and always has. And that simple truth is manifested in the thunderous events that are taking place just a few hundred kilometers to the east. And that simple truth brought Mikhail Gorbachev and me together on a windswept harbor off Malta.

The seas were as turbulent as our times, but it was not an ill wind carrying us on our mission. No, it was the wind of change -- strong and constant, profound. And today, as the sun broke through the clouds there at Malta, we could see a new world taking shape, a new world of freedom.

Remarks at a welcoming ceremony at Zaventem Airport,
Brussels, December 3, 1989

"THE DAYS OF THE DICTATOR ARE OVER"

During the President's first year in office, Central America dominated the hemispheric agenda. Along with a dramatic bipartisan breakthrough on policy toward Nicaragua -- which eventually helped force the Communist leader of the Sandinistas, Daniel Ortega, to hold free elections -- Panama was front and center through 1989. In the Panamanian election held in early May, an international panel of observers led by former President Jimmy Carter, the Catholic Church, and others documented widespread vote fraud by dictator Manuel Noriega. The people backed opposition candidate Guillermo Endara by a three-to-one margin, and Noriega's thugs resorted to violence to complete their theft. The Bush administration joined other hemispheric leaders in condemning the action...

Today elected constitutional government is the clear choice of the vast majority of the people in the Americas, and the days of the dictator are over. Still, in many parts of our hemisphere, the enemies of democracy lie in wait to overturn elected governments through force or to steal elections through fraud. All nations in the democratic community have a responsibility to make clear, through our actions and our words, that efforts to overturn constitutional regimes or steal elections are unacceptable. If we fail to send a clear signal when democracy is imperiled, the enemies of constitutional government will become more dangerous.

Remarks and a question-and-answer session with reporters
on the situation in Panama, White House Briefing Room,
May 11, 1989

__________

A message to Nicaragua's Communist leader, Daniel Ortega...

The President. I wish Mr. Ortega had been there when [Costa Rican President Oscar] Arias was sworn in, and I'll tell you why....Maybe you were there this day I'm talking about. I represented the United States as Vice President. You had thirty thousand people in a stadium in the capital. Remember that day?

Q. The national stadium?

The President. The national stadium, exactly. And what you did was to go in there, everybody lined up behind their flag. And I'm saying to myself, I don't know what kind of reception I'm going to get -- the U.S. Stars and Stripes and the Vice President of the United States -- I know we've got good relations with Costa Rica, but a lot of other countries [are] represented. I swear to God, to the die I day I'll never forget the reception for my country. It wasn't me -- they didn't know who the hell I was -- but marching in behind the Stars and Stripes with our little delegation, and people were cheering, and it was democracy. It overlooked any kind of regional differences, and it was so moving and touching.

__________

And to Manuel Noriega...

Q. Mr. President, on Mr. Noriega -- we each asked our questions. Will you answer one question on Noriega?

The President. Yes, I'd be delighted to. He's not my favorite character, but what is it? [Laughter]

Q. You've been criticized in this country -- politically and some of the media -- for the way you reacted to the coup in Panama.

The President. Yes.

Q. You said you acted according to what you felt.

The President. I wasn't criticized by any of the countries around this table, I noticed -- not one.

Q. Right. But some of the media in this country and some in Congress --

The President. We've got a lot of hawks out there; we've got a lot of macho guys out there that want me to send somebody else's kid into battle. And what I will do is prudently assess the situation at the time, and I've seen nothing in terms of intelligence or fact coming in later that would make me have done something differently. And that doesn't mean under some provocation or some denial of our rights as the United States of America, that I'd be afraid to use force. But for these instant hawks up there to -- those doves that now become instant hawks on Capitol Hill, they don't bother me one bit because the American people supported me by over two to one, and I think I sent a strong signal to the countries represented around this table that we are not imprudently going to use the force of the United States.

If somebody lays a glove on an American citizen there in the Canal Zone or where we have certain treaty rights, then we've got another story.

Interview with Latin American journalists,
White House Roosevelt Room, October 25, 1989

__________

Today, Noriega may think his lead-pipe politics have won, but he's won nothing more than a fragile status quo. And democracy really will triumph in Panama -- I'm confident of that. It's a question of when, not if.

The President's news conference in Hotel Cariari Convention Hall,
San José, Costa Rica, October 28, 1989

__________

Announcing Operation Just Cause...

I am committed to strengthening our relationship with the democratic nations in this hemisphere. I will continue to seek solutions to the problems of this region through dialogue and multilateral diplomacy. I took this action only after reaching the conclusion that every other avenue was closed and the lives of American citizens were in grave danger. I hope that the people of Panama will put this dark chapter of dictatorship behind them and move forward together as citizens of a democratic Panama with this government that they themselves have elected.

Address to the nation announcing U. S. military action
in Panama, Oval Office, December 20, 1989

__________

Q. Mr. President, this spring you indicated that you would accept Noriega going to a third country where he could be free of prosecution. What has changed now that that's no longer acceptable?

The President. The death of one marine, the brutalization of a wife of a lieutenant, the death of a lot of our kids -- that's what's changed.

Question-and-answer session with reporters in Houston, Texas,
on the situation in Panama, Houstonian Country Club,
December 30, 1989

A LEGACY OF SERVICE:
To Country, to Community

No President, no government, can teach us to remember what is best in what we are. But if the man you have chosen to lead this government can help make a difference; if he can celebrate the quieter, deeper successes that are made not of gold and silk but of better hearts and finer souls; if he can do these things, then he must.

Inaugural Address, U. S. Capitol West Front,
January 20, 1989

__________

To serve and to serve well is the highest fulfillment we can know.

Remarks at the Boy Scout National Jamboree at Fort A. P. Hill, Bowling Green, Virginia, August 7, 1989

"BENEATH THE GREAT SEAL"

President Bush has often stated that the President has an obligation to set a high moral tone for the country, as well as his own administration. Ethics was a major focus of the first few weeks...

The mission is great. But it really has to be accomplished in the finest tradition of our nation: pride, honesty -- spirit of idealism when it comes to public service, knowing that our actions must always be of the highest integrity. It's not really very complicated. It's a question of knowing right from wrong, avoiding conflicts of interest, bending over backwards to see that there's not even a perception of conflict of interest.

Remarks at a swearing-in ceremony for members
of the White House staff, White House East Room,
January 23, 1989

__________

Our principles are clear: that government service is a noble calling and a public trust. I learned that from my mom and dad at an early age, and I expect that that's where many of you learned it -- there or in school. There is no higher honor than to serve free men and women, no greater privilege than to labor in government beneath the Great Seal of the United States and the American flag. And that's why this administration is dedicated to ethics in government and the need for honorable men and women to serve in positions of trust....

Government should be an opportunity for public service, not private gain. And I want to make sure that public service is valued and respected, because I want to encourage America's young to pursue careers in government. There is nothing more fulfilling than to serve your country and your fellow citizens and do it well. And that's what our system of self-government depends on.

And I've never known a finer group of people than those that I worked with in government. You're men and women of knowledge, ability, and integrity. And I saw that in the CIA. I saw that when I was in China. I saw it at the United Nations. And for the last eight years, I saw that in every department and agency of the United States government. And I saw that commitment to excellence in the federal workers I came to know and respect in Washington, all across America, and, indeed, around the world. You work hard; you sacrifice. You deserve to be recognized, rewarded, and certainly appreciated. I pledge to try to make federal jobs more challenging, more satisfying, and more fulfilling. I'm dedicated to making the system work and making it work better.

Remarks to members of the senior executive service,
DAR Constitution Hall, January 26, 1989

__________

On ethical conduct for former Presidents...

Q. You've mentioned ethics in a number of ways, and you've talked about the value of service this year. The last two days we've picked up headlines in the papers, and they've read President Reagan has a $5-million book deal. He's got a $50,000-a-speech deal. With all respect for the office and the former President, do you think it's appropriate to cash in on the presidency?

The President. I don't know whether I'd call it cashing in. I expect every President has written his memoirs and received money for it. Indeed, I read that a former President -- was it Grant? Grant got half a million bucks. That's when half a million really meant something. [Laughter]...so I think there is plenty of tradition that goes with Presidents writing memoirs and being paid for it.

Q. But you've also talked about perceptions. Is there a perception problem here?

The President. No, because I think there has been a long history of that, and I don't think it's ever been challenged as inappropriate.

The President's news conference, White House Briefing Room,
January 27, 1989

__________

I believe in government service. I believe that it plays a vital role. But it must complement individual service. And nothing can replace personal commitment, both in our jobs and in our private lives. Many people look to you, the people in government, to do all things and solve all problems. Well, I think as a people we need to renew our sense of commitment, to take greater responsibility not only for ourselves but for one another.

Remarks at the swearing-in ceremony for Elizabeth H. Dole
as secretary of labor, Department of Labor Great Hall,
January 30, 1989

__________

George Bush served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations from 1971 to 1972, when President Nixon asked him to head the Republican National Committee. Here he recounts a few memories from his UN days...

The memories of my time here in 1971 and 1972 are still with me today -- the human moments, the humorous moments that are part of even the highest undertaking.

With your permission, let me share one story from many of the sessions of the Security Council. I was the permanent representative of the United States. I was forty-five minutes late getting to the meeting, and all forty-five minutes were filled by the first speaker to take the floor. And when I walked in and took my seat, the speaker paused and said with great courtesy, "I welcome the permanent representative of the United States, and now, for his benefit, I will start my speech all over again from the beginning." [Laughter] That's a true story. And at that moment, differences of alliance, ideology, didn't matter. The universal groan that went up around that table from every member present, and then the laughter that followed, united us all....

I do remember sitting in this hall. I remember the mutual respect among all of us proudly serving as representatives. Yes, I remember the almost endless speeches -- and I don't want this to be one of them -- [laughter] -- the Security Council sessions, the receptions, those long receiving lines, the formal meetings of this Assembly and the informal discussions in the delegates' lounge over here. And I remember something more, something beyond the frantic pace and sometimes frustrating experiences of daily life here: the heartbeat of the United Nations, the quiet conviction that we could make the world more peaceful, more free. What we sought then -- all of us -- now lies within our reach.

Address to the Forty-fourth Session of the United Nations
General Assembly, UN General Assembly Hall,
September 25, 1989

"AMERICA'S PRIDE"

Here, addressing the troops for the first time as commander in chief, President Bush briefly recounts his stay on the USS Finback -- the submarine that picked him up in 1944 after he was shot down over the Pacific island of Chi Chi Jima...

I've been in a submerged submarine while depth charges were going off all around it. And I know what it's like to hear the vessel strain and shake and pray to God...

Remarks aboard USS America, Norfolk, Virginia,
January 31, 1989

__________

Using a personal example to underscore how the United States earned its role as a Pacific power. This was President Bush's first address to a foreign legislature as President...

I first came to the Asian Pacific region during World War II, more than forty-five years ago. I was a teenager, nineteen years old. I was flying torpedo bombers in the United States navy. It was then, for the first time in my life, that I truly appreciated the value of freedom and the price we pay to keep it. Believe me, I have never forgotten.

Remarks to the National Assembly at the National
Assembly Hall, Seoul, Korea, February 27, 1989

__________

On April 19, forty-seven sailors aboard the USS Iowa were killed in an explosion. Several days later, President Bush traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to address a memorial service. As he recounted in his diary: "I kept rehearsing and reading my speech aloud. I did pray for strength, because I cry too easily, so I read it over and over again. I tried not to personalize it when I gave it. I tried not to focus on a grieving parent or a grieving spouse; I tried to comfort individually in the speech; but then I got to the end, I choked up and had to stop...".

To the navy community, remember that you have the admiration of America for sharing the burden of grief as a family, especially the navy wives, who suffer most the hardships of separation. You've always been strong for the sake of love. You must be heroically strong now, but you will find that love endures. It endures in the lingering memory of time together, in the embrace of a friend, in the bright, questioning eyes of a child.

And as for the children of the lost, throughout your lives you must never forget, your father was America's pride. Your mothers and grandmothers, aunts and uncles, are entrusted with the memory of this day. In the years to come, they must pass along to you the legacy of the men behind the guns.

Remarks at the memorial service for crew members
of the USS Iowa at Norfolk Naval Air Station Hangar LP-2,
Norfolk, Virginia, April 24, 1989

__________

Following the service, President Bush traveled to Chicago to address an Associated Press luncheon. Before the lunch, William Keating of the Detroit Newspaper Agency and Lou Boccardi of AP asked President Bush the status of Terry Anderson, an AP reporter who was being held hostage in the Middle East, prompting the following comment at the start of the President's luncheon remarks.

I vowed when I came into the presidency not to talk about the burden of the presidency, the loneliness of the job or the great toughness that nobody understands. I learned from my immediate predecessor -- eight years and I never once heard a call for sympathy or a call for understanding along those lines. But I will say that when you do take that oath of office, you do feel a disproportionate concern for a fallen sailor or an individual held hostage against his or her will anywhere in the world.

Remarks at the Associated Press luncheon
at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Grand Ballroom,
Chicago, Illinois, April 24, 1989

"A Thousand Points of Light"

From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include service to others.

Remarks to students at University Field House,
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri,
February 17, 1989

__________

When a President talks about volunteerism, there are a few cynics around who suggest he's trying to escape the responsibility of the federal government, he's trying to say let somebody else do it. I'm saying, and I believe it with a fervor, that this narcotics problem in this country is not going to be solved without the Thousand Points of Light. Not just a thousand organizations, but literally a million efforts to get out there and try to work the problem. It isn't going to be done by the government.

Remarks and a question-and-answer session with students
at the school library, James Madison High School,
Vienna, Virginia, March 28, 1989

__________

You understand that helping the less fortunate is in everyone's best interest; that the most powerful gift we can offer anyone is a sense of purpose, a path to self-esteem; that the fabric of family, like that of society, must forever be renewed and rewoven.

Remarks on signing
the National Volunteer Week Proclamation,
Rose Garden, April 10, 1989

__________

The "Iron Horse," New York Yankee Lou Gehrig, was one of George Bush's idols for the way he played baseball, and a Bush hero for the way he lived his life...

Lou Gehrig was a Hall of Fame first baseman in the 1920s and 1930s. He played in 2,130 straight games, a record which still stands. But more than that, he was a good and decent man about whom a teammate said, "Every day, any day, he just went out and did his job." Fifty years ago, Lou Gehrig was stricken by a form of paralysis which today bears his name: Lou Gehrig's disease. And even so, he told the crowd at Yankee Stadium, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

This story has become -- certainly among sportsmen and, I think, even more widely -- an American parable. But less known is that after he left the Yankees, for much of the last two years of his life, he served his fellow man. He was dying; weaker by the day; he could barely move his body. But as a parole commissioner for the City of New York, he counseled and inspired kids. And they called him the Iron Horse, the Pride of the Yankees. And he was a hero.

Remarks at the presentation ceremony
for the President's Volunteer Action Awards, East Room,
April 11, 1989

__________

We cannot afford to fail, and we won't. For as Americans, we know what is at stake. We know that volunteerism can help those free-falling through society. We know that as citizens and institutions we can use one-to-one caring to truly love thy neighbor. And we know, finally, that from now on any definition of a successful life must include serving others.

Remarks at a luncheon hosted by the New York Partnership
and the Association for a Better New York at the New York
Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom, New York City,
June 22, 1989

__________

If it weren't for the Points of Light, for these volunteers, the bill to some level of government would be way, way, way higher than it is today. Because neighbor helps neighbor; friend helps friend; people reaching across and trying to lift up those who are hurt -- I don't know how you put a price tag on it, but that is the American way. And it's been that way, and it always will be that way.

Exchange with reporters at Pacific Valley Mall during a tour
of the earthquake damage in Santa Cruz, California,
October 20, 1989

__________

If you've got a hammer, find a nail. If you can read, find someone who can't. If you're well, do it like the volunteers I just saw at St. Jude's [Hospital]. Help someone who isn't well. If you're not in trouble, seek out someone who is...