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<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]


[Page i-ii]
 
Monday, May 1, 1995
 
Volume 31--Number 17
Pages 685-733
 
Contents

[[Page i]]

Weekly Compilation of

Presidential

Documents



[[Page ii]]

  


Addresses and Remarks

    Counter-terrorism initiatives--723
    Iowa
        Arrival in Des Moines--703
        National Rural Conference in Ames--707, 709
        State Legislature in Des Moines--714
        Students at Iowa State University in Ames--710
    Minnesota
        American Association of Community Colleges in Minneapolis--696
        Departure from Minneapolis--703
    Oklahoma, memorial service for the bombing victims in Oklahoma 
        City--688
    President's Service Awards--724
    Radio address on the Oklahoma City bombing--685
    Teacher of the Year award--727

  

Communications to Congress

    Canada-U.S. income tax convention, message transmitting protocol--
        706
    Cyprus, letter transmitting report--723
    Jordan-U.S. extradition treaty, message transmitting--707

Communications to Federal Agencies

    Regulatory reform, memorandum--695

Interviews With the News Media

    Exchange with reporters in the Cabinet Room--723
    Interview with ``60 Minutes'' on CBS--689

Letters and Messages

    Public Service Recognition Week, message--729

Proclamations

    Law Day, U.S.A.--726
    National Crime Victims' Rights Week--724
    Small Business Week--729

Statements by the President

    Armenian massacre anniversary--694
    Death of Naomi Nover--723
    Freedom Day in South Africa--726

Supplementary Materials

    Acts approved by the President--733
    Checklist of White House press releases--733
    Digest of other White House announcements--730
    Nominations submitted to the Senate--731


              WEEKLY COMPILATION OF
          ------------------------------
              PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS

Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register, National 
Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, the Weekly 
Compilation of Presidential Documents contains statements, messages, and
other Presidential materials released by the White House during the 
preceding week.

The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published pursuant to
the authority contained in the Federal Register Act (49 Stat. 500, as 
amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under regulations prescribed by the 
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the 
President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10).

Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Weekly Compilation of 
Presidential Documents will be furnished by mail to domestic subscribers 
for $80.00 per year ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign
subscribers for $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of 
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The charge 
for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing).

There are no restrictions on the republication of material appearing in 
the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.





[[Page 685]]




<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]


[Page 685-688]
 
Monday, May 1, 1995
 
Volume 31--Number 17
Pages 685-733
 
Week Ending Friday, April 28, 1995
 
Hillary Clinton to Children on the Oklahoma City Bombing

April 22, 1995

    The President. Today, I've been joined by the First Lady and by 
children of people who work for our Federal Government, because we are 
especially concerned about how the children of America are reacting to 
the terrible events in Oklahoma City. Our family has been struggling to 
make sense of this tragedy, and I know that families all over America 
have as well.
    We know that what happened in Oklahoma is very frightening, and we 
want children to know that it's okay to be frightened by something as 
bad as this. Your parents understand it. Your teachers understand it. 
And we're all there for you, and we're working hard to make sure that 
this makes sense to you and that you can overcome your fears and go on 
with your lives.
    The First Lady has been very worried about all the children of our 
country in the aftermath of this tragedy, and she wants to talk with 
you, too, today.
    Mrs. Clinton. I'm very happy to have this chance to talk with 
children here in the White House and children who maybe have been 
watching cartoons or just getting up around the country and turning on 
the television set. I know that many children around the country have 
been very frightened by what they have seen and heard, particularly on 
television in the last few days. And I'm sure that you, like many of the 
children I've already talked to, are really concerned because they don't 
know how something so terrible could have happened here in our country.
    But you know, whenever you feel scared or worried, I want you to 
remember that your parents and your friends and your family members all 
love you and are going to do everything they can to take care of you and 
to protect you. That's really important for each of you to know.
    I also want you to know that there are many more good people in the 
world than bad and evil people. Just think of what we have seen in the 
last few days. Think of all the police officers and the firefighters, 
the doctors and the nurses, all of the neighbors and the rescue workers, 
all of the people who have come to help all of those who were hurt in 
Oklahoma. Think about the people around the country who are sending 
presents and writing letters. Good people live everywhere in our 
country, in every town and every city, and there are many, many of them.
    Like many of the families in America, our family has spent a lot of 
time in the last few days talking about what happened in Oklahoma, 
sharing our own feelings, our anger, our tears, our sorrow. All of that 
has been very good for us. And I hope you are doing it at home as well.
    I want all of the children to talk to people. Talk to your parents. 
Talk to your grandparents. Talk to your teachers. Talk to those grownups 
who are around about how you are feeling inside, how this makes you feel 
about yourself, so that they can give you the kind of reassurance, the 
hugs, the other ways of showing you that you can feel better about this 
because they love you and care about you very much.
    And finally, I want children to think about ways that all of you can 
help. Sometimes writing a letter or drawing a picture when you're sad or 
unhappy can make you feel better. Perhaps you could even send those 
pictures and letters to children in Oklahoma City. Maybe you could send 
a toy or a present. Maybe you can also just be nicer to your own friends 
at school and to help take care of each other better. I think that's one 
thing that all of us can do.
    Thankfully, we're going to be able to help the people there, and 
we're going to pray very hard for everybody who was injured and

[[Page 686]]

everyone who died. But let's also try to help each other. And there are 
many ways we can do that. And if we remember that, then I think all of 
us can get over being afraid and scared.
    The President. I'd like to take a moment to say a few words about 
this whole thing to the parents of America. I know it always--or, at 
least, it's often difficult to talk to children about things that are 
this painful. But at times like this, nothing is more important for 
parents to do than to simply explain what has happened to the children 
and then to reassure your own children about their future.
    Experts agree on a number of steps. First of all, you should 
encourage your children to talk about what they're feeling. If your 
children are watching news about the bombing, watch it with them. If 
they have questions, first listen carefully to what they're asking, and 
then answer the questions honestly and forthrightly. But then reassure 
them. Tell them there are a lot of people in this country in law 
enforcement who are working hard to protect them and to keep things like 
this from happening. Tell them that they are safe, that their own school 
or day care center is a safe place, and that it has been checked and 
that you know it's safe.
    And make sure to tell them without any hesitation that the evil 
people who committed this crime are going to be found and punished. Tell 
them that I have promised every child, every parent, every person in 
America that when we catch the people who did this, we will make sure 
that they can never hurt another child again, ever.
    Finally, and most important of all, in the next several days, go out 
of your way to tell your children how much you love them. Tell them how 
much you care about them. Be extra sensitive to whether they need a hug 
or just to be held. This is a frightening and troubling time.
    But we cannot let the terrible actions of a few terrible people 
frighten us any more than they already have. So reach out to one another 
and come together. We will triumph over those who would divide us. And 
we will overcome them by doing it together, putting our children first.
    God bless you all, and thanks for listening.

[At this point, the address ended and the President and Hillary Clinton 
answered children's questions.]

    The President. What about all of you, how do you feel about this? 
You got anything you want to say about what happened at the bombing? 
What?
    Q. It was mean.
    The President. It was mean, wasn't it? What did you think when you 
heard about it the first time?
    Q. I didn't like it.
    Mrs. Clinton. It was very mean.
    Q. I thought the--those people that did it should be punished very 
badly--to hurt the children.
    Mrs. Clinton. That's right, and they will be.
    The President. They should be punished, and they will be.
    Q. I feel sorry for the people that died.
    The President. You feel sorry for the people that died. Good for 
you.
    Q. When I first heard about it, I thought, who would want to do that 
to kids who had never done anything to them?
    Mrs. Clinton. It's hard to imagine, isn't it?
    The President. That's very hard to imagine. There are some people 
who get this idea in their minds that there are people who have done 
something to them when they haven't done anything to them and who are 
told over and over again that it's okay to hate, it's okay to hate, it's 
okay to lash out, even at people they don't even know. And that's a 
wrong idea.
    That's the other thing I want to say to you. We need to--we need to 
all respect each other and treat each other with respect and be tolerant 
of our differences so that we don't have other people developing this 
crazy attitude that it's okay to hurt people you never even knew.
    Good for you.
    Q. I feel really bad for the people that died and the people that 
are in the hospital, especially for the parents because it's really hard 
to lose a child.
    The President. It's so hard.
    Mrs. Clinton. And I think all of us have to do everything we can to 
help the people who were hurt and to make sure they get

[[Page 687]]

everything they need, not only in the hospital but after that because 
they'll need people to talk to as well. And we have to be everything we 
can be to help the people who lost family members, like you said. It's 
going to take a very long time.
    The President. And we have to feel bad for their parents, too. You 
know how much your parents love you, and can you imagine how they would 
feel? So we've got to feel bad for their parents, too, and give them a 
lot of support.
    Q. I think--[inaudible]--in jail.
    Mrs. Clinton. You are right. You are right. There are many, many 
people working hard all over the country to find out who did this. And 
they're actually making some progress in finding out who did it, and 
they will keep doing that until the people are caught----
    Q. [Inaudible]--newspaper.
    Mrs. Clinton. Yes, that's right. And they'll be caught, and then 
they'll be punished.
    The President. Anybody else want to say anything?
    Mrs. Clinton. What do you think you can do here, which is far away 
from where it happened, that could help other people and to do things 
that would be nice and, you know, as a way of helping?
    Q. To send money to--[inaudible]----
    Mrs. Clinton. That's a good idea.
    Q. Send cards and presents.
    The President. To Oklahoma City.
    Mrs. Clinton. I think sending something--that would be good.
    Q. ----send some of your old clothes and everything.

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