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With the strong leadership of President Roosevelt, they awakened the
slumbering genius and giant of American industry. In 1940, our Navy had
no landing craft. By 1944 there were over 25,000. In 1940, the United
States produced fewer than 500 airplanes a month. In 1941, F.D.R. called
for 4,000 a month and everyone thought he was a little crazy. But by D-
Day, Rosie the Riveter and her cowork-
[[Page 1193]]
ers were rolling out planes at twice the pace Roosevelt asked for.
After the war that same generation turned their energies to building
a new prosperity. They built schools and highways and a sense of common
purpose that put the country back on track, through the GI bill and
housing initiatives and other things that built the strongest middle
class in all of human history.
On D-Day Americans gathered around the radio to join President
Roosevelt in prayer. ``Success,'' he said, ``may not come with rushing
speed. But we shall return again and again. And we know that by Thy
grace and by the righteousness of our cause our sons will triumph.''
Today we face new challenges at home and abroad. We know, too, as
then, our successes will not come with rushing speed. But we must see
our battles through to the end. As it was on D-Day, America will be at
work next Monday, June 6th. For one moment on that Monday you might
pause and reflect, 50 years ago on this day, at this hour, the men and
women of America saved democracy in Europe and changed the course of
history for the world.
Wherever you are then, I hope you will have some time to look at the
ceremonies. I hope you will think about how we can honor their legacy by
carrying it on. That is the greatest honor of all.
One of the greatest privileges I have as President is to represent
all of our country in honoring those who won World War II. This week let
us all, from the President to every other citizen, do our best to say a
simple thank you. Thank you for what you did. Thank you for the years
you have given us. Thank you for the example you have set through
sacrifice and courage and determination.
It is fitting that we should begin here, in the shadow of this great
monument to the 1st Army Division. Let us all, all of us Americans,
spend this next week in gratitude, in reflection, and with resolve.
God bless you all, and God bless America.
Note: The President spoke at 9:22 a.m. at the 1st Division Monument. In
his remarks, he referred to Col. Walter F. Nechey, USA (Ret.), D-Day
veteran with the 1st Infantry Division; Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA,
Chief of Staff, Army; Lt. Gen. Orwin C. Talbott, USA (Ret.), president,
Society of the 1st Infantry Division; and Robert Stanton, regional
director, National Park Service.
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[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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Monday, June 6, 1994
Volume 30--Number 22
Pages 1177-1208
Week Ending Friday, June 3, 1994
Remarks to American Seminarians in Vatican City
June 2, 1994
Thank you very much, Cardinal, Mr. Ambassador. After that political
comment he made he has another good reason to go to confession now.
[Laughter] Cardinal Baum, Cardinal Szoka, to all of you here, and
especially to the American seminarians who are here, let me say it is a
profound honor for me and for Hillary and for our entire American party
to be here in the Vatican today and for me to have had the meeting that
I just had with His Holiness.
We had a wonderful discussion about a large number of things. I'm
always amazed to find him so vigorously involved in the affairs of the
world. We talked about the difficulties in Bosnia, as you might imagine.
We talked a lot about Poland and Eastern Europe. We talked at some
length about Russia and our emerging relationships there.
We talked quite a long while about Asia, about the need to protect
religious freedoms in Asian countries and to promote that. And I pledged
to the Pope my best efforts to work with other nations, especially
nations in Asia, in the cause of religious freedom. We talked about the
challenges presented at the moment by the dispute we're having with
North Korea.
We talked at great length about the role of the Islamic states in
the future of the world, not only in the Middle East but elsewhere. We
talked a lot about the Middle East, and I thanked His Holiness for the
recognition that the Holy See has given to Israel and the support to the
peace process.
We talked about the upcoming conference in Cairo on world population
problems, about where we agreed and where we didn't and how we could
come together on a policy that would promote responsible growth of the
world's population and still reaffirm our common commitment for the
central role of the family in every society.
It was for me, as it was last year in Denver, an awe-inspiring
experience. But I hope it
[[Page 1194]]
was also an important experience for the people who we represent and the
progress we are trying to make.
For those of you who are American seminarians here, I would like to
say a special word of appreciation for the role of the Catholic Church
in our country. There are 20,000 parishes, 9,000 Catholic elementary and
high schools, over 200 Catholic colleges and universities, one of which
gave me a degree a long time ago. The thing I have always revered about
the Catholic Church was the sense of constancy and commitment of the
Church in our national life, the sense of putting one's life, one's
money, one's time where one's stated ideas are.
The Catholic Church has brought together faith and action, word and
deed, bringing together people across the lines of rich and poor, of
racial lines and other lines perhaps better than any other institution
in our society. And I am convinced that it's been able to do that
because people like you, those of you who are here as seminarians, have
been willing to make the ultimate commitment of your entire lives in the
service of that in which you believe.
In all secular societies, it is recognized that very few people have
the capacity to make a commitment of that depth and constancy. And yet
all of us know that, ultimately, the meaning of our lives depends upon
the constant effort to achieve a level of integrity between what we feel
and what we think and what we do. And I stand here today to tell you
that as an American President I am immensely proud of the commitment you
have made.
Hillary and I have a friend, whom we treasure greatly, who is a
Jesuit priest who I met over 30 years ago, who went to law school with
us later and who continues to labor to fulfill his vows. And one of my
most treasured possessions that I ever received from a personal friend
was a letter that he wrote to us after he had been a priest for 20
years, explaining without being at all self-righteous what it had meant
to him to have kept his vows for two decades and why he thought in a way
he had lived a selfish life because he had achieved a measure of peace
and comfort and energy that he could have found in no other way.
It is that feeling that I think ultimately we want for all the
people of our Nation and all the people of the world. And for your
example in taking us in that direction, I thank you very much.
Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at approximately 1:05 p.m. in the Sala
Clementina at the Vatican. In his remarks, he referred to U.S.
Ambassador to the Holy See Raymond Flynn; William Cardinal Baum, major
penitentiary, Apostolic Penitentiary; and Edmund Cardinal Szoka,
president, Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See. A tape
was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.
<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 1194]
Monday, June 6, 1994
Volume 30--Number 22
Pages 1177-1208
Week Ending Friday, June 3, 1994
Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi of Italy in Rome
June 2, 1994
Q. Mr. President, North Korea's being very threatening--making more
statements about--the talks that you've undertaken--talks of tough
sanctions. What do you say to that?
The President. We're going to have a question period, I think,
afterward. The Prime Minister and I will make statements and then answer
questions. I'd rather answer questions then.
President's Visit
Q. Any general impressions so far--just about how things are going?
The President. It's been a very good trip so far. I've been very
impressed, pleased with the reception, pleased with the support for the
United States.
Note: The exchange began at 3:34 p.m. in Room 123, Piano Primo at the
Palazzo Chigi. A tape was not available for verification of the content
of this exchange.
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Monday, June 6, 1994
Volume 30--Number 22
Pages 1177-1208
Week Ending Friday, June 3, 1994
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Berlusconi of Italy
in Rome
June 2, 1994
Prime Minister Berlusconi. I wish to begin by first and foremost
thanking the
[[Page 1195]]
American President for having chosen to begin his stay in Europe or his
tour of Europe with our country, to commemorate the liberation that the
Allies brought to us, the liberation from Nazi totalitarianism and
fascism.
We had a very interesting meeting during which I was able to explain
directly to the President the current scenario in Italy, the reason
having determined the change in government, as of the majority voting
law or electoral law, to the political situation that had come into
being and the program of the new government and the willingness on
behalf of the government to continue the alliance policy, following a
tradition that Italy has always wanted to pursue in a climate of good
neighborhood relations vis-a-vis international organizations and
especially the United States of America.
After that point, we went on to analyze international policy issues.
We would be very honored to have President Clinton as our guest in
Naples for the G-7 summit coming up. The main issues during that time
that are going to be debated in that forum are going to be of an
economic nature, especially the employment issue. It's a very difficult
problem I think to be conjugated with economic development, and it's a
problem that's afflicting our Western countries, I should say.
We then went on to discuss the international scenario and the need
for international organizations to intervene more promptly and more
effectively to manage the various regional crises that bring about so
much suffering and pain to civil populations. On our behalf, we also
confirmed to President Clinton and to his staff our gratitude for what
the United States of America, together with the Allies, did 50 years
back, 50 years which to us have meant freedom. And I don't think that--I
did underscore this explicitly--we wouldn't have had this Italy that
President Clinton has met with today. This free Italy wouldn't have been
here without the help of the Allies. The reconstructed Italy wouldn't
have existed without the sacrifice of many young lives in America.
This is something that we always remember, we bear it in mind, and
it has been this spirit of friendship and gratitude that we welcome
President Clinton and his staff.
Please, Bill.
The President. Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister.
Ladies and gentlemen, I was delighted with the meeting that I had
with the Prime Minister and other high officials of his government. I
welcome this opportunity to get to know him better and to make the ties
between our two nations even stronger.
I also think I should say, since this is my first public opportunity
to do so, I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with His
Holiness Pope John Paul II earlier today and to see him looking so well
and being so vigorous. We had a very, very fine conversation, and I was
able to give him the best wishes of all the American people for a full
recovery.
I am here overwhelmingly for the purpose of commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the restoration of freedom to Western Europe. We will do
that here in Italy and then in France and in England.
Italy has been a staunch ally of the United States throughout the
cold war and throughout, now, this post-cold-war era. I was able to tell
the Prime Minister personally how much I appreciated the support that
Italy has given for NATO's efforts to resolve the conflict in Bosnia and
for the support Italy has given particularly to the United States Armed
Forces in all the efforts we undertake in this part of the world.
We discussed a lot of our common economic and social challenges. We
talked about the G-7 meeting coming up, and I think we have laid the
foundation of a very, very good and strong relationship. I was deeply
impressed by the strong commitment that the Prime Minister made to the
democratic process which produced his election and to the progress, that
he believes that he will make and that I was very impressed by his
commitment to make, on the whole range of domestic issues as well as our
international partnership.
Thank you very much.
Italy
Q. What is, Mr. President, your assessment of this new era in Italy
after meeting with our Prime Minister--we have a new
[[Page 1196]]
Prime Minister--and will you bet on Italy's future, sir?
The President. Would I bet on it? Is that what you said? Well, the
answer to the second question is, yes, I would bet on it. I'm not much
of a betting man, but I would bet on that.
I told the Prime Minister that this whole election process has been
very interesting for the American people. Because Italian-Americans are
so important to the fabric of life in our country and because Italy has
been such a good ally of ours and because in our relatively stable
system, we have marveled at the continued economic progress and strength
of Italy throughout a series of, I think, some 53 governments since the
end of the Second World War. So this whole process of political reform
and elections has been very interesting to me personally and, I think,
to all the American people.
I think I understand the question you asked me, and I would make
only two points. First of all, the first thing the Prime Minister said
to me was his government from top to bottom is unequivocally committed
to democracy. Secondly, in the world in which we live, not just in Italy
but in Poland, in Argentina, in any number of other countries, there are
many political parties which have their roots in a less democratic past.
And I have found it not only useful, but the only reasonable approach,
to judge all people in governments today by what they do--what do they
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