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Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
00 I. statement
SUBJECT~ITLE
DATE
re: Draft President William Jefferson Clinton remarks to the Council of
the Americas annual conference (5 pages)
04/30/2000
RESTRICTION
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
OA/Box Number: 4021
FOLDER TITLE:
America Council [2]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
'm618
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
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b(J) Release would violate a Federal statute ((b)(J) of the FOIA]
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information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy ((b)(6) of the FOIA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
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of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in ac~ordance-wit~ 4f-U:S.C. ·. ~-~ ~~~(9}Rei~S:S~·wo.u,l~'l!!s~l.()s1'~eological or geophysical information
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2201(3).
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"'! 'JI. LINTQN.LIBRA~X.PHOTOGOPy·:i'f'l\( "'>1(
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�APR. 30. 200121a 12: 2~P.t'M
N0.228
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Saturday 2:05 pm
PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
REMARKS TO COUNCIL OF TBE AMERICAS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
' :MA.y 2, 1000
Buddy~ thank you for that generous introductioo. Arid trudi. you for your tireless effortS to
advance our relations in this hemisphere. Buddy bas been on the job for just over a year. He hit
the ground running, and I am so glad I g&t Wm te 11peqto take on this job .... because the work
demands someone of his caliber.
· \......~~
David Rockefeller, I want to thank you for taking the lead thirty-five years ago in establishing
· the Council of the Americas. At a time when our countty was consumed in an ideological
straggle between East and West; you had the vision to see North and South, and to make the ~e
that free trade could be a force for peace, prosperity
partnership right here in this
hemisphere.
and
You were out ahead ofhistol'y. In promoting the benefits of open markets and economic
integratioD;, you anticipated the era of globalization before the world had a word for it. In part
because of the work of this Council and other like-minded leade~ America is better poised than
any other country to reap the rewards of the global age.
course: the future didn't look ·quite so bright when we came into office. even years ago, we
were struggling out of a triple dip recessio11; we faced record delicits far out into future; our
friends and allies were rightly lecturiDs us on the need to get out eeottomic house in order~ and
hinting they might go their own way on security mat1ers. Conventional wisdom claimed the
United States was, as TIME Magazine put i~ in irreversible decline as the world's premier
power.,'
·
.
('1J. ~
:nc.(.
~~
,--------------.1 ~~ ~ '
Thankfully, we proved them wrong. Seven years later, we have 21 million new jobs; the fastest lc.Jn~
gro
m more
ars; the lowest poverty rates in 20 years~ the first back-to- i....- ~ ~
back budget suzpluscs in 42 years, and the longest period of economic growth in American
rr_.~
history. We are the world's leading force for peace and freedom and prosperity; our values of '-'N''t.L.. _
democracy and o n markets are ascendant in most of the world.
~"e.''
As you know,
we owe much of our succes o the
s of this Hemis here and to our
engagement withiu it. e w from the start that with 96% of the world's customers outside ~'
,
·c growth would depend on trade, and that meant first and foremost,
more trade with the Americas. Not solely for its economic benefits to the United States, but for ~
~·
its ability to advance prosperity aDd partnership in our oWll neighborhood. _
....
~
worke~ ~
So we wotlced hard to win over the American people to the promise of free trade. We
bard in Congress to pass NAF"!A. And since NAPTA has entered into force, U.S. exports to~-~ :>
Canada and Mexico have jumped 78%, U.S. employment has skyrocketed, Canada's
~~ ~
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employuJ.cnt has jumped by more than one million ovemll, and Mexico, s employment has
climbed one million from NAFTA alone.
The success ofNAFTA set the stage for much that followed. During the Mexican fillancial
crisis in 1995, we offered a loan package that wasn't too popul.- at the time. But the evidence is
powerful that it was the right thing to do. Mexico recoveted and it paid back the loans with
interest and ahead of schedule. Three years later~
Hemisphere was jolted by the Asian
financial cri~We kept our markets open, and I b ·eve our choice for more trade, not less,
contributed to the recovery that is benefltiDg us all.
OLLf\-
rt:tirc
Right now, we are making progress in moving the Caribbean Basin Initiative
ss.
This bill will eneo~ eco
·
· b enh · preferential trade ~.... ~
. . access to U.S. mark
tWill have little im act on our econ
ut an immense hbpact on ~""<
those of our neighbors.
pe to see that bill on my desk by the end of the month. For there is t:t. ~ 't.le.
no hope for raising living standards in this region if~ nations cannot sell their products to -.a_·_ ~~
(nations.
.
~·~
also etctmined to meet the goal we set at the Miami Summit of the Americas and
·eve a ree Trade Area of the Americas by 200S. This will be the world's largest free trade ·
zone- a thriving market of 800 million people invested in each other's future, enriching each
other's lives, advancing one another's interests.
W
Right now, negotiators are on schedule to complete mhlt1m&irnnB!"TlmrunJ.IiiiiiEsm
in Argentina a draft agreenient. It will also be preseu
Summit of the Americas in Quebec, al3o in April.
2005. and! am confident we will do so,
WeAI..eJ~Ielfllt>
Of cours you ave pushed out ahead of us. Ordinarily an explosion of trade follows a free
trade a
, In this case, the rise in trade anticipates that agreement Right now, 44% of
U . exports go to the Americas. By 2010, U.S. trade with Americas will excee total trad~ with
mope and Asia combined. Traditionally, Americans have seen out security in: sts elong an
arc from East to West. The trade you are advancing ensures that we will have
economic
interests along an axis from North to South.
....
~
l!)tc..n_
a~
at increased trade will create
ope:11 business pl1lC!ices in ·
every other countty. And that will · onomic reforms that no nation can resist it if it hopes
· to lift the lives of its people. The refo
will be dU!icu1t, but ther~ • heal, And
that is why trade is ereatiasaa common platform of open practices and
·c principles
throughouttheAmericas. l-«ftiM.~
~ ~~.
?-
But tbis is more than a One-"Wa.Y street. Just as free trade and economic integration aclV8UC()S
democracy, it is de.moc~y that creates the conditions for free trade to flourish. That is the only
reason we were ever able to agree to create a Free Ttadc Area of the Americas. Because 34 out
of 35 nations in the Americas elect their own leaders - and that last one will :aot be denied
forever.
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All across 1he Americas, millions of peoples~~ 1he expectalion 1hat 1hey ld{4
will choose their leaders, chart their futures, and pe
destinies. We have built an AI\ I:'~
unshakable consensus that in this hemispb.en(!)b.e people rule. Attd om leaders shall come to
power by force of law- not by force of arms or a.ggNSsiOD..
weJ!:'dtu
lzllx>letab' ....
tbat principle in Haiti. As bru!al thugs made life
"'-! !hOII!IIIIils
l e - nations across the Americas joined a UN·sponsored effort to restoze a democracy that had
been stolen by n:ulitary force. Haiti is still desperately poor, and wracked with :problems. But il
•ss B.eld.-ia61: te the se,e efll&meeffW¥• AM our ~ollective action there established the principle
that nations in this region will not only abide by democmic principles, but will defend them and
advance them.
preserv~ ~~0
We acted again on this principle when we stood with the people of Paraguay to
· democracy ~hen ~twas threatened .th~e in_l996. We~ up_ international pres!UIC in ?Jc4'-'1 I
Ecuador earlier this yeat, and we did 1t agam last month m Peru.
1;~ ~
Today, we must stand up again for a democracy under attack- not a.t the hands of its
~
government, but at the hands of forces that govemm.ent and people are teying to fight. In
· (f ~:
Colombia, drug traflickers breed co:r:ruption, feed violence, finance civil war, curb honest
enterprise, and undemllne public coa:fidcnce in democracy. By rushing their horrible hatvest to
our cities and suburbs -to our children -they also threaten. our security.
ln the United States, ninety percent of the cocaine and two-thirds of
the heroin seized on the
stteets comes from Colombia or through Colombia. Fifty-two thousand Americans die every
year from drugs, almost as many as died in Vietnam or Korea. And drugs ~ost us more than $110
billion a year in crime) accidents5 property damage, and lost productivity.
In Colombia, drugs feed a cycle of violence that has led to more than 2,500 kiduappings a year., a
murder rate 1:en times ows5 and terrorist activity that is the
in the world. Dtugs finance a
civil war that has left more than 35,000 dead and made a million people homeless in the past
wom
decade alone. As drugs fund guerillas on the left and paramilitaries on the right, honest citizens
arc caught in the middle. Eight hundred to nine hundred passports are issued every day as
engineer~ atchitects, and doctors take their families, their wealth, and their talent$. out of
Colombia.
~e~utt .....
.
And yet, thousands upon thousands of courageous Colombians~ tD stay and fight
President Andres Pastrana came into office with a. record of risking life to take on the drug
traffickers. He was kidnapped by the Medellin cartel in 1988. As mayor of Bogo~ he saw them
frls
kill three Presidential caudidates, then he became a presidential candidate.
A few days after his election, he went into the jungle for a face to :filce meeting with a notolious
guerrilla leader. A few days after his inauguration, he replaced the entire military bigh
command with generals considered hones~ effective and committed to protecting human rights.
That kind of courage may explain why he was elected Piesident with the largest number of votes
mhis country's history.
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That's why showing the American people the coDDeCt:ion between our. palief and thei prosperity
represents avital public mission for America's leaders over the next
. It is a
sion you
have championed for thirty-five years. It is a :mission I hope you brace for the n xt thirtyfive. Thank you for your vision. Thank you for putting it to
in the service our countiy.
~
�·_',··.·- .. ·.~~:......
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
001. email
SUBJECTffiTLE
DATE
To Thomas M. Rosshirt from Brooke D. Anderson. Subject: Armed
Forces farewell speech (I page)
·
01/03/2001
RESTRICTION
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
Armed Forces Appreciation
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
"m619
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)l
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
PI National Security Classified Information [(a)(l) of the PRA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
PJ Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(J) of the PRAI
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors (a)(S) of the PRA]
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRAl
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
b(J) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(J) of the FOIA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIAl
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accqrdance.witJ!·MJ:J:S;C. ~ ~- ,,~_)!(2)£,Release',WOiili!,~dis;t!osegeological or geophysical information
:i . : ·· fl.:.~~~,·~:,,~~: ·-· -f- - ·concerniilg·wellii[~)(9};pf the FOIAJ
2201(3).
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request. · '(\ · ··:· ~·· .. · . · ... · .,- , ...
.. . , ,. ,.. ,· •})C .':(''·l
.
/}•i;
.
'4 ·;;.
LINTON LIBRARYPI:JDTOCOPY. '"J\·· .··;,;
�Rosshirt, Thomas M. (SPCHW)
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Anderson, Brooke D. (NSCCOMM)
Wednesday, January 03, 2001 9:00AM
Rosshirt, Thomas M. (SPCHW)
FW: Armed Forces Farewell Speech [UNCLASSIFIED]
i made a f~w changes. feel free to ignore. i don't think the ending works-- him hoping the servicemembers go back to
where they served and then come back home? ? ? I think the idea works -- understand what they have done abroad and
how that impacts us here at home.
my other more general concern is that speech might reinforce the very wrong perception that we use/view the military's
missions as humanitarian ...
-----Original Message----From:
Rosshirt, Thomas M. (SPCHW)
Sent:
Tuesday, January 02, 2001 11 :23 PM
. To:
@SPEECH- NSC Speechwriters; @DEFENSE- Defense Policy; @NSCComm; @MULTILAT- Multilateral and Humanitarian
Affairs
Subject:
Armed Forces Farewell Speech [UNCLASSIFIED]
Fort Myer draft Tue 11
pm.doc
SRB expressed concern about the length of the last draft. This draft, after my cuts, is nearly 450 words shorter. Hans
and Eric: my personal view-- now that I've gone over it carefully-- is that mention of the ICC Treaty would be out of
place.
Please get back to me with edits, changes, or factchecks.
I want to run it by OK and SRB one more time.
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�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
SUBJECT~ITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
001. note
Phone No. (Partial); Personal (Partial) (3 pages)
n.d.
P6/b(6)
002. email
To Robert Rosen from Lise! Loy. Subject: Citation in speech (2 pages)
11/10/2000
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation I Vietnam Trip [I]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
'ml76
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)l
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. SS2(b)l
Pl
P2
PJ
P4
National Security Classified Information l(a)(l) of the PRA!
Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRAI
Release would violate a Federal statute l(a)(J) of the PRA)
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information ((a)(4) of the PRAI
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(S) of the PRAI
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy ((a)(6) of the PRAI
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIAI
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency ((b)(2) of the FOIA)
b(J) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(J) of the FOIA)
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA)
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIAJ
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIAJ
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of .
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIAJ
.
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in acc?r~ance-wit~ ~4.::U,S .·(;.o ·:c;·-··'"".;"'.~'~(?):J!el.ea:se-r-..o~\~·d,~.~~lose~~eological or geophysical information
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Tomasz P. Malinowski
11/10/2000 06:33:33 PM
t.
" '
Record Type:
To:
Record
Thomas M. RosshirUNSC/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject: Re: citation for pete peterson
-----------=-----------Forwarded by Tomasz P. Malinowski/NSC/EOP on 11/10/2000 06:35PM---------------------------
f-!
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Record Type:
A'.V••••••
Lise! Loy
11/1 0/2000 06:31 :07 PM
Record
To:
Robert Rosen/WHO/EOP@EOP
cc:
cynthia I. girell1sc/eop@eop, Tomasz P. Malinowski/NSC/EOP@EOP
bee:
Subject: Re: citation for pete peterson
IJ
if we do it that way, just need a mike, off-stage, for milaide to read into. Remarks should include reference
to milaide --i.e., "commander, please read the citation" --can you identify who the milaide will be-- and
his correct title. also, may want a small table for medal box to be displayed on. potus will hand medal to
ambassador. since there's only one, could put on podium for potus to handle. if use a table, should be v.
small so small medal box doesn't look silly. Once you id milaide, i'll take care of getting text of citation to
him/her.
only other consideration is whether this creates any awkwardness for Kerrey if he's on stage; citation
refers to ambassador's military service, among other things. I'm confirming whether Kerrey has received
any WH recognition/medal. Don't believe so but need to double check. Also, milaide, etc., will lend a
certain formality to it which we should just consider; may be good, may not. just wanted you to consider in
light of flavor of the event.
Robert Rosen
,.-,R:-:o,.,.b7::e:-::rt::-:R:-::o~s,..,e:-::n:-=-:;-::-:=-=::-:----~------·· ...........
11/10/2000 06:21:37 PM
--...
- - -..'-"~'-'<>'~~''-"c~,_c~J«"""""'c;:."o~
Record Type:
Record
To:
Cynthia L. Gire/NSC/EOP@EOP
cc:
Lise! Loy/WHO/EOP@EOP
�Subject: Re: citation for pete peterson
fij
On second thought I agree with the proposal...using the Mil Aide will work quite well
I
�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library ·
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
·
SUBJECTffiTLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
001. note
Personal (Partial) (1 page)
n.d.
P3/b(3)
002. note
re: Vietnam speech (1 page)
n.d.
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
Asia-Pacific Economic Copperation I Vietnam Trip [2]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
"ml77
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- 144 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
PI
P2
P3
P4
National Security Classified Information [(a)(l) of the PRAJ
Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRAl
Release would violate a Federal statute ((a)(3) of the ·PRA)
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information J(a)(4) of the PRA)
·
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors la)(S) of the PRA)
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
· personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA)
Freedom of lnfofmation Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b)J
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIA)
b(2) Release would disclose· internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency ·[(b)(2) of the FOIA)
·
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(J) of the FOIA)
b(4) Release wo~ld disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA)
li(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy ((b)(6) of the FOIA)
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes l(b)(7)" of the FOIA)
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
financial institutions ((b)(8) of the FOIAI
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
~-:.'.:.-~er~i-¥g,~,el!s_((b)(9) of the FOIAI
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
of gift.
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
2201(3).
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�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
001. notes
SUBJECTffiTLE
DATE
re: World Economic Forum speech in Davos; Phone No. (Partial)
[page 10] (14 pages)
01/00/99
RESTRICTION
P5, P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
Davos
Jamie Metrailer
2008,0703-F
'ml78
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�,r os salinas-- that's where NAFTA was born. May seem grand, but that's our view.
Most of what's in the chronology --- 11 years at the forum. You can take most of that at face
value.
90% of the people were there the year before. 80% were there three or more years before.
It is a membership organization. 100 Ocoropoate members. The Global 1000. If it were
Fortune 1000 it would be all american.
We want the top ten companies in Turkey, Indonesia.
European. 25 % american 25 % rest of world.
Fifty percent of the audience is
The membership is by invitation. Membership list is impressive. Basically we're in good
shape. We have to be strict about who we can-- we have maxed out, not a spare room. We can't
grow anymore.
Klaus feels strongly, if a Jack Welch comes back and spends 4 or 5 days in Davos every
yeras, there is a value they get out ofDavos. In today's world, that has to be a commercial value.
Bottom line counts. Clearly their company beneifts by their presence here. Coming to Davos
suggests they are buying into the motivaiton that keeps us going. There is a role for an
organizaiton that can bring together very disparate parts of society.
Govenrmen5 private
sector. Academics. All sorts of issues are covered. I've described it as the ultimate trickle
down organiation. Can't ge thigher level participation. You have to assume that by taking part
literally millions being spent getting peope there. That something good is coming totehr than
saying I was at Davos. If ABB sits down and cuts a deal wiht gov't of Ghana and 1200 jobs will
be created that that is good.
If these folks keep on coming back-- that is the reason .. It is commmercially worthwhile
for a business exec. To be here. Intellecutally worthwhile as well. You're buying in to the
notoin that Davos makes a difference. WE believe that we have influenced debates on various
Issues.
Three years ago -We know of a lot of business deals that were launched here, there were a lot we don't
know. We don't necessarily know specifically. Politically take your pick of accomplishments.
The Greece and Turkey thing ten years ago. At the time they were about to go to war. It was
declaration of Davos defused things.
I think the whole relaitonship with South Africa. The forum can be proud of its
accompplishments in south africa. As independent organization we could do wht aothers could
not.
Intellecutal ancestors: the primary for society and the world to improve different parts of
that society needs to talk to each other. If anything --
�science, academic, gov't, private sector all come together from different areas of the globe.
There is more than just economics you want to touch on. The nexus, three or four very important .
elements. The sectors at Davos need to come together and heara what ogehrs are talking about.
Driving mission statement-- (arts and culture is now part of the sectors included.)
Media.
We cindlude media int he equation. We wouldnl't have 5-600 meida people in Davos if we
were trying to do something secret. Media moved forward the debae on globalizaiton. Media
transmits what happens in Davos.
John Sweeney-- his counterparts from around the world are there. Labor is represented,
if forum can be faulted for something, -- not having civil society represented enough. There is
. more of a role. We are improving every year. It's hard when you have 1000 CEOs to balance it
out. Different elements must be heard.
Schwab -- his reason for fgathering executives here (1968 -- Le Defi Americain) the
american challenge. Thesis -- US corporations are going to move in and take over Europe.
Klaus-- young German Academic. Got together european CEOs to discuss this. But at the
beginning, it was europe saying how do we develop our own business ethos in response to US
challenge. Written by a French member ofParliamane.t Jean Servan-Schreiber.
That's what prompted this 1971 meeting. Greew to what it is right now. Forum got a
real boost with the fall fo the Berline Wall. Before that-- we would put to rest the Davos
agenda six to eight months beforehand. Suddenly, there were 50 60 70 more contries on the
world state, and all these coutnries began coming to Davos. A lot of countries began coming.
(Third world trade fair). Davos help accelerate that push of globalization.
No questions Klaus -- when you're tlaking about creators. Basically Klaus is the driving
force. He is a committed europeanist. Does he have a picture of Jean Monnet in his office? No.
Klaus says as a kid, he was living in beteween Switz and Germany, he had permission to go in
between, and he says -- you go to Swiss, though things were rationed, there was peace.
Germany, there was violence and war. And weirdness. His time at K school taught him gob't has
hugely important. But not unique role to play in society. Private secotr is as much a drive as
public sector to improve our lot.
First Lady -- oenn of most successful speeches I've heard. First of all -- gifted speaker.
Partly because she said -- look you guys, you need to spend more time with micro credit,
investing in womena nd children, She convincingly ventured into areas that are not often
enough tackeled in Davos. Inf they are, small breakout sessions.
I woudl urge you to dare step out a little bit. With what you're doing. You may want to
call one or two media people. Ask them. What do you think would be well received.
Shimon Peres-- always successful. He can speak with such heart and force.
This is a
�business audience. They truly are no nonsense. I have seen people not quite get booed, but ·
close to it. There's a spirit that this is not a typical venue. You're going to do things a little bit
different. People don't-- want blah blah. Can't underscore it enough. Not song and dance.
What would be expected are platitudes. That will fail badly. There is some sense of an
American attitude. Maybe one quarter of the aduience in Ameircan. Therest very very senior
people with ltos of questions. Moving speech from Thursday to Friday. Don't know, depends
on who gets displaced. To accommodate this, we had to boot heads of state out of sessions we
had confirmed for some time. Who do these americans think they are. A background piece that
has to be kept in mind.
Displaced. Either Chretien, Poland or Mandela. Mandela had already been bumpted
one day to accommodate Rubin.
The danger would be at the end. Oftewneyt mintyes .. Length-- veyr important. lw ould
get nervous if it went beyond twenty minutes. At Davos, you privilege questions and answer.
If you're relly into it. Look at first lady's q and a. Klaus been moderating sessions for 25 years.
Certain german and somewhat formal side to him. It is the most expert. Moderator we have ever
seen. He is advocate of business communty when he moderates. We take our cue from
business. We are business drive. I remember Mandela first time in Davos. He went on 43
minutes. Klaus cut him off, and they had a sparring match on stage. Klaus. Not you went over
17 mintues and thrity seconds and all the ceos clapped.
Platitudes. If he gets up and says predictable, safe, __ he'll get panned. What areas
would you feel steppoing out a little bit. Is there a major new initiative. Go soft on "we're the
greatest."
Q and A:
Questions are written, submitted by participatns. VP would stand at podium.
a series of written questions, passed up, vetted, Klaus will read them, sometimes combine them.
One of the reasons people love Klaus as moderator, he asks questions that are daring. Not to put
him on the spot -- twenty years from now, what are the three greatest things you will have
accomplished. Nine times of ten he hits a home run.
like hearings, you can read your statement, but you're really here to answer our questions. In
Davos, you have 92 percent of global IT industry present. At the CEO level. Therse are smart,
successful. These are bright, bright, folks. Very sophisticated audience.
Badge access. Part ofthe reason for Davos, not the UN. Conceptually, when you
picture the stage. Picture the UNGA, then picture the opposite, that's what we want Davos to be
--as informal as you can be. We want itto be as unscripted as a UN parciaption is scripted.
Audience you have to take that
The attitude of Davos. If you are Schremp -- these are guys who feel entirled, that they
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�should be able to go up to the VP, introduce themselves directly wtihout going through CoS. If
that's the way VP comes to Davos. It will be very difficult for his presence to be a homerun.
You want him to appear to be accessible.
William Safire. Fierst ime he came to Davoas. Extrodinary plaece ins session of guture of
russia. Turned to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Carl Bildt, Prime Ministesr of Sweden. Davos,
appoachability. Fit that into your speech.
He wanted to get a feel for what was happening in the conference. Think it was a bad
move Thursday was a better shot. Fist lady was Monday. She could get the mood. VP
couldn't get any mood read. I do believe the more he is seen wandering around, chatting, sitting
in a sesisuon, by far th ehigher marks. People iwll say-- these is a guy who's not imperial.
Q and a matters more than how he does in the speech. There is a Davos spirit or
philosohpy that cannot be overplayed here. Opposite of UN. Leaving some wiggle room
would be appropriate. Bill Weld was here a few years ago. Made referenes to the rolling
sstones. It fell flat. Approachable yes, artificial hominness no. You're up against the challneg
oefthe culture. Three-fouths not american might not catch the references.
Malaysia. I think that will be on the mind of a lot of people. Everyone in Davos will
have that in their mind. Unlike in States, where people forget that. Overseas, Malaysia will be
fresh in people's minds. A reference to Malaysia. Him making a reference. --Many people
were upset at me for saying this -- that would be very Davos. Honest, forthright.
What's respectful here.
honest and open.
"Megaphone diplomacy." he gets very high marks for being
Almost if you're in a small room, speaking off the record. We have never had a telePrompTer in
Davos. Peopel have never seen one here before. That's not Davos. That's a barrier. Whoa,
we've never seen.
First time US Treasury Secretary. And subcabinet. ---Kohl-- had an amazing impact in
open plenary session. Six months into Asia crisis. There was jitteriness. Kohl gave an upbeat
optimistic speech that set the tone. People were very impressed iwth his ability to have a
postitivbe message.
Italy ~- all the European coutnreis have been regulars for Head of government. Russia
If you did not do some press. ·
PM alomst every year last five or eight years.
Not meeting in a roundtable with top top media leaders would be a mistake.
would get around if there was soine no press policy.
Word
The American role --- shoudl be there. There is love/hate with US. Admiration but
theere is also questioning of American power. So somewhere in there, what the US intends to
do.
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�To the extent you want to play into Davos. The Forum would feel -- biological warfare,
loose nukes, that Davos has played a role in pursuing those debates over the years.
Most of Davos is 15 or 20 people sitting around lunch or dinner.
Not pure economics. Make a plug for the forum. We have ben pretty crucial in moving
forward the debate and putting on the global agenda a lot of the topics you mention. Even th
ebalcklash of globalization. Mobilizing power ofDavos in changing pulbic opinion. Is
tremendous. I'm saying -- issues you mention Davos has ploayed an important role.
Gardner Forum had not invited them back this year. 95% are academica. Dick Gardner-- was
. sec'y of ed under Johnson. Amb to spain. I told in my first meeting with your colleagues. Do
not listen to Dick Gardner. He's more touble than help.
Dan Spiegel former Amb to Geneva. Known Davos for a while. Now at Akin Gump
887 4137.
Daniel Spiegel. He was involved in switching schedule.
Knows Davos, etc.
Howard Berman-- He's been the lats four or five years. Cong. CA. He's good pals
with Spiegel. Private Sector opinion.
(Don't stick just wtih dry economics)
*******************************
don't underestimate the impcat of the speech. Key issue is that he is spending enough
time to make an overall impression. Thurs through Satu. Spending a good chunk of time. What
he does outside the set things. I have some ideas.
Speech is very important. Very large press corps, Business people. English-Ospeaking
press. Journal FT all have Davos pages. He will be early enough. Opening speech/evening -is going to be Ruth Dreifuss, presi of switz. Then German President Herzog.
Won't be news made before Gore speaks. He won't be evning oepneing. He will be
opening Davos. A lot of people there from the Business community. His speech is important
and set tone.
�Most unsuccessful speeches in Davos: right after republican resurgence in 94. In 95
they had Bennett, he gave his view of ethics and morality in the American context, and it was
like he was speaking at a las Vegas convention. It was horrible, totally American centered. It
was a disaster forth eforum because they piekced him. It wasn't interetsing to the intl businsess
community that was there. He delivereed with jokes people didn't udnerstand. The sophistictec
int'l audience-- did 't agree with his veiw of morality.
This is not a place where great speeches have been digtve. Who you are is important.
Kohl has given imprssive speechses about future ofEuro[pe. Becausehe was kohl it was
important. When a chinese. It's often a surprise when a chinese leader is ther and apprea
entrepreneurial its a bit hit. Zuganov big deal for appearing.
Clintin and Gofe are known ot speak beyond their audeicnes because of who they are. I
would avoid that here. Don't forget the people in the room. You can't-- POTUS chooses
location and venue and speaks about something else.
People who drone on-- who read-- who lose themselves in their speeches. Too many
statistics and just get into the minutia and have their head in the text do a poor job. No more
notable faitulres than Bennett.
Length-- he has from 11 to 11:45. Length of the speech. I think max 25 minutes.
Objective: He is seen by int'l business community as a man who could be president.
Speaking to large numbers of business people-- int'l business people. His audience will be
bsuiness participants. Not so much heads of state. These are global business people
Gore has to be visionary. And practical and the same time. They know he's constrained
by his VP position. Not a pres of a computer company. He is limited, but he has to be
somewhat exciting. He has to escapte the American cocoon, without annoying people back
here. Or just give American perspective on everthing.
Q and A: A lot of it will be about. Questions he would have from a business audience.
Rubin speaking Saturday. Barshefsky will be there and Daley as well. ·
How much trade has grown in 30 years --who would have believed. Throwin some gee
whiz technology stuff. Who would have bleieve no Soveit Union; no communiiss thret,
principles of market eaccepts .opening of markets. Who could ahve envisioned.
Pint oout the tech which has drifven this progress.
Sudden poverty:
this is
Ideas for speech: What are the threats to the global system as we've created it?
Political threats -- protectionisma s a result of eocnomcyu crisis. Fear and lack of understnading
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upt it in human tenuns. Isolationism. The tension between
Tramantano get some stuff on steel.
Legimiate national soevereignty and still mulialterial action. The whole thing that
emerges, the big debate in Davos, which is intense this year. What are the benefits of the free
markete global system. Are people being left behind. The soros questioning of cpaitalism. Our
technology and free markest have taken us to this point. How can we "tame" the sysmte.
Drivesmore eneeifts more evenly spread with more certainty.
I think that people expect -- the expectation of sopinsticaated busines spoepl. This guy is
going to lay out Aemrican's agenda and screw the rest of the world. The thing that will make
Gore a hit is his ability to spell out a humane role for the US wihtout sounding like we are the
economic equivalent of Pax Americana. One way you might do this : Americans do care when
peopel suffer around the world. American.farmers feel their pain economically.
Talk about American farmers suffereing. Economically .. The fact is there is greater
understanding in American about international economic trends.
Announcement in Iowa -- of Argentina.
The Clinton round is very important -- one way he might take this further. What do you
hope. To achieve.
What about the development gap. Onen thing he might. Fact is, every political leader
in western world talks about incurable poverty in developing world. Business community must
unerstand world left behind matters to htme both economically and morally, when AIDs ravages
Arican. African economies suffer. When people are sick from malaris in South Asia. They
don't buy computers, they don't make telephone calls. Part of the whole Bretton Woods
institutions. Is of great concern to us economic and morally. Match with examples.
Gore should not say business community should be socially responsible. Don't lecture
these people. Engage them. But Because he's a democrat, he has to bet into this issue. To
make sure the economic consequences fo the poeple kn th eroom .. It is more than a moral issue.
The eradicaiotn of poveryt is as important ot churhchleaddeer as it iss to business.
Get some of
Use the AIDS stuff. Countries wehre AIDS is ravaign the econmoy. South African is very
threatened by AIDS. Climbing AIDS rates devasrate familes and economies.
to so order life
Self interest prompts what jus.tice demands
Don't know what the news is: The reform of-- all of these proposals for reform of the
int'l financial system have yet to be explained in a way that makes sense to anyone except those
.
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�that sit in this rooms. The elite. What does refomr of the system really mean to governemtn and
peope in the devleoping world and the edeveloped world that is going to be supplying the fund.s
Just to talk about structural reforms to rpevent -- to me, I don't understand what it really
means. I'm pretty sophisticated. Gore is given credit with US Government for REGO. We
need the same thing. IT needs to be expanded to all IFI for accountabiliyt and management
improvement. This will be a priority. --could be an announcement.
I don't know if Gore could say: President has asked me to undertake with Secy of
Treasurty of active review of-- to get it out of the finance minister trench it's now been dug into.
Trade-- if there are going to be dealing with details. He could deal with poitical side of
. Clinton-round. Our chacnes for economic recovery depend upon fighting protetionism. This
administrationn is going to work iwth all parties. Labor, business, etc. to make sure that this
trade round brings the types of benefits globally. A new commitment and resolve-- don't need
to get into too much substance.
You still need -- way to make news -- dangerous: predictions -- one things in Davos. Lot
fo leadingeconoimcest talk about what's going to happen. If he follows on Clinton themes:
"American ecioomic will reamin strong and why." How well he can do this, I don't know.
What he sayas about Japan, China, and Brazil will be eagerly followed and widely
reported. Careful about throwing mark,ets.
Theme: If we're going to fight protectionism at home, we need some help from our
trading partners. We must break the growing resistance in
The trade imbalances that now exist are political untenable in my country and greater
efforts needs to be made to break down barriers that cause them.
Variation: the essence of Trade is a bargain between buyer and seller. If we move to a
new round and gight protectinoist urges in our country. We can't do it alone. IF this
administraiton is going to fight protectionist urges in the United States, then we need some help.
Japan-- we have balance oftrade with Europe.
What is happening is politically not sustainable. No leader can fight protectionism when
others are not doing their part. Whether it is europe japan, china korea. Global recovery
depends on a growing consensus on opening markets not closing.
Steel-- growiong consensus of Jabot and indutry that its' suffering.
point out because it's old manufacturing.
Steel is not good to
Steel is not the best example of fighting protectionist urges. If you could get something
�liek a 21st century product, hard drives. Telephone sets. Something where -- semiconductors -don't know if they're getting hurt now.
Rhetorical idea: The spirit ofDavos: a kind of frank, no holds-barred assessment.
This is my first visit to Davos. But I'm already infected for the spirit of Davos, which
calls for candor, frankness, and as we say in the United States --telling it like it is. Gives you.
permission, to be fairly tough. The speech should not be: Gore blasts Japan and China.
What about talking about a compact, we need to forge a compact a polite! compact wiht
Euorp and the otehr leading trading nations. We will fight portectionism at home, but you
cannot conduct trade as usual. Financial crisis in Aisa, Russian gorwing concerns in altin
american. We need a compact among leaders. He is not calling for manageed trade, he's calling
for refotms. He's calling for continued refomrs. Maybe compact could involve massive reform
of int' I financial strucutre. Accountabile more effecitve. Fighting protectionism in chief trading
companies. Structural reofrms in countries to revmove trade barriers, and tackling some of the
tough development problems wiht innovation and creativity, and two of those three of those
areas in dvelopment would be: people who are sick are not economically engaged. They don't
buty products can't work-- hnealth. The technology gap. We cannot bring telephonea dn
computers in minneaopolist. Ubiquity oftehcnology.
A global compact.
Fair and efficient-- just as we've talked about the fact that people who have AIDS-- the
impact of poor he lath on development is desbastation wtihout basic human righta nd reforrired
intsittiuiosn. Anything we've learned form this crisis is the lack of poitical refomr and
econmoic and eradicationag without eradicationg corruptiona nd political reofmr. markets cannot
oeprate effectively. --so link the economic interested to human rights and democracy, the basic
ingredient of an operating marekt. Countries that are corrupt and not free and increasintly
wirtten offby the int'l markets as undesirable.
I think we can say: "Business communtiy here nkows in there hearts, countires where
corruptoin is rampant, where freedom is limited. Behind the gleaming office towers, country
clubs and luxury hotels .. You nstill need human rights, you still need honest business people.
You could basically say "Asia" wihtout saying it. Gleaming officer towers, luxurty hotels. Do
not make great economices. You still need responsive nad countable political systems.
Financial integrity and honest in institutions.
I think int'l busines people woudlliek --wihtou making them seem liek they're par tofthe
problem. -- corruptoin dones't help any body-- except htose who 'are corrupt. I believ the vast
majority of people everywhere are honest. ..... etc.
Do some selective one on ones and a small group.
This audience needs to get some of the Gore humor and self-deprecation. This is my
�Withdrawal/Redaction Marker
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
001. note
SUBJECTrriTLE
DATE
Phone No. (Partial) (1 page)
01/00/99
RESTRICTION
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Rosshirt, Thomas)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
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2008-0703-F
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�.:.
first vsit we're in the sixth year. Some self-deprecating humor.
Don't tell American jokes.
People want to see that htis guy is not the wooden figure they've been reading aabout ..
TelePrompTer-- big stage, dark room. This congerss center is a small place. Like a
college auditorium. It's a tlat floor with chairs. Not a sloping tloor. It's not a grand hall.
Tend to think not.
More I think about it -- I'm with you on the short length.
20-25 a couple good key
ideas.
-Home:
say -- NOGA Hilton Geneva -- pohone 41 22 908 9081
Fax: 41 22 908 9090
Wednesday evening in Davos: will be at National Hotel-- as of late Wed afternoon:
41 81 413 6046
Fax 4181 413 1650
If you want me to look at a text. You can send care of US Mission.
Davos people-- will propose that some meetings with small groups of leading CEOs by sector if
he wants. There's a huge group ofiT folks. They have governors meetings. They get CEOs
fi'om all the major IT companies. They're doing this in the health area media. They talk about
policy issues for the industry. If he wanted to meet with some international IT guys. Other
thing. He might ~-- big group of int'l economic gurus. Academics, investment bankers. Central
bank. Finance ministers-- listen to them about the glboa economy.
Idea for color-- for 25 years its more than business people Elie Wiesel is there every
year. Davos is more than a business conferencde. ft's an experience, and it is a spirit. To remind
business commujhy of its global role to challegne govenrmentalleaders, to ensure that the lines
of communication between business, govemment, the academy are enhanced. You can get into
what Davos means.
One other thought: Daves is the WEF is almost becoming the equalivale of an
international organiza5iton it has not mandate or charter, form busines or gov't but is seen as <l
plance where these links between these sectors take place. It is an excasmple of the role of what
is hapneing an intiatiotn created at the end of the 20th cnetury for the 21 st century where
communication. No mandate. Received direction form no govern from UN or WB yet
emerging as an important focla point where policy isuses that realted to busines gov't soceities
are increatinly discussed. World Community needs a Daves.
~•• ...!.
�Little praise for Schwab at top. He's a low-key guy, little praise not buckets.
Spirit of Davos -- make reference to it to segue into something candid.
The idea that US sets the tone for everything in th eworld is admired and peple are
pusihing back mor and more. Gov't and business poepe.l Gore needs to sound presidential
wtihout at the same time (by pulling back a little bit form idea that American has the answer)
We are successful; we do not have all the answers-- it would be refreshing. Our
success, we have worked hard to get it. IF we did-- I wouldn't be here. You'd be coming to see
me. America is always morally right alwayas right. We just act this way. We can't hlep
ourselves. You vcan give lip servive to the fact that we're all in the same boat.
The US has never failed in its support for european integration. It is in our economic
interes_tand politcal interest. We EURO we've heard calls for some why should we support a
single market that's larger than ours. Are we not helping a rival economic power. We have no
feaer of competitors. The US has always been a supporter -- since the Marshall plan of
European integration. At peace and strong and strong partner for the United St5ates.
Audience is heavily European.
�Dir. Of the Forum:
all media relations. Opening session:
I run dinners every night in Davos -editors in chief
famous commentators.
Barbara hosts' dinners every night.
Special breakfast
Klaus's official dinner -Opening session-- 6- 7:30pm Thursday night.
Klaus Schwab opens, welcomes first ifficial session of the annual meeting
introduces participant.
Hall -- holds 1000 people balcony. Overflow rooms, with large screen projections. Journalist
write from these rooms while watching.
Prof. Klaus Schwab, Mrs. Dreyfuss press of Swiss, fed. Pres herzog fed. Republic.of germany
schwab welcomes 7 minutes
Mrs. Dreyfuss will speak 8 - 10 minutes
President Herzog 18 - 20 minutes
Prof. Schwab will intro the VP
Vice President Gore 20 -25 minutes
15 minutes q and a:
Directec to the Vice President.
-b
Opening plenary runs between one hour thrity and one hour forty.
Normally two ways to choose questions. Either roving mikes. Schwab gives mike. Or we have
hostesses circulating forms. Participants write quetsions on the form, Schwab
They prefer to have paritipcatnt standing up and having people identify themselvs and their
questions.
we would rather use the roving mike.
Paul Smyche --representative in Washington.
Managing Director
~-
overall
~~~;;~~~~: ~--~~~~-~ f~~~.--)
0
'1' -(; :. LINTON liBRARY :PHOTOCOPY'
,:~II /:j
~ ~~;;;_ ~ ·>-~ ~ :1··.:~-~~~.-:~··-.:~~..-~:·l~"<~~:~~~Tv..r•. ~?r· ~ ?~~.~~~~ ', <.j
j
�Claude Smadja
7:30
Closed Press -- very private exclusive elite -- maybe twenty people maximum. VP and wife --..
pres of switz, of press of germ annan if he's there. President of biggest int'l companies, coca
cola. Foundation board people. Chair ofvolkwagen siemens, sony. Withwives. Prof and mrs
scwab. At the Belvedere.
Two hours drive from Zurich.
high and snowy .
. Opening session is flimed by host boradcaster, swiss tv. European boradcasting union puts out
the signal to anyone who asks for it.
Barbara -- this is your call. I host a dinner fo rthe high level dinner every night. Wharwe have
done in the past. Sometimes the openig speaker the plenary likes to drop in around ten or ten
thiry for coffer or desert. Stio by and have fun. ·Take questions roll up sleeves, can be off the
record.
Press travelling with us are welcome in her dinner.
Also, she could pull together a breakfast, follow it up iwth a press confeerence open to all the
media. William Satire, friedman hoagland, cnn crowd. French german canadians.
Americans are very faithful.
these people are not mostly early birds either.
still amoving target.
Breakfast at 7:10, session at 8:30: Program is
informally -We are on the record on Tuesday at a press conference in Geneva 11 am Geneva Time.
�...........
--···-·~-·--:--"
....... -.
·~~
..
Things we can talk about, from conversation with Stephanie Flanders:
Euro --what we like it, why we want it to succeed, what needs to happen for it to succeed.
Crisis economies -- how are they doing? Japan, Russia
U.S. economy, how's it doing; how is it doing it?
Trade -- U.S. current account deficit v. EU
Hit a very strong pro-growth message --- strong domestic growth in Europe is needed to make
the Euro a success, make Europe a success, and help stabilize the global economy.
(Actions we would like Europe to take: cut interest rates, cut regulations that inhibit growth.
New global architecture:
theme: managing globalization. Flesh out: social safety net-- making globalization work for
everyone. (It's a safer approach than softening the free trade message).
WHAT WE'RE DOING:
1. Japan: program to restart corporate sectors in Asia, allowing them to sort out the big burden
of corporate debt).
(We announced this at the APEC summit).
-- ~~:-._-,~~~.:~~~~;~~~~1----.~~
'{,~..,·'LJNTGN LiBRARY PH6T6~6py: ::r,tl ;r "l
''~~;:~~:· .;·;::;,:;;s,'F:··"'"r-.i;:~·""::;::~,;'<'-~: JJ')rib~:, -~J
�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
DATE
SUBJECTffiTLE
RESTRICTION
OOla. email
To National Security Advisor from Robert Malley. Subject: Israeli
Policy Forum speech (I page)
01/04/2001
P5
00 I b. statement
re: Draft of Israeli Policy Forum speech (14 pages)
01105/2001
P5
002. notes
re: Israeli Policy Forum speech (7 pages)
n.d. ·
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
OA/Box Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
Israeli Policy Forum [1]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
'm620
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- [44 U.S.C. 2204(a))
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b))
PI
P2
PJ
P4
National Security Classified Information [(a)(l) of the PRA]
Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(J) of the PRA]
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(S) of the PRAI
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRAI
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIAI
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA)
b(J) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(J) of the FOIAI
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information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
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personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA)
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·
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
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of gift.
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PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance-with-44.-U.S.C .. -·- - . , - .. _l!(~):~ase.WQ!J.ld~~close.geological or geophysical information
i · • · J(~:;.;..r~:...,;:,'.fr.";.'£~~:::-:~o~cerning'w~ii~'1(b)(9j of the FOIAI
2201(3).
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,.
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. -~~ !~:l]t,·.:'-j
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JAN. 5.2001
11=42AM
APNSA
-
---~-----~--
N0.230
--- --
.
P.l
.~·
~
Siberell, J~stin H. (NSA)
From;
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
· Malley, Robert (NE:SA)
Thursday, January 04. 2001 5:08 PM
@NSA - Natl Security Advisor
@SPEECH- NSC Speechwriters; @NESASIA • NE/South Asia
IPF SPEECH [UNCLASSIFIED]
PLEASE PASS TO SRB
SANDY:
Attached is a draft of the IPF speech. Dennis and Aaron have reviewed a first draft;
this is the second. Tom R. also will need to review.
But 1· wanted you to have it tonight.
_,
-- , ___
,.....:...,
�J'AN. 5. 2001
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~.
r am speakins today at a time that is difficult for the Middle
Ea:st and for all who beiieve in peace.
For over three months
now, a tragic cycle of violence has cost hundreds of lives,
· shattered confidence in the peace process, and raised basic
cru. estions about the prospect of Israelis and Palestinians ever
c~.existing
side-by-side.
During this painful period, the United
States has been seeking to help the parties restore calm/ end
the bloodshed and move toward an agreement that will address the
unperlying causes of their conflict.
But whether it is given to
!
this Administration or to the next to carry these goals through,
I believe tpe time has come for me to discuss some enduring
le~sons
we have learned and my vision of the path toward a just,
lasting and comprehensive peace.
But before looking forward, we need to take a
th~
st~ck.
From
first day I assumed office in January 1993, we/\worked
~t~i~T·~,=~ss~J~y to promote interests in the Middle East that have
be~n
defined and pursued by the United States for generations,
'
un~er
de~ive
mo~al
I
I
Republican and Democratic leaderships alike.
from a simple, overriding principle: the strategic and
imperative of promoting peace between Israel and its Arab
I
·I
neighbors.
,.
!
I
Our efforts
�--------------------
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5.2001
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2
The path to a comprehensive peace has had its ups, and it
certainly has had its downs, but one should ignore neither how
far the region has come nor the lessons we have learned along
the way about what works and what does not.
Several of these lessons stand out, accumulated and tested over
eight_ years of peace-making.
These are, I believe, enduring
truths that will have to guide any effort, whether now or in the
future 1 to reach a comprehensive peace in the region:
First, that there is no military solution to the Arab-Israeli
conflict and no place for violence in this process.
negotiations
a._&~
1\£~
offer
~~ath
Peaceful
to a just resolution of their
differences.
Second, that the Arap-Israeli conflict is not a morality play, a
conflict between good and
evit;,~~ri~h~
and 'IJoFer. rt is a
complex historical conflict whose resolution +equires fairness/
balance and due regard for both sides' needs.
Third, that there can be no peace or regional stability without
a strong) ~cure Israel.
-~-
Keeping Israell\trong
~emonstrates
to its
a~versaries
~eople
secure gives them the self-confidence to make peace.
the futility of war.
And keeping the Israeli
~--~~~--,/,f~~~,-:~~1~~~~~2 ~f-;;~~~
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�sAN. 5.2001
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3
That 'is why the United States' commitment to preserving
~~
Israeli's qualitative
~iron-clad.
Fourth, that discussions between the parties must be
supplemented by signs of trust and partnership, for goodwill
the negotiating table cannot long survive ill intent on the
groun~.
And fifth, that whenever Arabs and Israeli~ eeek to resolve
(1\)
their rem~in~d~~~~~everal years
henc~the1esues wi 111"'""'"'i"
pncJoil"!fed.
The parties will
A
"-,be..~ 4a.ut..t .
face the same history, the same geography, the same demography,
'
the same passions and hatreds and,
but necessary compromises
comprehensive peace.
I
~>
am ~/l the same painful
that~~~·~a
Whoever believes that the other side's
resolve or courage or strength will diminish is mistaken, and
.~~~.
The cycle of violence that has broken out between Israelis and
Palestinians has led many to question these core principles and
indeed to doubt not only the value of the peace process but the
possibility of peace itself.
Israelis believe that at a time
when they were prepared to take far-~eaching decisions for
peace, they have experienced gun-fire and terror. [!alestinians
�JAN. 5.2001
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4
m~~
believe that their legitimate pursuit of land and freedom is
by disproportionate
fore~
~~
And so, many ask whether
negotiations can in fact achieve peace .
whether unilateralOfj
flU>+
steps are not a more realistic route than mutually agreed one~
~ .
whether Israelis and Palestinians can ever again be
~~
partners.
~~]
'\..,
To a 11 o f t+~em, 1 et me say t h, fA~MJt ~ ~ v.t!utu.re
J.s: -.,~AJ.s not t~.~.e m;,.J 11dJ_
.
which Yitzakh Rabin gave his life.
And it is not the
I
had in mind when I spoke to the Palestinian people in
years ago.
chapter.
But do not draw the wrong lessons from this tragic
~u+
The violence)\demonstrates ftR that the quest for pea
has gone too far -- but that it has not gone far enough.
It
points not to the failure of negotiations -- but to the tutility
o11\~~~~~~>en.
It suggests that unilateral steps
will not abate mutual hostility -- but exacerbate it.
And,
finally, it confirms the need for more confidence-building steps
-- not
~e
continuation on Ji!lle one side of a culture of
incitement and hostility and on the other of a policy that
includes settlement expansion and economic strangulation.
All of which brings me squarely to what nas been the source
most of our hope over the past severa.l years and the source
\
�JRN. 5.2001
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5
much of our anxiety over the past sever~l weeks -- the rsraeliPqlestinian conflict.
For both Palestinians and
must be to end
the dangerous cycle of violence~ for in its wake lie oply more
·destruction· and angui~h.
The steps path sides must take rest on
a bas~c principle: Palestinians cannot resort to violence e~en
when what they consider to be their legitimate goals are not
being achieved through negotiations; and Israelis must not
resort to massive force or collective punishment even when they
feel they are victims of unjustified attacks.
It is as simple
as that.
But both sides need to go further if they are to addres~ som~ of ~
their underlying problems.
On the Pale~tinian side, what is
required is an end to the culture of violence and incitement
I
that, since Oslo, has continued unchecked.
Young children a~e
'
educated to believe in confrontation with Israel; and multiple
militi~-like groups carry weapons with impunity.
Voices of
reason and courageous leadership are being drowned out by voices
of pas13ion and desperation that can lead only to bloodshed and
death.
Let me be clear: this is inconsistent with the notion
that the Palestinian people want to achieve peace and have m~de
it their strategic choice.
In what they do and say.~ qay in and
�J·8N. 5. 201211
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6
day out, they are sending a message to the Israeli people.
The
question is: will it be a message of hatred or of hope?
For their part, the Israeli people must understand that
continuing the settlement enterprise, building bypass roads, or
demolishing homes is inconsistent with the notion that both
sides_ must negotiate their differences, not resolve them by
creating facts on the ground.
And they also must understand
that restoring confidence requires giving the Palestinians the
means to lead normal lives, rather than being subjected to daily
harassment.
/~~
-
At the end of the day, the fundamental question remains this:
can two people who have gone through this kind of violence still
conclude a genuine and lasting peace?
My answer -- and I
believe this with all my heart -- not only is that they can, but
that they must.
The alternative to a peaceful settlement never
has been clearer; it is being played out before our very eyes.
. 4'\IJb
The only difference is that, the longer they wait, t~ m~ f'k
.
CArt ~
blood and tears will be shed.
But we have learned something else over the past several months.
What happened at Camp David was a transformative event t:B!;t
~
'
'~~
F:4!fH!M.y~<?1P'!i:.led the two sides tie face,. the core
issues of their
'
�J8N. 5.2001
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7
dispute and the key tradeoffs required to end it.
So far, they
have not been able to reach a final settlement, and that of
course is regrettable.
But I am convinced that just·as Oslo
forced Israelis and Palestiniaps to come to terms with each
·other's existence, the discussion~ of the past six months will
force them to come to terms with each other's needs and with the
contours of the peace that, ultimately, they will have to reach,
It may take some time, and it will require genuine leadership.
4~
In his bold strides for peace, Prime Minister Barak has~
the way, with vision, courage and true statesmanship.
should guide a comprehensive agreemept,
a belief that we possess a magical solution to this
but with the benefit of eight years of listening carefully to
~~.
both sides and thinking long and hard about their respective
~
grievances and needs.
I
believe thes
e
(tUff
·~~~~h-=-
onstitute t~;~s of a just
lasting settlem
and:Q~
a settlement that responds to the two
sides' essential needs, if not to their
.
~C16~
,
un~c
:-r~c-:~-.:~--.:.:.~~7/:~"'l~')~
-~~''c\?~::·. --·+. ·' -.:---~---;-~7<i:,.;ll
desires.
~
ib
_
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I
I
�· J8N. 5.2001
11=438M
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8
am convinced that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve their
sovereign homeland and that both deserve to live in peace and
security.
r
Fi:,:-st,
(my
[My i~ follow logically from tl\e,t conviction. ~~
4eWvt IT),p
t:;)-11fi1;1,
)_
idea3 rest on the notion tha3 there can be no genui$!J7>i!&l#t/ft- _
resolution to this conflict without a sovereign and viable
~~Palestinian state.
liAtJt ¥.
w-t
..(~
At the same time, any solution will have
t~·'·
accommodate demographic realities and !srael's security
I
.
.
~~requ1rements.
~f.
<i~
And so, my ideas suggest Palestinian sovereignty
over Gaza and the vast majority of the West :Sank and the
incorporation into Israel of reasonably sized settlement blocs.
The land annexed by Israel should be as small as possible, for
Palestine should be a viable, geographically contiguous state.
It should involve the addition of a minimum number of
Palestinians/ for how can Israel explain the incorporation of
tens of thousands of Palestinians when the very logic of peace
is two separate homelands?
And it should be accompanied by
mutual territorial modifications and concessions that address
core Palestinian needs, for how else will this be accepted as a
fair deal?
Second, a solution will have to be found for the Palestinian
refugees, who have suffered a great deal and feel victims of a
grave injustice.
A genuine solution must allow them to return
1
�!.AN. 5.2001
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9
to their historic homeland and give them the tools to lead
normal, productive and healthy lives.
At the same time, it
makes no sense to cre~te a State of Palestine only to see the
Palestinian refugees go to Israel, thereby threatening the
foundations of that state and undermining the very logic of the
peace.
And sol my ideas focus on the establishment of a
Pales_tinian state that will provide all Palestinians with a
place they can safely and proudly call home.
This has been the
core of the Palestinian struggle since its beginning, and it
would be no small achievement.
All those Palestinian refugees
who wish to live in this homeland should have that right.
All
others deserve help in finding new homes -- whether in their
current locations or in third countries, including Israel.
And
all refugees deserve compensation for their losses and generous
assistance in building their new lives.
Third, there will be no peace so long as the Israeli people do
not feel secure and any agreement will have to include security
arrangements that address their legitimate concerns.
At the
same time, these need not and should not come at the expense of
Palestinians sovereignty or interfere with Palestine's
territorial integrity.
Anq so, my ideas rely on an
international presence in Palestine to provide porder security
and deterrence while also monitoring implementation of the final
�Jf:lN. 5.2001
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10
agreement by both
~idee.
They rely, too, on a non-militarized
P~lestine, a phased Israeli withdrawal, and other security steps
that will allow the Israeli people to adapt to their new
strategic situation,
Fourth, I come to the issue .of Jerusalem, perhaps the most
emotional and sensitive of all.
It is~ historic, cultural and
·political center for both Israelis and Palestinians, a city
sacred to all three monotheistic religions, horne to a space that
is holy to Jews and to Moslems.
And so, my ideas flow from
three fair and logical proposition: first, that what is Arab
should come under Palestinian sovereignty, for what interest
does Israel have in governing the lives of hundreds of thousands
of Palestinians?
Second, that what is Jewish should ~orne under
Israeli sovereignty, giving rise to a Jewish Jerusalem east and
west that is larger than
~ny
seen in past times.
And third,
that what is holy to both requires special care to meet the
needs of all, for no peace agreement will last if not premised
on respect for all religions.
Under these ideas, Jerusalem would be an open and undivided
city, with freedom of access and worship for all.
It would
encompass the capital of two states -- the state of Israel and
the state of Palestine.
And while Palestine would have
�JAN. 5.2001
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11
sovereignty over the Haram el-Sharif, thereby formalizing
today' s reality/ Judaism's sacred linl< to the area would be both
recognized and preserveq.
Fifth and finally, any agreement will have to mark the decision
to end the conflict for neither side can afford to be subjected
to op~n-ended demands.
That means that once implemented, there
can be no more claims, that this +eally is the end of the
struggle that has pitted Palestinians against Jews for far too
long.
And this end of conflict must manifest itself with
concrete acts that demonstrate a new attitude, a new approach.
At the same time, the parties' experience with the interim
accords has not always been a happy one.
have been missed, too
~ny
Too many
commitments unfulfilled.
deadline~ ~~
So for
t~~
to signify a real end of the conflict, there will need to be
~~~
effective mechanisms that provide guarantees on implementation
for both sides.
This, I believe, is the o~tline of a fair agreement, from which
each side may feel it lases a little, but from which I know both
sides gain so much; For the people of Israel, an end to the
conflict, sec~re and defensible borders, the incorporation of a
vast majority of the settlers into Israel, and the largest
�J8N. 5.2001
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12
Jewish Jerusalem in history, recognized by all as its capital,
For the Palestinian people, the ability to determine their
future on their own land, a sovereign state recognized by the
inte~national community, with a capital in al-Quds, recognized
by all, and new lives for the refugees.
Of cQurse, each sides will try to do betteri but a peace that
will be viewed as imposed by one party upon the other, a peace
that puts one side up and the other one down rather than both
ahead, contains the seeds of its own destruction.
And let me
say this: those on either side who believe that my ideas can be
used as departure points, that they can be altered to o~e
party's exclusive benefit are mistaken.
'ro seek a peace .without
compromise is not to seek peace at all.
Sooner or later,
I
am
sure, both sides will come to recognize it.
Israelis and Palestinians are unlikely to agree with everything
I have said.
They may even object strongly to some of it.
But
I say it out of a profound attachment to Isr~el, to the
Palestinian people, and to the peace process in which they have
been engaged.
My ties to Israel, like America's, run deep.
They are rooted in history, founded on common interests,
sustained by shared values.
During my tenure,
I
sought to
expand our alre~dy unique.military relationship with Israel and
�JAN. 5.2001
11=43AM
APNSA
N0.230
P.14
l3
my determination to protect and strengthen Israel's safety is
As for the Palestinian people, SHe s£ ~'
second to none.
~rtt:;~!;/;~~.~~
y/{~sit
..as ..
to Gaza and
one of my most enduring lessons was what it taught me about
their suffering, but also their resilience, courage and
determination to see that justice be done.
I said at the time
that _the Palestinian people should be able to determine their
own future on their own land and I believe that as strongly now
as l did then.
I
I
Before closing, I would liike to address one more thought
to the
I
Palestinian people, couralge is not only, or
even mainly,
I
I
measured on the
battlefiel~.
It is measured in the ability to
I
recognize and to seize - his~oric opportunities.
I
I
Of your prowess
,
t le, the world has np doubt.
But today, it is that other
I
of courage that is be~ng tested.
Never as now have you
b een as c 1 ose to ac h 1ev1ngiyour goa 1 s -- rega1n1ng your 1 an,
I
· ·
ct
.
·
establishing a state, builting a prosperous future for your
children.
There will alwats be those sitting comfortably on
i
the outside urging you to 'old out for the impossible more.
But these are the same peoJle who in the past pledged their
I
help only to quickly turn tlheir backs.
I
They are not the ones
who have had to suffer the !consequences of their earlier
mistakes.
You are.
They
I
jre
not the ones whose refugees will
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14
continue to languish in crowded camps.
You are.
the ones whose chilqren will grow up in poverty.
is the time to seize this opportunity.
They are not
You are.
Now
At Oslo, your leaders
demonstrated the cour~ge needed to take the !irst historic
step.
one.
They need to summon that same c~urage to take the final
For you.
For your children.
For the wellbeing and pride
of Palestine.
I have done my best to put my ideas on the table anq offer a way
out of today's
s.
I
will continue to work on that basis
office.· But, regardless of whether we
~icked
up ·because the search for
peace is
apandoned.
outlined will ser
as the basis for the solution that will
I believe that the ideas I
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We as an organization - the core leadership of the organizaiton,
truly love this man.
the level of gratitude for what he has
dpne and felt and what he has shared it just unbelievable. we
have mostly dems and someo repubs and they're hot big fans in
general and they're all fans of what he's done for Isreal and
the peace process.
It's a mutual love affairs.
in a certain
way our organization.
life of organization has somewhat
paralleled his presidency.
we haven't known another president.
we're about to.
Other piece, we have no desire to try to make this speech.
please say this -abut jerusalem. we don't· want to make it one
way- kind of input:
some organizational ; if you can
brainstorm about what hook we can use other than news.
what is the hook.
when VP spoke two years ago to ·the group. it
was the first time he had evern expressed publicly his support
for this process.
It was his first speech in 1999.
Last year PM speech first speech ever in the Jewish audience in
the US.
it would be wonderful if he reflected on the fact that is his
last major speech to a jewish audience.
the program itself will
have some religious imagery in it.
some of it is moving.
if he
talks a little bit to this group. they won't all be jews but
most will be.
He's talked about his religious feelings (go back
and get: "Bill, don't ever forget Israel."
Get the riff from SRB on israel birthday - it is hard to imagine
there every being:
we hold thies truths.
assuming no other change .in the schedule.
he walks in.
program starts after
it will begin with a song.
the song is talmudic phrase:
it is
not up to you to complete the task, neither may you desist from
it."
They feel he did exactly what the Talmud says.
Lesley stahl is
the program host.
She'll into speaker of the Knesset.
religious man about 45 years old. beuatufil deep voice. say a
few words - getting there would not be enough.
fulfill vision
of prophet nations shall not lift sword against nation.
�2
lights go out and video - video is not complete. does two
things.
takes place of speeches by honorees.
Alan solomont
and susie stern are in video.
theme in video: america's connection to making peace.
images
of maeircan presidents meeting with arab and israeli leaders.
you got to keep on trying.
it ends with the president as he
walks off in the distance, final words of video:
"promises to
keep and miles to go before I sleepu
Lesley will present the honors.
speak for a paragraph.
trying to do it in a way - they
after honors.
Israel's cabinet secretary. we have a video from
the pm. israel cabsecy will intra PM, he comes on video 90
seconds. most of it is to the President. when lights go on
after video.
Jack Benheim and Michael Sonnenfeldt are there
and give the President a gift.
Magillah is like one part of the Torah.
it's a scroll you pull
it out of olivewood round casing.
it's for peace, on scroll is
written the song of peace favorite of rabin.
Let the sun rise and brighten up the morning.
day will come, make the day happen.
Do not say the
prayers cannot bring the dead back.
song sung at rally at
the end of which prime minister rabin was assassinated.
also a very beautiful one-line poem or saying fromHasidic rabbi,
the entire world is a narrow bridge, the principle of life is
not to be afraid.
at the top of this scroll is the picture of a bridge.
the themes.
those are
Then POTUS would speak after he gets the gifts.
whole idea:
this is from our point of view.
we want him to
know, we want to affirm we are going to continue the work he has
begun.
we want to declare that affirmation to him by having
people int ehaudence rise, first some of the top leaders in the
Jewish community, then others, then everyone in the audienc,e
all of whom will be waering a wihte ribbon as the ribbon of
peace.
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when everyone is standing, we will ask them and project on the
screen to say the prayer that in the jewish tradiiton is said
when you see a king or a great leader.
the prayer translates
as:
"blessed are you eternal our god who give presence and
distinction to flesh and blood.
in a certain way the president
is a manifestation to God's presence and distinction.
then everyone will sit down.
everyone will get off the stage.
it will be time for the president to speak. we would like to do
the affirmation.
it's part of the political agenda.
we need to keep people moving on this issue.
would be great if he could after gift acknowledge the commitment
that was made to continue the work that he has been doing.
continue the work, and somehow weave in - neither are you free
to desist, if he can
"if not for you alone to complete the task, but neither are you
free to desist from it.n short from generations
thematic link - hebrew phrase - from generation to generation
mi'dor l'dor
there is another phrase which is from the hagadah.
in every
generation a person has to see himself br herself as having left
Egypt as recreating Egypt. American bipartisan tradition of
trying to bring about peace.
images on the screen throughout
the evening.
Johnson-clinton and all their arab and israeli
contacts.
that's also from generation to generation.
ti would
be wonderful if the president were in some ways to respond to
what Bush said yesterday.
Maybe Clinton could respond to it.
challenge to Bush.
If he would do something like that -- to Bush organizational considerations.
mention - first persons Jack and Michael.
Michael - he is finishing chair of IPF.
IF POTUS would say:
congratulate you on finishing your term as chair as thank youy
for all your wonderful work. To Jack:
it should be very
personal Jack is a friend who never asked for anything other
than this stuff. POTUS ahs always appreciated Jack.
so I would
�4
~
my friend.
your friendship has meant a lot to me.
has meant a lot.
He needs to say:
Solomont
someone he knows.
no more
everyone.
don't know what
guilty. might want to ask
your work
is someone he knows.
Suzie is
than a couple of senstences about
he says about Dwayne.
he pled
what he says.
about dwayne:
feeding people. he has been a strong opponent of
anti-semitism and uspporter of peace.
lou perlmutter. we've
jokes about a republican jew. a very moderate guy.
lou your
commitment to moderation and a practical approach to a peace
proccess.
POTUS has no relationship with Lou.
There will be a number of dignitaries.
berger albright lot of people from the Administration.
he said something to or about the PM.
good if
We've done a lot of polls. we know he's always seen them.
Capps passed away, he's at funeral.
polling is one of the most valuable contributions.
education.
Rep.
advocacy and
giving people real and objective infor so they can make sound
decision.
our advocacy began when we have a meeting with srb
eearly one and sandy said what we need more than anything is to
have you lobby congress.
praise of IPF:
in terms of what we do. there are four things.
to highlight. provide information and education.
education the
leaders of congress and the jewish community.
fact that we believe in educating.
we bring israel security experts to the United States to explain
the strategic underpinnings of the peace diplomatcy. why peace
is an essential element of Israel's security needs. the dangers
of weapons of mass destrucvtion.
the importance of prosperity
aid to the palesintisans and the important of that to peaceand
stabiliyt.
IPF - we always say we promote the peace prodcess in order to
strengthen i~raeli secuirty and further ameircan foreign policiy
interests in the regions. we do it as americans who love israel
who are concerned about american interests.
�5
theunique thing historically, really the fierst ime an aemrican
jewish org engagend politically as americans in the american
politcal process
what AIPAC odes on foreign aid.
we do in peace process.
two words we use responsible and pragmatic.
we did a lot of lobbying around the need for peace with syria
we did a lot of work around sensitizing people to the dangersof
the wmd and radical militarism.
I was sitting in the cabietn
·room with 30 pe9ple how dangerus the mix of radical
fundamentalism and wmd.
how lethal that can be.
when we go to congress; that's what we talk about.
take a look
at what israel is doing now.
look at the choices in tehconext
of the future if there is not a peace.
people get angrier and more powerful.
we do a lot of in the last year. metings with leaders in the
region.
in setp IPF mission wen tot meet with to meet iwht
mubarak arafat and barak.
to bring the perspective of pragmatic
responsible american jews and make them aware of our
perspective.
including meetins with leadres of the region.
choice people will become more angry poor and powerful.
there is no alternative.
peace.
Ein Breira
AIN
hebrew phrase.
why do we pursue
Brayrah
it's hard to motivate people by saying there is no alternative.
either scare or inspire.
I have a problem with ein brayrah.
can he turn ain brayrah.
there is an alternative ..
YAISH - there is . . . the truth is the alternative is peace, the hard-nosed practical alternative.
�6
Michael Sonnenfeldt is there some way when - if there is some
way of his clapping, when he acknowledges Michael.
I thank you, sir.
Make notice of Michael an applause line.
president arrives at 8:30.
Debbie Wasserman:
Jeanne Ellinport:
212 245 4227
202 456 5157 -- OPL
PResident is guest of honor.
Event is Sunday, January 7 in New
York in the evening.
reception 6:30. dinner 7:30.
They will honor 4 leaders
louis perlmutter
alan d. solomont
susan K stern
special recognition:
Dwayne Andreas
mention Jack and Michael as outgoing and incoming presidents.
Talk about IPF in general their work how important they are.
They have a database of 7000 that invitations went out to. they
have 920 people coming.
I'll hand Doug a card before when we
brief them. Albright will be there.
Sandy is trying to be
there. Mara and Rob will be there. Members of Congress.
Corporate MCI World.com
Home email:·
jjellinport®questinternet.net
ipf - jonathan jacoby visionary kind of guy. middle of the road.
extremely helpful to this administration.
few if only groups
that srb and mara meet with in the last·couple of montyhs. they
undrstand strategy.
they asked to see sandy in september week
before hell broke loose because they were going to meet iwht
arafat and barak .
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�7
they are completely in line with us.
exnteions of the
adminstraiton. we turned to them on foreign aid to make the big
calls. Their board is extensive.
former AIPAC people on it
Jack Benheim is ex president. birthday is day before.
I'll
tell POTUS.
Jack runs Phillips Brothers Chemical which does
huge business in Israel.
Jack stepping down- Michael
Sonnenfeldt is the incoming President.
W A Graham divin word and prophetic word in early islam.
Hague and Paris: Mouton, 1977), page 127
In certain hadith, called hadith qudsi.
first person outisde the Qur'an.
The
Allah speaks ln the
God says:
"I fulfill My servant's expectation of Me, and I am
with him when he remembers Me.
If he remembers me in his heart,
I rememberhim in my heart; and if he remembers me in public, I
remember him before a 'public (far) better than that. And if he
draws nearer to me by a handsbreadth, I draw nearer to him by an
armslength; and if he draws neare to Me by an armslength, I draw
nearer to him by a fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come
to Him running."
This is a Hadith - words of Allah to humankind.
It
Allah's desire to draw ever closer to humankind.
If
day we would all respond in the same way -- whenever
makes an overture for peace.
It is a model of what
those we honor today.
use this with the Hadith
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motivates
�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
DATE
SUBJECTffiTLE
RESTRICTION
OOia. email
To National Security Advisor from Thomas M. Rosshirt. Subject: Tel
Aviv remarks (I page)
05/15/2000
P5
00 I b. schedufe
re: Draft remarks of Samuel R. Berger, Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs, at the Ceremony on the Conferment of
Honorary Degrees at Tel Aviv University (7 pages)
05/15/2000
P5
002. note
Phone No.'s (Partial) (I page)
n.d.
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
OA/Box Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
[Middle East] [I]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
'm183
RESTRICTION CODES
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P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRAJ
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRAJ
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P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
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purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
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of gift.
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RR. Document will be reviewed upon req~est.
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~5/15/00
M9N
19:15 FAX
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Siberell, Justin H. ~SA)
Rosshirt. Thomas M. (SPCHW)
Monday, May 15, 2000 11 :31 AM
@NSA - Natl Security Advisor
@SPEECH • NSC Speechwriters: @NESASIA- NE/South Asia
Tel Aviv remarks [UNCLASSIFIEDl
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc;
Subject:
For SRB
monday 11 atn.doc
Latest draft with your changes
Rob had recommended including the reference to the Pope. Apparently Barak told
the President the Pope made a fantastic impression there, and if he had stayed
another week, Israelis would have started baptizing their children.
Talked again to Tel Aviv this morning. They can allow ten minutes for the evening
remarks. Means some cuts are probably still necessary.
President Rabinowicz will introduce you in the morning session. That would give you
the chance to make some comments in praise of him.
Comments to Rosshirt
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141002
5/15/00 11:30 am
Rosshirt
Samuel R. Berger
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Ceremony on the Conferment of Honorary Degrees
Tel Aviv University
·May 21,2000
President of the Supreme Court, Members of the Presidium, Deans, Excellencies, Governors,
Distinguished Guests, Faculty and Students, and, of course, My fellow Honorees:
l!~~tonight to be joining the ranks of the highly distinguished poets, aJ.tists, scientists,
and statesmen who have received an honorary doctorate degree from Tel Aviv University, and I
thank you for the added honor of speaking for my fellow honorees. I understand that Amos Oz,
who received an honorary doctorate here eight years ago, politely declined to speak for the
others, saying "there. is no way I can speak on behalf of anyone. On a lucky night I sometimes
manage to represent myself." I admire Mr. Oz's humility and restraint. Nonetheless, I accept
· the privilege of speaking for my fellow honorees, but only in thi~spect: I will try in my
·~
remarks tonight to speak for those of us here and everywhere who hope and work for a world at
peace.
There are few things in the history ofhwnan longing more highly prized than peace.
Isaiah prophesies the reign ofthe Messiah will see no end of peace. (Isaiah 8:7J The Koran says
believers will be met in paradise by angels wishing them "Peace." [Qur'an 13:2.3-24]. Christians
call Jesus Clnist the Prince of Peace.
Tragically,~ve s3throughout human history}\aty?)ore advances in the weapons of war
than in the artt_
~f pe.<e. Today,~~fbistory's bloodiest century, with ethnic and
ideological an~erritorial conflicts so persist;land the technology of destruction so
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141003
2
sophisticated, we face with ever greater urgency the ancient question: Can peace prevail on
earth?
e
:ve been honored, in serving President Clinton, to have had the good fort~e of meeting some
d facing $01Ile moments, that have taught me precious
of peace.
~()
~~
One les~on is this: A coiillllitment to a just peacnreillremust be prepared to fight-- for
when good and evil collide, peace and justice often canDot prevail together. Israel has faced
m
uch moments. America and its European allies faced such a moment last year, when
Slobodan Milosevic
I~
~e the 20th century with a chapter of ethnic slaughter.
~1\. \-IV~
Many
.
~c.tY
people doubted whether the West could, or even should, respond. And yet somehow, 19 ~
~E»."* in NATO, each with its own internal differences and historical ties in the Balkans, came together
::::,:.;. and stayed together to stop the killing. And I will nevO< forget
aa..l... _
Elie Wiesel: "This time the world was not silent."
the~~ite House el bJ--
·
~~~
, w~~g;:; even a just war cannot by itself ensure a just and lasting peace. ~d most waxs do not end {l)
.
~1,
A~
: ~.,.
,
1
with clear victory; many seem never to end at all.Eder such circumstances, some leaders have
sought peace superficially- not because of a change ofbeart, but because of a change in
~' fortunes.
They have grown
w~ or exhausted, or they have found fuul themselves cornered, or
~
~-
<I'M
;t1c4
~ they have tried to buy time for a futme atta~ .amp;'e leaders I admire have sought peace when J$fWfi •
they were strong. They were capable of fighting on. But they recognized that their people's ~
aspirations could not be achieved by continuing to fight. They have shown us it is possib to ~
i .
~~
~~
wise before one is weary.
Nelson Mandela's com1try was settled centuries ago by Europeans who forced a doctrin of~
white supremacy on the people of the land. And they forced into prison cells -- or grav s
wbo
wr
t~
I
fough~ back. A few years ago, President Mondela took us to see his old cell on R b.J.:':~~~
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cramped oooll, hardly large enough for him to lie flat upon the floor, with one
tiny window-- one foot square. He lived there 27 years-- no beat, no fan, no fa.:':.ta'tucket
for· a toilet- and three letters a month. And yet he talked to us of his life there with
extraordinary serenity.
President Clinton asked him at one point: "Weren't you angry? Even after you were freed,
weren't you bitter?" And President Mandela said: "Briefly, Yes. But then I thought: fi have
waited so long for freedom. And if my anger comes with me out ofthis place, I will still be their
.
prisoner, and I want to be free. I want to be free. •
~
.,
alAP
~ember two years ago our marathon meeting at the Wye Plantation in Maryland with
President Clinton, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Chairman Arafat- trying to restart a peace process
that had ~tplep. dangerously for 18 months. On day 1'line, the talks were close to breakdown, we
~~~
.
1\had declared t:'~al day, our final chance for peace, and still there were matters we could not
~King Hussein, with only a few months of life left within hirn.~iii~Ri tg ipr:akJo u& at Qilr
f~:a
~~
'f.
Y
,
~
.....,..Oft hnilation. Weak with cancer, lo'• hif.- &oM ok~ sat at the head of
• the table and in that deep sonorous voice - with the authority of one who has given up life's
squabbles and centered his roind on the eternal- he s•id: ''There has been enough death and
de~truction. We have no right by our irresponsible actions to ruin the lives of our children, and
our children's children.'' When he finished, no one whispered even a word of response. We
resumed our work, and though we stretched that final day out to 48 hours, we concluded the
agreement.
I also remember the day in President Clinton's first year in office, when Prime Minister Rabin
and Chairman Arafat had concluded the Oslo Accords and were to sign the agreements on the_
South Lawn of the White House. Just before leaving the Oval Office, President Clintonunderstanding the demands of the moment -- said to Yitzhak Rabin: "You know you wm have
·--00~~,,~~-~~,-,~.
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-
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4
to shake hands with Chairman Arafat." Aflli
;h:Prime Minister truly looked pained. He
wanted peace for the future. But would a handshake appear to forgive the past? He paused long
in thought. But rnirtutes later, he and Chairman Arafat sea1ed their agreement with a hand shake,
and Yitzhak Rabin said in his remarks to the world: "You do not make peace with your friends."
President Clinton has quoted those words everywhere in the world he has urged people to make
peace . .To Prostestants and Catho}jcs in Northern Ireland. To the parties to the conflict in
Burundi. To refugees returning to their homes in Kosovo. He told that story of Rabin to the
Indian Parliament this spring, refening to the terrible costs of war and the imperative of dialogue
with Pakistan. There in the legislative chamber of the world's most populous democracy, the
story rnet with a munnur of voices, then applause. The wisdom and realism ofYitzhak Rabin's
words struck home.
In all the peacemaking efforts I have seen, the greatest obstacles to a future of peace are the
grievances of the past -- the searing memorie~ Gf e~R~ efJ'h~f war~ the heartbreaking sights
J
of iimocent suffering.
ha~e suffered. ~c~ting pa>t grievances; it is trying to make sure the
gnevances don'
The lllJUStlce suffered by both s1des must be acknowledged by both
sides. And those responsible for evil actions must be held accountable. But the desire for justice
cannot degenerate into a drive for
vengeance~se who seek through peace to redress ~t
grievances, are not seeking peace; they are sti11 waging war.
Nelson Mandela, King Hussein, Yitzhak Rabin, and others like Vaclav Havel and Kim Dae Jung,
Gandhi and Martin Luther King hav~understood this truth. But the existence of a handful of
heroes is not a strategy for peace. In pursuit of peace, we need something more than a 8'.1
..
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5
We need to take advantage of the special characteristics of this
(;rse of coura;}n the world.
L~ (~W~ f:u~Jw
particular moment in history.
Nationhood ond national sovereignty have served for centuries aS llllifying, stabilizing
force~'1)
within society. They confer a common identity that builds bonds, advances progress, and eases
cooperation among citizens. Today, however, the Unpa<l .,... lltoa..z;;;:erritorial boUndaries
are evolving. Goods, services, ideas, and people can move more freely across borders than ever
before. In many partS oftbe world, in western Europe for example,
tbe~rders as
barriers is shrinking -- with a rise in cross-bor4er cooperation advancing prosperity, encouraging
good will, and strengthening peace. Can the same thing happen in regions of greater strife? I
believe it can. After all, the movement toward European integration immediately followed the
most destructive war in human history.
At the same time, the geography of national security -- the link between land and national
defense once considered sacrosanct --~o evolving. Weapons of mass destruction, long-range
missiles, world-wide terrorist networks and global computer viruses are threats all nations face
together and no nation can defeat on its oWTI. .Security now depe11ds less on the distance
between nejghbors than on the closeness between neighbors. True security comes from being
surrounded by partners, not walls.
By no means am I suggesting that the old threats have vanished, that sovereignty is not essential,
that we don't need annies to defend our borders, our values, and our lives. We do. But in the
tightly inte{'twjned world of the global economy, it is harder than ever to win by making
someone else lose. Neighbors increasingly share the same fortunes. Regions tend to grow
economically, or shrink economically- together. When they grow together, grievances are
lighteued; the cost of co~frontation increases, and so therefore do the incentives for maintaining
-~.-:-.: ·~_-.-·--·
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6
peace. Interdependence is worth promoting; cooperation is worth pursuing, for the sake of
prosperity, for the sake of security, for the sake of peace:
Here in the Holy Land, this historic drama for peace is playing itself out right now. And it is
. perhaps the greatest challenge of peacemaking in the world. This is a place that more than any
either is defined by its past- by its people's connection to their land; their traditions~ their stories
of suffering, strife, and exile. And yet, as His Holiness Pope John Paul II showed the world so
movingly in his visit here this Spring, wholehearted devotion to one's own faith is perfectly
consistent with a devout respect for the faith of others.
In a land where two sides hav~eting claims - but when a changing world opens new doors
of opportunity -- imagination /{..orne to the aid of tradition. How can bot:ll sides honor the
past, resolve claims, acknowledge suffering, and give the gift of peace to one another and their
children? How can theybujld a region where borders unite rather than divide?
Can we seize this moment? The answer is not fixed and waiting to be revealed; it is fluid and
waiting to be created - by the force of each of our actions. And we must act now. The stream
of history flows endlessly onward. lt will not wait. It will not return.
Many wise men across the centuries have prophesied that the world will never know an end of
war. Yet, who is to say what is the limit of human achievement, or what is the endpoint of moral
development? The existence of war over millennia is merely evidence peace is difficult, not
proofthat peace is impossible.
If we are ever to r4?}llac~ thJLanticipation of war with the expectation of peace, we must be able to
l..d"~~-
j
do it here, in thiSlan]d why not here ill this land? The teach in~ from this land gave us
our ideas of human dignity and social justice. The prophets of this land gave us our hope for
.
�05/15/00 MON 19:18 FAX
··~ , - - - - - - ~------
APNSA
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7
progress in human history. The people of this land gave us our proof that impossible goals can
become possible through generations of single-minded struggle.
The jnheritors of this Holy Land can·-- if any can -- come together in a mometlt of choice to
change the world -- and tum hostility to prosperity, suffering into healing, and war into peace.
###
';
•'·
Ill 008
�I
I
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
DATE
SUBJECTffiTLE
00 I . statement
re: Draft remarks of Samuel R. Berger, Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs, at the Ceremony on the Conferment of
Honorary Degrees at Tel Aviv University (19 pages)
05/17/2000
RESTRICTION
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
[Middle East] [4]
Jamie Metrailer
· 2008-0703-F
'm622
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)[
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b))
PI
P2
PJ
P4
National Security Classified Information ((a)(l) of the PRA]
Relating to the appointment to Federal office l(a)(2) of the PRA]
Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(J) of the PRA)
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA)
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(S) of the PRA)
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA)
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency ((b)(2) of the FOIA]
b(J) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(J) of the FOIA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA)
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA)
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance.with.44 . U.S.C. _ ~- -- -----b(9) Releas_ovouJd,disclose:geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
:.,j;}1f:¥:N,T·~~~~-:::~rrii'ng w~!rs:,{(b)(~!; of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be rev•ewed upon req11~.st. -- ·.;C'l'- ·-..;. ,.- · · '
·.
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· 5/17/00 10 am
Rosshin
Samuel R. Berger
Assistant to the President for National S,...,..i.,,
Ceremony on the Confennent ofHonorlry ·.
Tel Aviv University
May 21, 200U .
-
·.·
;.
President of the Supreme Court, Memhers nfthe Presidium, Dean.~.
Faculty and Students, Distinguished Guests, and, of course, My fellowHo~nQlree:sr~~
.:
I am honored and delighted tonight to be joining the ranks of the
..·.·.
dis;tinguj.shc~ p~~~' artists,
.-~~
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-
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scientists, and statesmen who have received an honorary docto~te.d.egre_~1~ ~~Aviv
,_,.,;
University, and I thank you for the added privilege of speaking for my fell~"#': honorees. .J
..
~·,_.:;·~ -~~:.
understand that Amos O.z, who received an honorary degree here eiiht ye~~go;!:politely
·:..-
··:
-:
,·~
declined to speak for the others, saying ccthere is no way I can speak on beba,J.f of anyone. On a
.
'~
lucky night I sometimes manage to represent myself." I admireMr.Oz's-~-h.~i11~:and restraint.
.
.
.
·•.--·c·~~-
Nonetheleoo, I rot3pcctfully accept the privilege, aud the ti:Jk., uf::~p~i21W1~-Jui:.?iny ft;lluw
but only in this sense: I will try in my remarks tonight to
honorees,
speak~'.-; ~and
everywhere who hope and work for a world at peace. fcrate· SiP Sider ''baie:'~\, 4 ·;;brk" a• a nl:d<it
._ ··~{ ~:--·
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There are few things in the history of human longing more highly prized th~:peac~:
.,
Isaiah prophesies the reign of the Messiah will sec no end of peace. [Isaiah-'8~7] Tho Koran say~
-::·.-,
;·;~
~~¥-:-
believers will be met in paradise by angels wishing them "Peace." [Qur'anl3:23-~4J. Christians
call Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
~--.
�......... :. :... MAY. "19 .. ;00 ... 06;. i0PM ..USDAO.. TEL
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than in the art of making peace.
the technology of destruction so sophisticated, we face with
evE~n:i;reattet~ftelltc'
question: Can peace prevail on earth?
I hJtYe been privileged, in serving President Clinton, to have
m·oments, that have revealed precious truths about peace.
..··
···.'-
One truth is this: Commitment to a just peace means we may sometimes~b~ force4 to fight -- for
.
--~-' _:· .
~- 7~.
. ::..:
when good 2..~d.~vil collide, peace and justice often cannot prcvaittogeth~~~:~~intmrntional
, ...~~~':~.Z faced such a moment last year, when Slobodan Miloseyic ""~ J~"
~,.)r~~for~!.t;l:.1fa1ypeople doubted whe~ii ;;~!could, or
even should, respond. And yet, NATO's
dif~
•c11
s zJ kilft8Ritl t' a i11
ninete~cies,e"ili ~-d!I~~~nllc•
tl" Fla!k~
came together and stayedtogetlJ.er to:stop the
::.
-~--- ':~";i:.
:•..:.-
killing. And I will never forget the words later uttered at the White Hou(e-~Y::Ei!~;yviesel: "This
time the world was not silent."
But
maD.Y_~onflicts do not end as g!:J:}:_ckly and decisi?ely
as
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They have shown us it is
one is
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when the
were str
one foot square.
"Weren't you angry?"" President Clinton asked him ...Even after you were ~ed,jveren't you
-:. ~- :~t..·T;_,_ ~:~~-- t': ,
-
bitter?" And President Mandela said: "Briefly, Yes. But then I thought:''''Uiave \Vaited so long
for freedom. And if my anger follows me out of this place, I will still be th~~-pri~oner, and I
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want to be free. I want to be free,'"
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tWd "cmcmbcr our marathon meeting at t~c .l:"hw.talwn m Marylan~
nv.o ye,ars ago with
President Clinton, Prime Minister Netanyahl\ Chairman Arafat- tryin~ t~ rccstctr;~peace proce:s~
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that had stalled dangerously for 18 months. On day nine, the latkt~
President Clinton had declared this our final day, our final chance·
matters we could not settle. Into this crucible came King Hussem, _
lif~ IP.ft within him. w~av. with csmcer, he cat at the hoa.d ofthO:
·.
;
__
·._,_:-.
·.
souorou~
'.
voice- with the authority of one who has given up life's squabbles and ·
.:_:...
eternal- he said: "There has been enough death and destruction.-~W. __ ·
.·._,
finished, nn nnl'! P.VP.n wh;!;r~rP.it
-·
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word o:fre~ponse. \Ve rammed ow.' "'.viiiotott-~>~,tt
stretched that final day out 48 hours. we concluded the a2I'eement. _- ·
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I also remember the day in President. Clinton's first y~;l:lf in office, when Pndie Mlruster Rabin
.
-
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--~~·::_~--:·.
and Chairman Arafat had concluded the Oslo Accords and were to sign tiie,aireelD.ents on the
-·~_::(~-:.~~~-
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South Lawn of the White House. Just before leaving the Oval Office;·~t.~linton::-;r::;:-
. ~- :~!,;'.~--
.
-=;~:.,.::-:~
understanding the demands of the moment -- said to Yitzhak Rabin: ,:y~~-~d Ch'~an Arafat
will have to shake hands." The Prime Minister
trul~lo~ked pained. Je.:~~d~:;:ce for the
future. But would a handshake appear to forgive the past? He paused)q;;-~ ~~ggb.t. But
minutes later, he and Chairman Arafat sealed their agreement with a~;e,~d Yitzhak
. . . ·=,:~..-;"...: ~-:~·:-~
. ..
.:·. :;._-.
Rabin said in his remarks to the world: "You do not make peace with yo'llifri(mdS~~~
-.;:' ,~:i~i·~; ,'!::~
President Clinton has quoted those words everywhere in the wor1d he hll:~~lrret'._rl P.e.ople to make
peace. To Prostestnnts nnd Catholics in Northern li·cland. To the pa.~.1ie:s.tuJ.hc cunflicL in
Burundi. To refugees returning to their hnme~ in Knsovo. He told that st9~,9f~bin to the
.
.
'
-·· ..
;
-~-
··:
.
Indian Parliament this .,gprin~. referrin~ ta the terrible CO$tS of-war ond the i_~crativc of dialogue
with Pakistan. There in the legislative chamber of the world's most popula1J$_~dePtocracy, the
story met with a munnur of voices, then
words struck home.
appla~c-
The: wisdom
and-t~~:f""x.~~a:k'Rabin#s · ·- ·
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In all the peacemaking efforts I have seen, the greatest obstacl~ ,~-a
·. .._.
~.,;:,_:::~j.
grievances of the past-- the searing memories of war; the helartlrre!llcin1
suffering.
It is difficult to put a.cirl• the in.diMt
~ ro••onge; it eon fe~;liit~' ·.
from befalling our children.
·The injUstice suffered by both sides must be acknowledged by.o om~;;su1e
evil actions must be held accountable. But t.A4M!M~M~~-~~m!H-o4~~-~a..a.Qa.·ve
pence; they arc .still w4gin~ ww..
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Nelson Mandela, King Hussein, Yitzhak Rabin, and others lik.eV~clayt-Hjy~&tt4~ Dae 1Wig,
.
.
:-;~~ ":~;~; ~::~.- .
Gantihi And Martin Luther King have understood this truth,_But the cxist~e-of.~ handful of
.
heroes is not a strategy for peace. USu
~
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.
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a a
swgd i·j£[ia;~.· We need to
.
~ft,~, 0iA:
· ·- ,-·
grasp the defining features of"global age, and make them serve the ~a11s~:;~t~tJe.
Nationhood and national sovereignty have served for centuries as unifying. .s~bilizing forces
within society. They confer a common identity that builds bonds, advances.progr~ss, and eases
.
.
.,.·
·;
•
...
;
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cooperation among citizens. Today, however, the meaning ofterritorialbowidaries is evolving.
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pul-e t1 f Hcc n uzltl, i:: "ester!! Ea1 ope i<er example, the r~ie ti beh1e!'s~_~, ~a:fflwe ii
.
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shrjpl·jp~ with i1 rise iA 8t"ed!J bmdc; eoope:ati{jjt ad; anein~ pt63~ti ity •. Ui8S'tlPft!;i:ftg §9€ij ncill.,
Jilft:? !'
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an" m'iif:1gthenilig ~eQrei. C&:i'! the wme tJ:iu .... imml'l:m in reg:Jens cfu.eri.tcz.s~fe?_""t~~~ieve it eAII.
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is ev.olving. Weapons of mass destruction, long-range missil,..~·.·wni'l,,.u-a
and global computer viruses are threats all nations face togetbet·11m:ntt
between neighbors. True security comes from being
By no means am I suggesting that the old threats have vanished, tliai~
that we don't need armies to defend our borders, our values, and ..............,.......,,
tightly intertwined world of the gloh::~l economy, it is harder than ever to:~py m.~.lc:ing
-~--~..- . ·::_· ---,_~:~~-:~;-~~
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someone else lose. Neighbors increasingly share the same fortunes;_,
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grow
economically, or shrink economically- together. When they grow togetll.er;1grie~ances are
. -:;
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lightened; the cost of confrontation rises, and so also do the incentives fot.:~~t~pjng peace.
.
'·
.
IB~ealependcnce is wuzth ptemoting, eooperMien is •u"erth pwsuing, fu1 t:fi9·~~!:kctlfpzospe~:ity
. '., ,,. ·- ''"'"''":""-· .-
afiQ
&tQHAty, agd for tb; nkt gfpea'e
,..,.;:f~--
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Here in tho Holy Land, thi3 hi:storic dnmu for peace l.s playiu!:; it::;clf.uulli~~pu~;.> fRMl'ili:l
-.. . -~/.~¥l·~·- :·~--~k-1 ..
perhaps the greatest challenge of peacemaking in the world. Thisis~·a,ptae4~tW:ore than any
~:
;l:
other is defined by its past- by its people's connection to their land; their.trafutions; their stories
of~nm~ring,
strife, and exile. And yet, as His Holiness PopeJch!~P~u! !!-&:~.~;,.e(!.the-wcrlcl-a~·-
•!"£-..~::_":·
.: •
· movingly in his visit here this Spring, wholehearted devotion to one's ow~: fa{th is perfectly
···:: -·:;·>:-'
consistent with a devout respect for the faith of others.
·-.
::·:·
In a land where two sides have competing claims -but when acrumJ!p.nJ~·1''0l1lP
of opportunity -- imagination must come to the a.id oNJ'Ellli!~.s:k'r"!lii"ioUl~~
·,,;. . . . . . . . . .
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P.9
7
Can we seize this moment? The answer is not waiting to be
endlessly onward. It will not wait. It will not return.
Many wi~e men Ac.ross the centuries have prophesied that the
war. Yet, who is to say what is the limit of human achievement,
development? The existence of war over millennia is merely evidence ·
.·.
--
not
-~
proof that peace is impossible.
land gave us our ideas ofhu.mari dignity and social justice. The ~m~~~.u!:;~'"
our hope for progress in human history. The people of this land gB.ve·tlis~ntili1~ro~of1:ha.t
impossihle goal~ c-.~:~n hpr.nm,.. f'MCibJ.e through garu~=.tior.t..ofoingle·J!!'lind.dt~trusgle>.---------
..... ~~.):-~.-:-~.
:~-:;:· -"'-':.
~
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The inheritor~ nfthis Holy Land can then-- if any can-- come together.ip.a.''IQ,o~ent of choioe to
_.: ..-~~ . ~.~~~~~ ~-;~¥:
-~1-:/
change the world-- and tum hostility to prosperity, suffering into healing";:·~·~ointo peace.
.
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PLEASE PASS TO SRB ASAP. HE IS EXPECTING lnBYlJEtft
CLEARED BY TOM R.
SANDY:
Attached is a revised version of your speech.
·A•'-"',..ih>liiii
J.U.\-'UlCIDG
. the ura•ney and the pooaibiJity of an lsraeli-Pa~loadlrifai'l
:~livt!!~n
current circumstances in-Israel, I believe It Is the'1TI'!a8·m
convey.
on
the
.need to
I have discussed'it with Dennis, but he has not·eaa~";.•r
more closely tomorrow, as will Martin.
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MRY 19 '121121
·r:a·~·
...... ' .............................. .
······r:;P:11························
1215: 16PM USDRO TEL RVIV
2
samuel R. Ber;er ·~· ..
Assistant to the President for National \5·""":'4·•-~oP-Y&
Plen~ry Session of Che Board of
Tel Aviv University,:
May 21, 2000
re
c;•·<' .
.'i •··
Mr. Chairman, Members of ~he Presid1um,
University and, of course, President
~y thanking
President Rabinowich for
introduetion.
!tamar Rabinowieh is
only
in his country, but aleo in our~, as
wh6se knowl~dge of hi~ region, whose
mention hi8 skill
85
a raconteur -- have qiven endu~~ng-;rmomentum
to the cauoe of peace in the Middle Eut.
•
cur{ri~~» ~~ee
]years in Wuh inqton • s Israel ' • Ambas udorcto.,c~~~'!f~ta tes,
"),~~~("('"" his
wisdom and
advice•:~;,~o~~likA_
~a~rvice·~ j:r:fk-·~~jf'-.ea'¥to
cu.- unique J?••tntilrship. .
:.~·:.~.~~-: JWL
to thank I tamar for hie
t1ni'ted States, snd to
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06:17PM U::ilJHU II:;.L HV!V
··.·-~;~:-;;~
.
· ... · .
.. ' : ' : ~ : .
········································
·
3
most common mistakes is to assume that
It
self-evident.
a~e
is not.
takan for granted.
viewed
a~
di~tant
~t nec~~sarily
and
For thoee
illu~ory,
entails.
1mperative of A
My goal
eomprehen~ive
peace betwee·
·nei9hbors and partic'l:la.rly between Israelis ~ca-.u .. ·~~
how I believe it can be achi~v•~. ~nri
prepa:ed to do to help you reach that 90al. ··
But Detore I discu!! the path ahead, I
the
jou~r.ey
already taker., fo.r it is
etory of peacemaking, a;1d an instrueti ye
·OJ'le. :.;·. ~-
Rarely is or.e offered the pri\·ill!!ige t~ witness.:·,.., ,_.~''"'""
..
.. ·
to
,.
partici~ate
'in -- the resolution of one of
!li~~~ry~~~~~-gr~~t human
conflicts.
For the .resolution take::~ far longer ~tha~th~~onset,
• ·.•... ~ ..
.
and
th~r•
is a rnornentwn to conflict
fails to overcome.
·;;-,;?..
tha~~~.N-o~a;
And yet, make no mistake: , tha .W~
wh&t wa are experiencinq.
Q_.,
"' i .
tiM! pon
f~
/:t::':: 1"_\P
Aoololi'oo!t~~: -~~a
~
,..,.~.,,._.as entno<l a pue.,-.. •••~ is toHn~ tt ~~c),i..J.~
qreat wars -- 1948, 1956, 1961 and 1973
~agernent
ar.d peacemakiney
.:. ~
~'~of·t-·
Camp Oavid, .·
M~~i4~'t1_an~~- then
. ': -~'~: ~tfd,:~ -~ :..
:~. ;'--~-: ~.q,
.
c
.'
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············: ·~A',/19'"'"00 ···~a6ti'B'Fii1 ··usB~a-:rtt: ~viv· ·····························
PP.13
landscape lonq considered un~hinkabla.
It is worth t•king a step back to
dis~ance
can sharpen what proximity
at peace.
~
az;e
Israel and Jordan are at
st~p
Palestinians,
edifice of
by
peac~.
~nd Syri~
between Israel
lon~i/o.er
Iraq and Libya, evary
and between
this ~irnple fact·: .witll ~:t.
singl~ Arab st! t;.s
of
_}le a~·i·i1··:,ao~'"""':·
7
maintaining some form of contact with the:·
whether through the intetnation5l donor effort .
.
.:.
.-~
..
Pal@~tinians, regional anti-terrorism effoits~
track, the Middle East And North Africa
negotiations.
·,
I s~y this n~ither to claim
j,rreversib1e cia &if e nor te s 1
E'QQf!..
tM h
~
·,
''''
..Lu;:i--i-; -111
chat chis i~ a~,f!at;:!,~fac~ory
. ~- ~~ :.- .:;:~ ~ l-~~7: -!.~---;~~-----
noc-.-:rn.e·--..g"'o"'anl.mus~(:;~~a¥a::Cgemuine
.
- .. ':~ -~j;. ·.-~- ~ifT· -~·~i~r.~
.reconciliation that trigger~ a change in attit:ud;ei:i'tJ~ d.i~~,:
- r-------..
.
behavior,
L4,
d personal r~lations
. ....
~
.
~
·.... J"
.
dist~~ce separate! from a-siqneci
·.. :.·-:-
remains far too
much Violence
.
.
~
.
.
'. .
... ·, ... .:...
········································
..
:·.
anci bl.oOd.5hed 'to.~jilS,t~,Y S,;ther
.
..
.
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.
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-
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self-satisfaction or complacency.
······~;:p~i4''''''''''''•••········
But
who
have struggled for caace heva
which we cen bu1ld.
of the past several decadA~ by achievinq a
Thc;a l:;.a~ cix reonth.:. l•eavc ;~o;~~IJ
in"tenal ve
agreement between Israel and Syria, and
open.
Neither Israel, nor syria, nor the Uni t.ed·
States
But today, and in ~he months ahead;~:~
;:i.ve up.
hi$toric Qpportunity that we must not allow t~~i
:
.
chance to resolve the
~-
a
.. :~ ---~ ::
: -·.,._.,._:· __1;-o
.. ,_
.. :.; . :
Israeli-Palestinianc:probl.'~:
.
.
the Arab-Israeli con~lict.
. . . :~- ': . ~~~~~;~~-~
ii~~'
.
- ..:;· ..
-
-"·::.:;--.'.;~_
Some may question· tha
releva~ee
;. .
of the
~Qle.otinian~
~
. _.
tJ'-·=:.em:
':oday'
:i:
That they can be contained.
ce~~c-ti;r~~r i::~ pre!al:alHe
:-~?:~-'-
-~:>;'·;.:
-·- "7.•" ~ ..
.
--~
They
·-
. -~ ..,,:;~~~;f 1 :,__-:-~:-.
no+-qenu~:pe_:~,fn1U1::ary
·'·'
threat.
·"'"=*~~-t.
..
,;:...:-.; _
Palestinian~.:.t~a&_;,
--
'
t.hc
of
~·~:::::
..
'-:-'·
~rque t::ha~
re
I~ is on that •endea.vO.:tJill!lat:~D'I· wish
-:·:
:-;-.--_,
to focus my •amark5.
w;,,
~t.~--.
.
·<';
- : :~;, ,:.':-t?J'· :_
'rhat. the. fam:iliar~~ \·~:.. ..
.cost
to the
. . ~ :,~Jl ·; ~·
'Jncertain.;.,C'ost .~of
··.
tomcrrow':J
--. . - :~z.
-t~
·_!:
::: ··,.
ot
�··········································
f:IP .15
6
I ~rofoundly disagree.
QQeply from one end of the Arab world
and will continue to teed the passions a
and seeurity whose ~a~olut1on is vital
.
-
.
.
r.o
.
dry up the emotional and ideoloqical well~p~~ ·.
Im8a contlict,
Israel and. the
ther~rl.\~mizi;~CJ~tl
u.s.
IZJ ehort, the Arab~IsraEl+4d.l~n~rr.l
which qrllllw out of the o&truggle between Israe=lls::'
-- can only be resolved once that strugqle;;;.i _permanently, put to rest.
But
~here
endure as
is more.
it- il!t-,
conflict knows no
equ1l1b.rium.
r 1J~ 1 1 o;~l'
ata~us
thh::
quo.
'I'he alternative
I t cannot
to
the statua quo, it is something
convinced, far worse.
the Icr~eli r&t.lo_o~t-ini.:4-n
fl.n~~~b~.'
a peaesful CCrnP~~~~e\if not
.:,rery
·~-
_.-
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different~ ~n4;~!':j
.
.. - ·.~ .. :\~
am
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E'or the eomi1tion th&t ?produeid:'-hostili ty
·.
.·
:.
:;-~=:::~
-,-.:~-
>;.
·. . .:.:.· .~: :4~-~ . _.;!'~$;.
1n the past re:m.!.ins current to th.i!l day •. · :rt is~:whaif~I ..;cjll the
.. .· '-~ *i-~1~~ ''ii:t'
~1-,t=-.L.r..:d.l ·1ntercqnne~1.on:~~etQi~n
. ..·'...
' >t;~c~S~t.~
~~-t;
-- · · -·-···· · -·- ·
Israelis and Palestinians ':hat, in the absence of·a;£undeinental
.. :. ..
~:':.·_. ·._..:,
.;
resolut1on of their t:onflict, is bound to c:reatia furlhe-r;~·
\
..;'*..
;.
friction and further violence.
f
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06:20PM USDAO TEL AVIV
oooooo•;:;p·:-16'''''''
·.
7
~his pa!t
week were the moat rece-nt tra
reality.
fo~ ~mmediate
action.
All of which or1nqs me to
~h1s
.....
J ...
mu~t,
in
~hort~
siqn1fy in words and
one-
hundred-year conflietj ~ ~~T
This is, of course,
peace be achieved?
for
0
....,heat
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;.;c;o.;~..,.J..,.IO.l.....,~•
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make~ it so difficult: the weight of history,, w~ic;li~_;~aSi,:~eft us
.
:. ·.
-~ ~-
:\
:~?·---,~~
--:~-~-~::.
with i:wo oeocle li vi ncr toqethQr. inex:i:ricab1y ':l~:r:~e'~f.yci.t:t -~
·.
separated by distinet vers1.ons of
tho clash of eonflietinq yet
••nitQ•:r·
E• ·
/tv{,., too promised
~ -4il;,~
44...
.
~ .
--
..
.:-;:.-, ~~ --~-~-
-~-
;
' • . . ; ·-~ ·.if..
'
hi!tory;:"ditferinti.fa~t:hs,
equ•lly
intans&
p•omioed lauU ha• b•cumo, ou
:'~aJ."i~o:~.':
~" •P~;i~, ?i?>e
~k,\
land:J
~ ~·=
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··········································
PP.17
B
The
eh~llenqa,
in oth~r words, is ~~
side's historical, reliqious and terri
on our experience
tew c;uiding
party,
howev~r
well-intentioned, eannot·
place.
·:
.
!
;;
:..;.
Ssoond, r~;;.eh1-nr;, an agre•r.'lent will rGqui~fi~c:~~i~~itn~nl:~r.g-.
,_. :"' '2"'~~:f~ '1;)'
..
Where two pArties living in suc::h Flroximity :must:· ~i-s.~nta11gle
':heir eonflieting claims
by side,
Get
-:
continue
0
~~.
~~;:.~-
t~'<~ . -;~;· -~
.
~~-~- ~/(:-d: 1· •-.·~
~i;k
side
~-~: ~~~- :·-~
conventional approaches base
territory and sovereignty and securit~
inda~Dd,
. ": . --~-
.
.•
..
there 1" no ehorta.qe of uneonven~.iona.l.~
~-ci~ ·~-iff the-
world in whieh we are 11 v1n9 l.S experi.en.c:irigf.ia~:;-se~:~i#h~e.
·
notions of boundaries have little currency
-· .
in an er!l
-
~~ztt.
·~
.. .
·,'
.·
~; -·:i,-~
oti ,·
. ~~
;
..
. ·:~
~-~·-
4_:;·
Old
�··············;;.fi~y·~·t 9---,00 ··~01: ;~~~M ··usbl=ia;.;:r~:c_- ·Avi\i ·······························: ···· ···· ·
PP.18
9
oeeom~nq
our
treditio~al
mos~
mode of
ra~11ar
concepts of security are
long-ranqe missiles, terrorism,
environme~tal
di5asters.
in
narcoti~-·~~
In short, by
approaehe's, a 2ero-sum strategy based
interests in which beth
sid~~·
need~
Thi.:·d, re!!ehinq an agreement will
current consenaus in order to create a
capable of buildin9 a powerful constituen.q¥..
-~~; n ~f"
,speak for itself.
f"h,.,
It rnust be
~,_~y:~·r-:~t~; 0'~-~~"~~
Y'':peoi'':L•~~·~hO:Jean
'.z;·····
degcribe the end they are pursuing as
they ara striving to avoid.
ive
Israelis and
olesseci with such leaders, as Prime
.·..
A:- af at havA s h.cl,!r. .. -.t.im9. -c~-:t . .a.; s.i~ ~- .. _ _ ___;__.;,....-'--"""""'.'+-~··.::~:;r,._~r:.;.~.......;.':~;£~;_~:';;;...'- - - - - - - - - - -
And they are blessed with one other importan:
iiJrieii.
which
is President Clinton' e tireless commitment-to ,~t:he:~:;:Oausefot ~eaca
·.
in the
~iddle
·_:·.·_.
~
East.
Sta"tes.
-.. ,' .•. ~~-~ ~~!~~ ..
~
-
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. ___ ; ·:f:.
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· MAY 19 '00 06=23PM USDAO TEL AVIV
Pp.~19························
10
.I
T ••.,{,,
•+-A,.+
.,,..n,.. ,.'lola Vlll'I-Y l'limpll"'.
hut:.
that the United States has a crucial
bea~ing
on our
~8eurity
and
Israel -- rooted in history; founded
sustained by shared
valuee.
To str
to proteet our own -- which is why our
:::t:::r::::i:q~eyA:o t::a::::k:::~~i~~~1J;~1~
bet wee~ our t~o countries.
relationship has both
~or the stren¢t;.ii~~~
~~
.• :~ . ·.·.:·.:/~~: -.~:~~::
demon~tra~ed
s the
to
p~d~:t~~!·~~~;:~, ~ "~·
fact i'!-ttl>_~=,'~i~~tl wavs
=utility of war and given the IsrA8li
~ o o fl.- ·~•~
t" m• <•
""""R _ ~"
>he
scar..d by Israal as it tAke!l risks for peaee and.' ~e:k'"¥111:-~do so
witt>
renewed viqor in an ora when !aces ne~(<~~1-:f~;it
--=·
:< L·. :..:":_: . ; ~-.
~· {"'::_
·,.:;,_:~:...~
For a~l -chese reasons, I~raelis and PaleLStinian.s;:jjhoulct.._feel
.
'? '_,(l~i:f -~~h
secure i~ the knowled(Je that t:here is no gr~a~~r~fi~·~o~I;,~y for
qrou•~•''J;:.it~_,._, "'J~~thi.~
just, la~,tin~;:~~t~
·ebensivo
tnts Aomin1Suauon ano <here is no
President
peae~.
1:1lan
to bring about
a
-~;
.,... ,,
·.·\· ··:.i_··~-=::
.. ~-~ -~~-:}1;~1:~_;·.·~·. -~~::1~~/.~
·' ~'~!1
�.~ .;~ ~
············: ··R~·y·"19.:0tJ00 ···~5·;~3P11 ··usD'Aor[L' ·Aviv······························
P.20
ll
In
seekin~
1llus1on
toasy to make tho
aoo~~
che difficulties it
~~raeli-Palese1n1an
oontl1ct is to
wrenching existential
fraught
with pain and
sut Z would like to
sever~l
d and
que~tions
identity and about security.
Ncr can
t
suffe~1nq.
ventu~e
the follow
months, but
United States has been talkin9 to both
attentively to their needs and
W8
have heard, be.sed on what we know, I
si~gle
.take
bel.ta:.Ve . ·
.e.. . .
•
... ~
issue -- not the most
that cannot be resolved.
vi~ion.
It
It will take strength.
with a keen sense of what it will mean
reaeh peace, and what it will mean 1f
:
.
~
Let me close today by read1nc; the l.-st
the
~r~~ioent
of the United
St~tes
.
....... A ..i.,. .......................... .
to
of
Israel:
,,
.
·.;
-
is
�............ :. 'PMR',? 19-" ~0'0 ... e,e;·;~4Pr1. usoAo~r~t. Rvi'\i ................ ·:..
1
•'--•·--~...;' ··-··-~-~
.
..... -.'-..---~--·'
12
burdensome consequences, will soon be
all we can
~o
de
help by encouraging
en
It was written over 50 yeArs aqo.
we have worked so long tor peaee.
Let us seize this chance.
,_· .... , __
..
·······r:;p·:~i························
Thank you.
.
-~-
�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
001. notes
DATE
SUBJECTffiTLE
re: President's trip to Nigeria (5 pages)
n.d.
RESTRICTION
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
ONBox Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
Nigeria
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
"m623
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- (44 U.S.C. 2204(a)f
Freedom of Information Act- (5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
PI
P2
PJ
P4
National Security Classified Information [(a)(l) of the PRA)
Relating to the appointment to Federal office ((a)(2) of the PRA]
Release would violate a Federal statute ((a)(J) of the PRA)
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA)
PS Release would disclose confidential advice ~etween the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors (a)(S) of the PRA]
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarr~nted invasion of
personal privacy ((a)(6) of the PRA]
~
· b(l) National security classified information ((b)(l) of the FOIA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency ((b)(2) of the FOIA)
b(J) Release would violate a Federal statute ((b)(J) of the FOIAJ
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information ((b)(4) of the FOIA)
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy ((b)(6) of the FOIA)
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes ((b)(7) of the FOIA]
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
of gift.
.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in acc~r,dance_w.it_~A4};J.S:C. _ .. -, .. _ . b(9)_Release 0W.!J.nl!l.~i~~tos~-~eological or geophysical information
2201(3).
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�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
DATE
SUBJECTrfiTLE
RESTRICTION
00 I. letter
To President ~linton from Thomas J. Vallely. Subject: Trip to
Vietnam (3 pages)
11/06/2000
P5
002. notes
re: Experts on Vietnam (14 pages)
n.d.
P5
003. memo
To President Clinton from Samuel Berger and Stephanie Streett.
Subject: Themes for your trip Vietnam I Discussion of key issues (II
pages)
·
n.d.
P5
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
1
OA/Box Number: 4020 ·
FOLDER TITLE:
[Vietnam] [2]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703~F
'm624
RESTRICTION CODES
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
Presidential Records Act- [44 U.S.C. 2204(a))
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA)
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute ((b)(3) of the FOIAI
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information ((b)(4) of the FOIA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy ((b)(6) of the FOIA)
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes ((b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions ((b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in ac~~rdance wit~ .4~ U;S;<=;,- ~- ;~~~(2);R"Iease-~(l~~d!<IJ~clos:e:geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
i: .
_(:-~~-~r:;,,~~-- - -, ·· ·conccrnmgwell~~(b)_(~~ of the FOIAI
RR. Document will be reviewed upon req_il~st.
(:1 · ~ -:: -.. : ... '._ ...• - _ :._ .. _·_ ...
. _ _ . --. ·" ;-~~ :_·':-•,)
i-·:;
'4 ;: INTON_LIBRARY:PHOTOCOPY · ,-;_· ~- '"4
PI
P2
P3
P4
National Security Classified Information [(a)(l) of the PRA]
Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2)-of the PRA]
Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA] :
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(S) of the PRA)
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA)
]'.·
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�Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
SUBJECTffiTLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
001. notes
re: Vietnam speech; Phone No.'s (Partial); Personal (Partial) (61
pages)
·.. --·
n.d.
P5, P6/b(6)
002a. notes
re: Vietnam speech; Phone No. (Partial) (7 pages)
n.d.
P5, P6/b(6)
002b. note
Phone No. (Partial) (1 page)
n.d.
P6/b(6)
002c. note
re: Vietnam speech (1 page)
n.d.
P5
003a. briefmg
paper
re: Preparation ,for the Vietnam trip (3 pages)
10/10/2000
P5
003b. miriutes
re: Internal briefing for human rights, religious, and service
community (4 pages)
10/20/2000
P5
003c. minutes
re: Internal
(6 pages)
10113/2000
P5
003d. minutes
re: Internal Vietnam briefing for the Veteran community (4 pages)
10110/2000
P5
003e. minutes
re: Internal Vie~nam briefing for business community (3 pages)
10/04/2000
P5
004. note
Personal (Partial) ( 1 page)
n.d.
P6/b(6)
005. note
Phone No.'s (Partial) (1 page)
n.d.
P6/b(6)
Vie~nam
briefmg for the Vietnamese American community
I
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
National Security Council
Speechwriting (Thomas Rosshirt)
OA/Box Number: 4020
FOLDER TITLE:
[Vietnam] [3]
Jamie Metrailer
2008-0703-F
·m233
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act- 144 U.S.C. 2204(a)l
Pl
P2
P3
P4
Freedom of Information Act- [5 U.S.C. 552(b)l
I
National Security Classified Information I( a)( I) of the PRAJ
Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRAJ
Release would violate a Federal statute J(a)(3) of the PRAJ
Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRAJ i
PS Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(S) of the PRA]
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwar~anted invasion of
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRAJ
·
b(l) National security classified information [(b)(l) of the FOIAI
b(2)-Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIAI
'
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIAl
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIAJ
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
of gift.
financial institutions J(b)(8) of the FOIAI
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance-with-44 U.S.C. -- .. - . -- --b(9)-Releaseowould,dis_close.geological or geophysical information
1: . . .f1 ~~~-.-,__:~';v-:"-""'J"==fco'nch~ing-~~~~;_lfb)(i,} of the FOIAJ
2201(3).
RR. Document will be reviewed upon
req~J~t..
1•"•
.
r1 ~- -~< .-c : _ ..' ... --..
·
-~ -_··
rjl ·-;:::jj
�\\
Res'E:arcl: Steps;:
I
*
Read Binder
./
* Read Osius book
* talk to Tracy Thiele- (w) 647 7292; (h)~~~~@Y(§~
* Talk to Greg Hicks state, 647 4023
* Talk to David Monk in Hanoi monkdb@state.gov
* Larry Greer-- POW-MIA Pentagon
* Someone from Vietnamese American community
* Someone from An1erican community in Vietnam.
* Find out who at state will be the translator.
* Bush rem~trks in 1991 on Vietnam.
* Alan Langlir,, state dept vietnam desk, 647 1699
* Thanh Vuong, int~rpreter for Ambassador
• David Monk: Office (direct): 84-4-831-4602
Mobile:~~~~/(_ .
Home: Blf~{~*Wi(Bf(6)Jm~(l'm rarely home that early, usually in the office)
Neil Jamieson. ·~He will be happy to speak with
• you. Call him at home in Virginia at~.$1~§7.(~)(~
• David Christian -.John Kerry --~~~~8'6/('6)'(6/!;t~.
o
Dr. Pham Van Thityet (referred by Tracy Thiele
pthuyet@yahoo. com)
Too-WET.
• Joseph Duemer, DEEMer fulbright grant in Hanoi.
- American poet.
I
.
• get the video peterson talks about -video on recovery.
Ruce - 703 602
2102. at defense POW/MIA office.
• Laura Efurd- interest group issues
• Christine Stanek _,interest group issues
• Tom, can't find hei· direct number. My poe is Jim Caswell, his number is
will get you Kay's direct number first thing in the moming. Randy
Vallely--- vietnam ed(rcation foundation: science exchanges. this two parts there is the
foundation. vietname eductional foundaiton. S. 3241 -trying to get the White House to put it
on.a spending bill. keny kerrey peterson called podesta. SRB supportive. It's modeled.
memo from keny to SRB. Bill is self-explanatory.
There is a better school, better venue.
'
context of cunent day :-rietnam.
VN has big problem. when it follows all the wrong policies economicma1 and public it still does
okay. it shouldn't be doing as well as it is. reason it does well, it is a pretty open to trade,
smuggling foreigners. a lot of inflows from oveseas 2 billion remittances from abroad.
southern pat1 they get fed by transfers. they get fed by foreign aid. The cunent document that
they have--- t}iey're dning for 7 percent gorwth in teir party ~ongress doctlment. we have
�written a paper. if you gorw at 7 and pop gorws at 2, income growth is only 5 percnet a year.
with that, you will catch Thialand in 60 years. that may be okay, but it is not modernization.
what is it that US- what is the beneift to US and VN of having better relations. to us not much
expect the past. to VN it's- the size of the US economiy. the grown in the US economy is last
two years is greater th!ill the GDP of China. Cihna is VN' s new sort of ally, not big compared to
US. They needed the BTA. Important thing- trad3 agreement. this is really important point.to
drive home to Presidetn.
BTA doesn't make VN successful. IT gives them the opportunity.
POINT ONE
I
POINT Two- what's more important than BTA. huge deeal for VN because it needs toe reate
1.4 miUionjobs a year, can't do it without trade agreemtn. doesn't make you successful, but
· allow private sector tq creat those jobs. big hurdle for them.
modernization- to be: modem, you need two things: you need capital. you need knowledge and
when the two come together, you create modem countries, technologie. VN has what a lot of
coutnrie odn't have, tQ.e ability to creat lots of knowledge: that was the idea behind the VN
educa foundation. idea: to get VN's science capacity back to where it was when it was the best
of the science countries in the Soveit ystem the super country in soviet scnec,e they have a base
in sccience that is 30 years old. They have some of the beset young physicists and
mathematicisans in the world. most countrioes don't have that. can't fin<l that kind fo raw and
developed talent.
science is the creation~ofknowledge. trade agreement is the way to create capital. createing
enough jobs to bet caphaL to really be successful, you need knowledge. they need that.
neither the capital or the knowledge is avaialbe without the internet. they, for all practical
purposes don't have interent. the acutal tech to get internet they have fiberoptic cable, have
capcity for more bandwidth than they allow. they have one hudnred firewall.
big fiberoptice comes into country but they stop it and read it all. they take a big pipe that they
own put it through sm~ll pipe. for them take a half an hours what takes us a second. China
takes a smaple of email who's downloading what. VN has to move to smapling. Lots' fo
people scremaing about this in Vietnam. It's an issue.
!
links tot the rest ofthe 1world. still need the highway.
your neighbors. It can be slowed.
The internet apeed has to be similar to
VN is building a new north south highway. stupid highway. they have one they should repave
it. they're buildin a new one. ho chi mink hwy. complete old economy highwy. you need a
new highwy, you need a new information highway. (they will get it).
,,
signsof change in vietnam:
�.
~--
..
--- -··--- .........
~--·
.......
---·-·--~·--...._..
.
/
they do well in international math olympics. a physicist- good will hunting- assoc. prof. at
colombia. in the mov~e, there is a janitor- Matt Damon, he is a wizz at math, the whiz at math,
is a vietnamese kid. '
Good will hunting, fic'tional. you have the same story in vietnamese math. boat kid. his name is
He is at Columbia. a famous pianist won the
Ling. He's not a janitor, he's a refugee.
Tchaikovsky.
go back to - communist party econmoic strategy- which gets them to where thailalndis today in
sixty years. graduates, where are they going?
~if we're going to grow, be thailand m' 60 years.
we're not going to create enough jobs to handle
_1.4 million jobs a years: at thi~ ~owth, they'll create a third o~ ~hose. a
country chooses 1ts rate of growth. the 1ght pohc1es could have better opportumt18es.
~' "~'l these graduate.
/
to
~~~
..,..,.?
what's going to happen. to them. they're going to be underemployed. they're going to go to
J forewigna countreis. signapor.,thailand. come to US on hi-teach. thing.
~
Jf
create sicene, they don't have an internal demand for scienc,e that comes from developing
industriest that are competitive in the world.
tone: what' the probl~mw tih the trip: VN doesn't know what they want clinton. he does'nt
know why he's going.·
VN are afriad. this sis country that defeatst he american empire, they are afraid of globalaiotn
and american, they do~'t know if they can compete. they don't know how goo dhtey are, they
don't understand their own strenght. if the President went int Le Kha Phieu. Look: we're not
trying to hurt you. take your ally, take you away from china, we just want you to do well.
they're afriad of the world. insecurity is the word I would say is the problem. if he can
overcome that the trip is a success. if we get them to see that we wish them success, the trip is a
success.
very significant thing t6 help us understand how nervous. Jiang to Phnom Penh the day we land
in HaNoi. He's going to Phnom Penh to say to VN: don't be too friendly.
McCain incident- in VN last year after the election was not an accidnet. it was provoked. I
wouldn't say that in a meeting. McCain had his son Jack in a prison. FM spokeswoman called
mccain a war criminal. they didn't' do that by mistake, they did it because they hadn't sorted out
what they want.
They were really unsure.
I
globalization! oper4ating system of the world. we don't have any choice. the kids in the
audience. they're good at reality, but they're slow at reality and slowness can be death. fear
and can they go fast enough to get those kids- if they don't get the kids a job, there's a political
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liability. lead to discontent that will end regimes. tension in VN is in the North.
slowly. saigon. it's a different country.
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.
growing too
Most successful- onc·e the most successful company in Vietnam. Nike- vallely says plants
are beautiful workers are treated well. Nike's in southern part of vietnam. they probably get
twice as much. a third of the workers come from northern provinces.
places around these plants are also successful. Niketown, most successful part ofVN. all sorts
of foreign ocmpany. most successful secto ·s foreign-invested sector.
onlyleaping will deal ~ith the faces of those kids in the audienc.e US has to help you leap. if
·you want us to we'll help you leap.
if institutional memory of- what ahppens there, the past is very complicated, 2.5 milliln people
were killed. we're responsibilt for aprt of it.
first trip- I don't think publicly he has to deal with the past.
talk about these issus that gets us back.
-there needs to be some way to
human rights -he certainly should say:
So much happened there that to walk in there and do the Asia Watch thing is a bad idea ..
Vietnamese have a painter who's a great artist Do Kwan Em. -I can fed ex and airline
magazine with a story about him. He may be the best portrait artist in the world.
'
Vietnam visual art is good stuff.
!
David Dappas- he's the one who wrote the paper.
vietnam.
We run half of the fulbright program in
Brian Quinn: he would know more about culture.
All societies that have tension in them create better art and literature.
leaders are insecure.
kids would like to hear:. some version : look: couple years ago I went to tech university, gave
a talk about science. I talked to a 1000 1500 Oundergraduates in engineering and scinec,e
"When are yu going to give us scholarships for science?" I said "never.."
however, if you wanted. one, it would be easy. you can get a scholarship on the internet. if you
can get the GRE score we think and contact Cal Tech direclty, they might tive ,it to you. But no
one will ever giveyou op.
I
--··
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�I think the students would like to be connected. a sense globalaiton seems to me to be the only
hopeful thing they co~ld have.
they are not going to say I want to protect the original ~ ,,~
1
ress.
they want to be modefn, but they hav a hard time. HaNoi is a village. it's too complicated. He
knows - Pete Peterson would say: "Quinn is the best- he knows everything."
W. make it more hmnble.
The skill is how to you take the conomic and mlitay power of
ametican or tum it into influence to help sometoby else. after second War, the US dominated
the world not by maki;1g Iowa ipottant. it made gennan and japan and europe important.
I
POTUS: we have everytyhing. our survival as a nation depends on you doing better than you
are.
super JFK quote: YOU can't just make your house the big house, you've got to let someone
else's house get big. ·
.
they have a fom1 of confucianism. family worship.
there's a very famous vietnamese poet- names NGUYEN DU
book
NWIN-zoo
KJM VAN KI~U
'
There is a long and very good introduction in the Yale version.
Woodside.
The guy who did it Alex
I used it a little bit, giving a talk about friedman's book. since Kim Van Kieu is written in
chinese characters. if you can't strengthen it with other cultures.
this is the epic poem of vietnam.
Homeric.
It is more like the Odyssey.
It's more like Homer.
Joke in vietnam: pro*st in hell- europeans got to admin. of hell. we're compaining want
justice. we're offencjed at your treatment of the vietnamese no curfew locks, taketheir
privilages away or give us them. If one vn tries to leave the others will pull them down.
jealousy- biggest problem in vietnam.
I
It's not a big issues, it's a southem issue. a family issue. if a viet kieu comes back swaggering,
he can't get anywhere.
The big issue in Viet Kieu is money. largest capital.
�third speed in this speech. globalization is going to take maybe more than we have. book otit
\~hat do you need besides globalization and connection to be successful.
"culture matters''
you need culture, need some other things in the deal.
we've never had a fulbright who didn't go home.
village. it might be part of the problem.
They love home; it's a little more of a
student is not super happy. udnerstands that the gov't is having trouble modemization. get info
-they have tons of ne\vspapers. stuff gets trhgough censors. a lot of reading. stories and
culture _things. picture of a newspaper stand in vietnam is very colorful.
magazines about everything.
ld get the letter from the senators. it has in it some ways to handle this.
poem.
There's scholar who knows a lot aboutthis potem. alexander
woodside. He's probably- used to be at Harvard.
woman we've invited ot the meeting.
g. of vietnamese studeis "she deson 't know much- she's no alex woodside"
He's at Univ of British colombia." call him up. Yale Unvi Press version of this book. If
POTUS knows .about this poem, and handles it well, huge hit. Poem- written in prose,' a story
of a woman named KIM with tragedies. she in one sense is vietnam.
shakespeare ofVietmim.
Univ. of British Columbia--· Alex Woodside-- wrote a super-important book about Vietnam.
Tom Vallely- says -:read the introduction before you call him.
emo from Kerry to SRB on details of legislation.
All you need to know. that foreign direct investment is 80% less than it used to be.
early 1990s, more enthusiasm than good judgment. anyone that judged would not have done it.
because of asia financial crisis. central palnning died, but what also died was an asia directed
capitalism. this is what Jpaan uses and what s. korea used to use. gov't decides where the
capital goes. now only crecit worthienss and rates of return decide whether they get investment.
�Asia financial crisis was an important and positive enent for asia. it strenghtened asia because it
takes away the old system. cretianly that's why invesmtnet in vietnam is 80 off.
that's a good thing. \\'hen signapore or taiwan where banking system were already using system
nsing crcditworthness· not gov't direvct cpaital they didn t get hurt.
[~hailand
forei~1:investment
wa~
now
three times wl:at it
before. the crisis. Y!etnam hasn't gone
through the refom1s 1t needs to do to get the capttal flowmg. Ntketown has dtfferent rules.
what is it in the vi
intellgience officer.
on this.
culture that makes them not succeed. david marr, former marine,
professor at Australia National University. read an article
Joseph Duemer --
riff:
veitnamesc americans arc very prosperous. what is the difference between vna and vn in vi1none. They have the same intelligence, diligence, energy, and endurance and entrepreneurial
spririt. There is only :one thing they have more of- freedom. That freedom allows them to
give the full expression of their talents.
JFK once asked about happiness.
definition of happiness of the Greeks. Full use of your
powers along lines on:xcellence. only freedom can give you the full use of your powers.
(reassurance, you're d,oing the tight thing- reassurance, not exhort).
All men are created equal, they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights,
Ho Chi Minh cribbing from
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Thomas .Teffeson opneing the Declartaion of the Democratic Republic ofViet Nain. dated
September 2nd 1945.
Find confucian statement or vietnamese proverb that says the same thing.
The.h.mpan. r~s9urc~.s ?f\;i~tn~l_ar~fNto_'fi! arour11:Ithe wo_r,ld., JJwre}lrr fe\V ~ho \VO\lld not
want to invest here if they simply kne-w the rules, laiew they\vould·be hond'red, knew the
competition would be~fair and not tilted against them, that there was a level playing field
between private companies and. state-owned enterprises
'
Also riff:
dependence, independ,ence, interdependence. progressiOn.
independence means ability to be on your own, make your own decisions without consul Ling, to
act in your own interests without consulting or begging the approval of an outsider who docs not
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have your interests at heart. once that is achieved, one is fit to be interdependent. to be a strong
partner for others, and to reach a higher level of potential.
interdependent. when two people
government as interdepenent- Lincoln--: the role of gov't is to do for the people what they can't
do , or do as well, in their separate capacities. role of interdependence. that we can do together
better than either of us could do alone. the amount is increasing.
The pursuit ofhappiness is not ossible without)iberty.
Ho Chi Minh wrote:
'
. each ought to be.. able to make the full use of their talents.
Remember the Henry Ford riff- idealists are those who want to make others prosperous. paid a
wage to help them buY. the products they make.
Make sure you have non-zero themes in here from the wright book
when you talk to Neal jameson. if you say: that doesn t jibe
with what tracy: told me.
he has forty years of total immersion
expericne.
1
neal will counsel you that POTUS not say something in
vietnamese/ it ~s tonal and could be dangerou~.
there are
simply phrases like Thank you.
sentimentality ~ people .who can be touched.
first thing that comes to mind is how tricky and senstivie it
is.
there are'many audiences.
I just last week was in NYC at
America museum of national history palnning a-big exhibition on
vN. we were talking about how to do a timeline.
the one thing that strikes me that VN are looking for. they are
proud but embaraased. vveyone knows they are one of poorest
nations in world.
they have a keensense of hierarchy feel they
may have left the side down.
they feel they are backward
compareiedd to us or even thailand.
they are looking for dignity and respect.
don t step on
sensitiveity. give as much dignity as you can ..
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it's the economy stupid, mentality. enterin gnew age, new
century.
in the sense we can work toegether to meet some of the
goals. dlmiinate hunger and reduce poverty. health care,
educaiton for your kids. decent standard of living.
at same
time, globalization is a point of great concern.
in hanoi.
they realize it's an opportunity and cause ofr concern.
footdragging is nervousness that globaliation can overwhelm them
and we are irtsSnsitive to their vulnerability and their
concerns.
thoie dragging are suspcious that this is a form of
more american dominance.
and they'll become wwesternized.
. ~~
American culture is floating in.
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this is a shared concern. they want to modernize zdn build
w~
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economcy but they want to present their historic heritage.
how ~
much political.
some of the party leaders are talking about
their determination to preserve socialism, but nobody knows what
that means.
they're saying it out of some uncertainty.
I
.
VN nationa character. they have a sense of being special.
persistance, endurance. patience. their history is one of
sruggle. one of problems themes is you can go back to 15th
century one famous documents. VN has never lacked heroes.
people are leary of all that.
many if most VN!are tried of heroisma nd tired of politics.
they want peace:and quiet to build a little better life for
themlse.
fix the roof gat a new pair of shoes.
consumerism is turning into a bigger force than the ideologies.
people are very-familiy oriented. they under~tand themselves.
as family oriented.
it's almos so basic it's taken for
granted.
somewould say confucian influence. they are part of that east
asian cultural tradition which tyey share with china japan
korean.
red riverdelta dangerous place to live.
flood drought and
famine. they haq to bukld strong family village ties. weakened
down in Mekong delta that didn't have this floodding.
famine was unknow in south.
in 1945 a couple million died of
famine, mainly ~he result of japanese policies.
japanese on
last legs then forcing people to cut back on food production and
produce what j ap1anese needed for war.
Americans were boming
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supply lines. 'couldn't get resupplied. in living memory
even
in late 1970ds ,people were hnungry but mainly in the North ,
many lost weight.
'
main impact the speech will have is through television coverage.
widespread.
several things to think about. one is theme or
shared ideals. · we have our differences, as you know Ho Chi Minh
quoted declaraiion of independence. in theirs.
NOthing is mor~ precious than freddomand independence.
VN used
ideal gov't of the people, by the people, for the people.
there is a general sense it came from the United States.
G
otio~
o}\_taking the people as the root/- no matter how easy the
ask without the people it can't be done. no matter how
ifficult, with the people it can be done.
Ho Chi Minh said that - knowing that was a sentiment that was in
the culture. but he built on it.
!
Take the peoplei as the root.
know that.
the basis.
all the vietnamese
some cliches - every speech in VN talki about industrializtion
and modernization. that has wide support. take it to mean.
mos people take. it to mean catching up with the rest of the
world.
VN feels it's behind its neighbors.
yoru gifts, there is
POTUS could say given
ind your neighbors.
experts agree
's greatest resouces is its people.
perc apt i a basis :'=a:-=l~l;-o~w,;.;~o~r:=~n...;c~r;;e.;a..;s;.;l~n~g~~c~o~n:::-s~u.;m~p~t~l;:.;:o::n:-=-;f~o:::-:o:d~--:n: :o: great
advantage for Vietnam.
they won't get rich on natural
resources. but;the people are incrediblyt indyustrious
enterprising.
difference bewtween VN in US and VN in VN.
in US, not in VN -
they are successful
"we have seen iiJ. US the work of VN what they have contributed we
know what VN are capable.
praise and exhort by saying: no
difference beteween here and
exhortation is less effective fthan•i.:f'eassurance.
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they
that
that
that
they
are changing. they want to change.
but they're afraid
change will overwhelm them.
BTA with US. majority want
including :in party centural committeee. they are afriad
if they jump in they won't be effective en·ough to compete.
will pay sost wihtout getting benefits.
legitimate feat.
they have to do it.
If they can't produce
qulaity of goods at a competitive prices to capture some share
of the American market.
you want ot osignal some awareness of tehir concerna nd some
sympathy and sO,me indicaiton we are not big bully and blind
force- that runi over everything.
we can prosper together.
thing.
not us vs. vn.
far from a sure
as we trad~ it ~s not a quesiton of which side is going to win.
it's a fact that both. we hav~ a stake in yoru success. we have
a faith in your aibli
of the community
while
remain prodlu and distinctly
Hanoi National Univ.
french created univ. this grew out of it.
it was reorganized in 54.
it has been the main school. biggest
and most prestigious. education and higher ed. in VN is big
controversty. my view is that for all the downside the
achievement fo revlluation is providing access to basic educ and
primary health care for NOrth.
I
I
they are not ready for 21st cneutyt. they know it.
avg age of
sciestinst in VN is like 60 years ago.
largely happened because
whenm they tool. over in 60s large numbers wnet o russia soeviety
union easter europe. during war they didn't grow those people.
I
you have competent senioe prople and birgh tyoung people but no
people in the middle. they are interested in building educ yet
they have a crisis because gov'gt with foreign asst and small
economy they cann't fund decent educ system and it no longer
free. they want:help in building cadre of trained scienteist and
teachers.
they.all want to come to US and study.
they see
ameircan as a symbol of modernit¥.
cell phones are widespread,
TV's VCRs.
the motorcycle. peo~ie really sacrifice to buy a
motorcycle.
Students are coAcerned about getting a job. it's one of the
other factors.
its' a tremendous financial sacarifice for
familiies to send a kid to college.
if you sac. and can't get a
·-· .
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job you're in trouble.
widespread.
------------
unemployment and underemployment is
students/young 'people - a lot of people are just fed up with
politics.
they want a change, but they don't want revolutiori.
they want stab~lity and peace and economic grwoth.
this si the
rpessure for reform.
that includes people on both sides.
a
lot of guys on :party central committee who espouse communism,
thney're just as eager to get their kids ot US to study banking
as anyone else.
no soimple answer. you can be reassuring. we're not a threat.
we want a peaceful and prosperoty VN. we want the same things,
·we recognize their legimiate aspirations.
we might et away from
praise and encouragement and continuing progress.
more
democratic under rule of law.
movements toward democracy at
grassroots level.
talk of prosperous but equitable society.
economic grwoth. has been accompanied by socioeconomic
differentiation., trikcy to take_ on.
possible reference to US jpapen us germany as illustration of
.
I
how you go forward and prosper.
TRICKY.
MIAs we have madea
big deal of now..
VN' s have fully cooperated for a long time.
We have a coupl~ thoguhts, and there are hundreds of thousands
of those whose bodies were never recovered.
this is more implrtant to VN in terms of VN culturel than it
would be to americans in terms of america. culture. Agent
Orange. we haven't provided that much assistance.
be sensitive to·the skeptics.
reassurance
we can prosper,together
we know your concerns.
we will not bury you.
I think that's the main theing they will listen for.
'
emp4asize what is shared, emphasize the bright side. the
importance of the peole what an admirable people they are.
intelligence, diligentce, pataince persistance.
famliy
orientation. local communities, strength of vn culture over
millennia.
fac~ that it has survived, they take pride with some
�justigiation for the humane dimension for the humanity. of VN
culture.
the value of the humn being.
tolerance.
religion is resurging in VN, makes leaders alittle nervous.
there is a senstivie subject, a lot of differnet things going on
under rubric of. trelgion.
most streets i~ every city in VN are named for people who died
firhging foreign aggresiosn most of them chinese.
the Chung
sistners. the generals who drove out the chinese in late 13th
century.
has to be the major streets named for.
little ricky
in two dimentiqns, they build their support fo)he war on
thesem of heroic resistnace to forgein agreesion.
many people
fed up with heroism and that theme.
tA.f
&~
J.d- rw/-
Juw~-
POETS
'
there are some :but you've got to go back,
literature begame so
politicized it': s tricky to grabe someof that.
some leading
potest before the war, many sided with hanoi and renounced their
earlier work.
we're fighitn for
I
4,000 year history reaches back to myth.
they have traced some
continuity that goes back before the Christian era.
I
watched the Thai match. · the city went crazy in a way that
ranscended pol~tics. goes back to need for respect and dignity.
int'l event and VN did well, and people took great pride and
achievement.
I
They have had problems with soccer since then with scandalrs;
good for POTUS To tlak about trememdous elation shows that
people feel we:should be doing betetr.
something wrong with
world where we~are down at bottom of heap.
one of major impetus for change.
when VN opened up, they flew
to bangkok and·felt they had been kicked in stomach.
I
we can all see'how each other lives. your children are entitled
to the same opportunities children everywhere have.
if you
want to make a friend for life with a VN don't do anytying for
them but for their children.
opportunity for the children ties into continuity for family.
the idea of a petter life for their children.
Some VN came
to us for their children, but they can stay at home.
CAN'T SAY
THAT.
�> • • • ....:
Some sense to~ard the end of this understanding an concern of
their situation and their .aspirations the sense that they are
moving.
he wants to say to the peole he believes in them
respects, them;and he wishes them success.
I
closer for spe~ch, wish you helath and success.
one of Ho's famous lines:
solidarity.
solidarity, solidarity, great
POTUS - success, success, great success.
I
wish them good: health and success.
you could paraphrase that line.
could resonate with the
rhythm of it. · they would all pick it up in a university hall
and raising the sense of shared prospertiy we have no reason not
to wish them w~ll. speaks to
you cannot. win by making someone else lose.
Big giant - Chfna - couple hour drive from Hanoi.
fearful of dumping from China.
they're
"I wish you good health and success - success~ success, great
success."
chuc (wish) cacban suckhoe va phanh cong
phanh cong phanh cong Dai phanh cong
CAn you get a human interest story about veterans coming to viet
name and vietnamese coming ot the US. peace made their first.
If those who fought the war and endured the battles can make
peace, then the governments can follow.
find some basis for citing buddhism or some reference to the
other religiou~ traditions that vn most identifies with - can
you fetch some :lines from confucius?
main thing is positive.
beating up on human rights will not
resonate with the crowd.
recognize and praise the good things
and they are well awrae of the others.
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�main thing is ~eed for respect and dignity and this concern
about jumping into this big pond.
knowledge of marketing is
growing but it ''s weak.
going from minors to majors.
went to VN in 63 in USAID mission.
l
!
their theme we need to change, we need to change. people citing
exmmples from US and Europe.
it will take many years to really
changes.
in the long run, there is tremendous generational difference.
the population pyramid is fat at the bottom.
Gen Secy is considered the most powerful , president is
ceremonial head· of state. presidency ismore ceremonial and
leader of gov't:in const. states party is leading force in
society. party celss are beomcing like a rotary club.
I
understanding vietnam.
intro to traditional vn culture. gets
into 30s and 40~.
conflict between
Rboerot Templer.- Shadows ~n the Wind.
3 years living in Hanoi.
Murry HEBERT wr~te up some stories from the early I I
my sense is there had been given where they started<
been significant>
the~e
Tracy Thiele
Tom,
I spoke this morning with Neil Jamieson. He will be happy to speak with
/(
· He is a significant
you. Call him at home in Virginia at
voice in all issues related to Vietnam. ou can asR him anything.
I haven't been able to talk to David Christian directly, but I've left him
messages so he knows who you are and why you are calling. He works in the
office of Senator John Kerry. David is a Vietnam Veteran who has written a
few books on his experiences in Vietnam and other parts of the world. He is
involved in an exchange of nati
r teams between the U.S. and
China. You can contact him at
He will be in today between·
1:30-2:00 pm.
i.
I can't reach Robert Olen Butler, the author pf Good Scent From a Strange
has
�~----------~------------------
Mountain. His home phone will not accept incoming calls and he has no voice
mail on his office ph¢ne. If you want to try to reach him (I've tried
repeatedly) you can dial337-475-5194. There are no guarantees anyone will
ever answer.
'
I'm still waiting to hear from Joe Duemer, the Fulbright scholar/American
poet currently worki~g in Vietnam. If you want to try to reach him via
e-mail he is at jduemer@yahoo.com The Fulbright Office in Hanoi hasn't
heard from him in a while, so he may not be checking his e-mail regularly.
In any event, I dropped him a note to let him know you might touch base with
him on questions of poetry.
Good l1:1ck.
Tracy
Tracy Thiele
EAP/PD Desk Officer PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan
1-202-64 7-7292 (phone) 1-202-64 7-7033 (fax)
thieletk@state.gov '
Tom,
You may find this information useful. It is from Mr. Quynh, the Cultural
Assistant (a· font of iriformation) at the US Embassy in Hanoi. I didn't tell
hiim specifically why :1 was asking questions since "the grapevine" in
Vietnam is too strong. Anyway, he has provided some excellent material.
His responses to numbered questions come first. The actual questions are in
my original e-mail below to him.
Of course, as Neil Ja'mieson will point out to you, it is important to
understand how quotes (like the one from Ho Chi Minh below) would be
perceived as coming from a U.S. President. He can explain this to you in
detail.
Separate e-mail to follow with contact info. If you want me to put any
other questions to him, please let me know.
Thanks.
Tracy
Tracy Thiele
EAP/PD Desk Officer PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan
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> -----Original Mess~ge----> From:
Quynh, Ngo Dinh
>Sent:
Wednesday, October 25, 2000 3:13AM
>To: Thiele, Tracy'K.
> Cc: Monk, David B(Hanoi); Martin, Joanne M(EAP/PD)
> Subject:
RE: your BIG assignment
>
> Dear Tracy,
>We were all sad to have heard that you were not coming for the POTUS
·>visit. But I'm sure:you'll be helpful on that end, too. Now, down to
>your numbered questions:
>
> 1) During the critical resistance war against the French (that ended with
> the glorious Dien $ien Phu victory of Vietnam in 1954 ), Bac Ho (Ho Chi
> Minh) and his government (then based in the mountainous north called Viet .
> Bac which was also where battles were the fiercest) was making every
> effort possible to mobilize the national strength to fight the French. At
> one of his visits to. one of the groups of Thanh nien xung phong (Voluntary
>Youth, majority being young women and girls) who were building roads to
> serve the Frontier:Campaign· (Chien dich bien gioi) in Viec Bac in August,
> 1950, after all the 'prosaic encouragement, he concluded with the following
> poetic verse (claimed to be impromptu):
>
> Khong co viec gi kho (kho"ng co' vie".c gi' kho')
>Chi so long khong ben (chi? so+. lo'ng kho"ng be"'n)
> Dao nui va lap bien (d-a'o nu'i va' la"'p bie"?n)
> Quyet chi at lam nen (quye"'t chi' a('t la'm ne"n)
>
> English translatio~:
>
> No task is difficult,:
> if we have due commitment and determination.
>With a strong will;
> we will be able to ~ove mountains and fill up seas.
>·
> If it's hard for someone to say this in Vietnamese to impress the
> VIetnamese, just the first two lines is absolutely enough. It's as well
> known and as famous as your "When in Rome" idiom, not needing to say in
> toto. This verse by our great Uncle Ho does resonate strongly in every
>Vietnamese's heart when it's said or heard.
>
> 2) This is the English translation of our national anthem:
.
I
.
I
'
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>Verse 1:
>
Soldiers of Vietnam, we go forward,
>
With the one. will to save our Fatherland
>
Our hurried step are sounding on the long and arduous road
>Our flag, red iwith the blood of victory, bear the spirit of our
>country
!
>
The distant r~mbling of the guns mingles with our marching song.
>
The path to glory passes over the bodies of our foes.
>
Overcoming all hardships, together we build our resistance bases.
>
Ceaselessly for the people's cause we struggle,
>
Hastening to~the battlefield!
-Forward! All together advancing!
>
·>
Our Vietnam ;is strong eternal.
>
>Verse 2:
>
Soldiers of Vietnam, we go forward,
>
The gold star of our flag in the wind
>
Leading our people, our native land, out of misery and suffering
>
Let us join ou'r efforts in the fight for the building of a new
>life.
>
Let us stand up and break our chains.
>
For too long t)ave we swallowed our hatred
.
>
Let us keep r13ady for all sacrifices and our life will be radiant.
>
Ceaselessly for the people's cause we struggle,
>
Hastening to the battlefield!
>
Forward! All together advancing!
>
Our Vietnam is strong eternal.
>
> If you want to have the Vietnamese version, open this attachment. It's in
> graphic form, not text, so don't worry about the font.
>
> <<quocca.gif>>
> 3) This is harder for me, although I've consulted with all my colleagues
>here. We also have the same negative element in the word pride. I'm not
>sure if I understand you correctly, but here's my take:
>
> If someone faces a praise for sth he's done, he'll modestly say:
>
> Anh/chi/ong/ba/chu/bac/co/di/thim/mo qua khen. (You've overpraised me->singular you)
> Moi nguoi qua khen (You've over praised me-- plural you, friendly)
> Quy vi qua khen (You've over praised me-- plural you, formal)
>
> If he gets a praise for sth he's planning to do, then he'll probably add
> this to one of the above, according to each context:
�>
> , da co gi dau. (d-a- co' gi' d-aAu)
>
>Examples:
>
> Anh qua khen, da;co gi dau.
> Quy vi qua khen, da co gi dau.
>
> Hope this satisfies you. If you have any further questions, please feel ·
> happy to write to me.
> Best regards,
> Quynh
>
· > -----Original Mes~age----> From:
Thiele, Tracy K.
> Sent:
Wednesday, October 25, 2000 3:36 AM
>To: Quynh, Ngo binh
> Cc: Monk, David ,B(Hanoi); Martin, Joanne M(EAP/PD)
> Subject:
your BIG assignment
>
>Mr. Quynh,
>
> 1) Can you give me one or two or three EXTREMELY famous phrases (line of
>poetry or line of a:song or an idiom) in Vietnamese which every Vietnamese
> knows and loves ,- something that resonates in the heart of each and every
>Vietnamese person. For example, at the end of a lot of domestic speeches
>American politicians will say "God bless America." This touches the heart
> of Americans evef"Ywhere. If you can think of a couple phrases, give me
>the background (emotional, political, mythological, etc) of the phrase.
> I'm particularly interested in a phrase which might evoke the idea "with
> hard, constant, and joyful work you can succeed at even the most difficult
>task." If you don't have one like that, I'll take whatever you have.
>
> 2) Are there words to the Vietnamese National Anthem? If yes, can you
>send me a translation? Mrs. Sinh might have one (or maybe Lan Huang) from
>all our work on July 4th.
>
> 3) In English when people are boasting to each other about what they plan
>to do, someone ir)evitably will say "You ain't seen nothing yet." For
>example "Well, if you thought I did a good job on that, you ain't seen
> nothing yet." I'm sure you know this phrase and what it means. Is there
> any equivalent phrase in Vietnamese that implies success and a good sense
> of pride of accomplishment? I know pride is one of the seven deadly sins
> and (in Chinese, at least) it never translates in a positive way. So I
> need a phrase that is the equivalent of "you ain't seen nothing yet" minus
> the bad pride element.
�>
.
'
> I know you have a million other things to do, but I was hoping that maybe
> over a lunch hour with Dr. Thao, Lan Huang and Mr. Thuc you might be able
> to.come up with answers to the above requests. Although I know you would
>.do this as a favor to me, you can rest assured that there is a good
>work-related reason I'm asking.
>
> Let me know if you can help.
>
>Thanks a million.
>
>Tracy
>"
> Tracy Thiele
> EAP/PD Desk Officer PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan
> 1-202-647-7292 (phone) 1-202-647-7033 (fax)
> thieletk@state.gov
>
Monk email
Tom,
Just read your message. (I'm digging out from under a huge pile of new
e-mail after a couple of days with my under secretary of state in tow.)
Please do send me what you can to get me thinking in the right direction.
Your 8 am/my 7 pm is a better time to talk than the reverse. My phone
numbers:
Office (direct): 84-4-831-4602
Mobile: 84-9-042-4997
Home:
(I'm rarely home that early, usually in the office)
"
Please note that I'm pretty new at this post (3 months) and don't consider
myself an expert on Vietnam. I had area studies while taking language
classes at FSIIike everyone else. Can probably consult a range of people
to supplement my own knowledge. If you want to talk to a real expert on
Vietnam's history and culture, you might try the deputy chief of mission,
Dennis Harter, whose experience here goes back a long time (and who has been
here over three years this time), and who has studied this place in some
depth.
Regards,
David
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> ----- 0 ng1na IM essage----> From:
Thomas_M._Rosshirt@nsc.eop.gov
[SMTP:Thomas_M._:_Rosshirt@nsc.eop.gov]
>Sent:
Tuesday, October 24, 2000 2:25AM
>To: monkdb@sta,te.gov; hicksg@state.gov
POTUS speeches in Vietnam
> Subject:
I
>
>
>
>David:
>
> I'm an NSC speechwriter, and have begun research for the President's
> speeches in
·>Vietnam. Greg Hicks suggested you would be a good source for background,
> particularly with cultural and historical references, etc. I would like
>to
>set up a time to talk, but even before that, perhaps I could email you a
>set of
>questions so you could see the kind of information I would find helpful,
>and
> consider suggestiqns of your own.
>
> My phone is 202 456 9373 -- or you can reply to this email. (If you do,
>could
> you leave me a few phone numbers -- thanks.)
>
> (What time of day would be good for a phone call -- closer to 8 am my
>time/? pm
·
> your time .... or 9 pm my time/8 am your time?)
>
>Tom
>
Soccer - in 2001, some divisional soccer team is going to
vietnam.
David: Christian is putting it together from sen. john
kerry's office.·
They signed an MOU.
goal is to get vietnamese
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Soccer is a natJ..onal mindset.
they play soccer.
The world stops over there whne
one main point 9ver there, that PP makes over again:
(with
expansion of ernpassy, this gets lost): what our mission is over
there,
recovery of MIA remains.
�in terms of reconciliation, this is a good image in the american
mind. vietnamese see recovery as an economic goldmine, they get
paid a lot of money to participate.
remember there is a Dod
audience that knows that.
small percentage.
message is very important.
Vietnamese come up against that
message in the newspapers.
Well you only had 58,000 die and
5,000 missing. we lost a million and 300,000 missing.
What
are you doing to help us?
in that last two years, we have
begun to share archival informatuion. VN visited archives in
the statesm. VSSOP.
office.
We gave htem enormous daia to
help their seraches.
there have been successes on both sides.
·get specifics from DoD.
Message on MIA is stronger here in US.
Agent Orange is a huge
propaganda job from VN.
Now anyone on the street in vietnam
can converse in agent orange. they think every birth defect is
dutto AO.
We stay away from that issue, excpet for saying we will do joint
scientific research.
Offer on the table to pay for VN
scientists to come to joint research. To lay rest to the
question of whether AO is now causing damage.
there is no
definitive study every done that shows residual damage.
Then POTUS decided to cover prostate cancer, etc. to make them
covered under VA, it wans't sicence-related.
On our side, we're say9ing, you can't drawn these conclusions
with out the science.
Nobody has done the research.
Amb. position: what does it really matter anyway? let's take
care of people.
In VN health care budget provides 3 dollars per
person per yeear, most of it used in trauma-related accidents in
hostppical.
major cause of death in VN under 55 is drowning.
is enormous over there.
Safety issue
No reason ever to mention it.
Be aware of it.
If you come up
against it - env. issues.
AO is part of env. discussion.
child health care, too.
AS AMB says: VN is young 85 percent is under 40.
it's a
population that is eager, it wants education.
It's youthful.
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�They have recollection of the war.
they don't even think about
it. there is no focus about it.
VN is a country not a war.
Amb always says: first time in 4,000 they have not been at war.
look at prosperity of VN in US.
that's what they do under
freedom.
compare to VN.
It's gov't policies that make a
difference.
Tracy says this might or might not work.
Reform issue.
In VN, the National Assembly is not a rubber
stamp anymore.
they've been know to call ministers onto· the
carpet and ream them for bad mgt and corruption.
·Checks and balances. whatever makes America more transparent.
The issue of non-corruption of transparency, fair playing field.
Issue of freedom is far too sweeping.
They are free in their
own minds for the first time in 4,000 years.
The VN are angry
about those issues.
They are the ones who pass laws.
they
have passed some stuff that has tried to remedy situations.
reform issues:
the rule of law, transparency.
dissidents are looking for political rights we call human
rigths.
freedom of movement, speech, press.
those are not
things that will resonate with VN audience because theey don't
hera about hese people. won't know what we're talkoing about.
National Assembly.
resonate with them.
committed work of elected. that would
local communities are very strong.
if they're angry with an
elected officials, they take acction. riot, pull people out of
their houses.
Pople there do very clearly express what they
want from the government.
The people have a tie to this body
of elected delegates.
You might somehow compare the work of congress and the
presidency here and that kind of reform there.
to fight
corruption,.
and that economic propserity, brings transparecy.
brings a desire to make sure political rights exist and freedom;
National myths, songs, heroes.
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�Lake of the returned sword.
that lake is where the national
hero: Le Loy went there and this turtle gave him a sword and he
unified Vietnam by driving the Chinese out of Vietnam.
National anthem - tracy will look for lyrics.
When VN won the war, they moved on. we got stuck in it, because
we lost. There is not question in my mind, there are issues,
but the VN doin't talk about the war.
people who served during
that war, which are few.
You can still feel residual stuff
there, but young people are over it.
by pepple america is perceived- it's a favorable impression.
When people on one on one they have nothing but good will. But
if you were to say, what do they say behind closed doors. this
agent orange has been so heavily put down in their propagandy
machine, they feel we owe them something.
it colors their
thinking about us.
they look to us a~~ model. people want to
go to US and see it.
VN come back to vietnam.
When we sent them out on programs,
they are so connected to their country.
Chinese all bolt.
People who come over now as students.
theyare so home~bound.
one of the big issues, how can we issue multiple entry visas.
they get so ho,mesick_.
Some one on.ce said:
there is a main
differente between VN and chinese,
chinese want respect, but VN
want respect and affection.
there are a very feeling peope. you can read the VN in a way
you can't read the chinese. very kind and affectionate in an
endearing way.
if you pump emotion into your message, they
won't just hear it they will feel it. because they won't look at
you with cynicism. the people aren't.
so if you emote that you
like them, that you're proud of them what a great job you've
done.
They've integrated in america into volunteer
organizations, they've committed resources to help people that
are worse off.
Hit on the issue of families.
these people are so famliy
oriented. when you do MIA stuff. go into the family -stuff.
American people families appreciate this.
VN people have opened their land and their hearts and their
minds to let this go forward.
(don't say gov't say people).
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�There was this plaque on embassy in saigon. noone took it, it
had the names of five marines who gave their lives protecting
the embassy.
it ended up in a musuem. we went to the ministr
oof culutre.
I gave them the logical reasons. but the real
reasons is the families of thesoldiers. and I was in a room
with tow people who were in tears.
gov't officials.
common humanity.
neil jameson - he works in washington and his winrock
international. Tracy will find the number.
he wrote a book
"under4standing vietnam.'
the language of vietname is poetry.
He could tell you an answer.
there is also a guy in VN, Joseph
deemer, he is a minor american poet.
he knows a lot of poets
over there.
Because he is a poet himself.
there is another guy, very
famous. good sent from a strange mountain short stories, very
famous author just won pulitzer prize.
just sent ihim to VN.
If you read that book. he wrote in the voices of VN immigrants
to american.
it is one of the most fabulous books I have ever
read.
I have heard he speaks vn fluently.
Robert Olen Butler.
she will get his contact information.
Short story form;
how they have integrated how they related to
americans. their dreams, the loss of their history and their
land. very small book.
talking to him might give you a really
He served there in the war.
If you read the book you
wouldn't believe someone not VN could have written it. Those
are refugess expereicne.
Neil Jameson spent six months a year in VN working on env.
projects. he knows VN literature and transition of language
from Sino characters into a language that allows literacy.
Joseph Deemer is Fulbright scholar.
is a minor american poet
translates Vietnamese poetry.
it is the lagnuage of depth and
feeling.
It's in the poetry and the folk songs where you're
going to find the line you're looking for.
In asia
come to
line.
I don't
cities.
a lot of long lasting messages.
In time everything will
you. patience, patience patience.
that is a common
if you frame it, it's in your reach in this generation.
know if that's what matters.
for them the people in the
they yhav~ so much more than they ever dreamed possible.
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�they're living in a dream world already.
So they already have
stability they've never had, freedom and prosperity. pushing
them faster.
it's almost.
the rason youngpeople are so
apolitical is that they don't see the gov't as useful, it
doesn't mean anything to them- aslong as they don't mess up
what they're doing.
It's not unknown to have people say:
there only need to be a
few more state funerals, and we can take over. generational
change is on everyone's mind.
The person who is significant is the PM.
average age of the
standtng committee of the politburo, only 15 percent fo
population is above forty.
one thign you aveh seen, there is
an orderly passing of offices, and people levaing pweor and new
people coming in.
youth of vietnam.
the leadership of this country is going to
pass to you.
fair to say: pay attention to government.
these
kids are so apolitical.
They feel they cant' do anyhting about
it.
They have more than they have ever had before.
What's
really improtant is what their parents have· passed on to them.
sacrifice. a lot of people in jQs grew up dirt poor. as long as
the gov't doesn't come out and take away assets, they don't care
about it. but the gov't has some lousy policies.
the police
are incredibly corrupt the whole gov't is corrupt.
They get angry at corruption. Corruption is a huge rpobe.m
agners people that you have to pay off people for everytyhing.
push faster message -_in econoimc terms, it's terms of getting
gricheer etc. that's what they want.
if it's reform. you have to redirecty their vision.
teatesthe value of reform.
you ain't
~een
i.e. you've
nothing yet.
VN would nod their heads to opoprtnties for education.
they
have clothes and motorcycles, televisiouns, internet cafes
comptuers. they have things. you can mention them, but they
can't education all the people who want education. there is a
growth industry in night schools.
thef rench spend 15 million
a year teaching classes around the country trying to get peoepl
to study french, but english is a growth industry.
family is big,
�under that is the issue of education. how can your children
even do betetr, build schools.
in rural areas.
they have the
abiliyt already they have private univ that have sprung up, in
response to great need and desire.
the cities are rich, they peple who are making change or in a
proisiton to make change are not peasants. they are people in
thecities.
there is agroup - women in VN are increditly strong. these
women are kick butt women.
·public affairs officer- we did a lot of program.
put together
conferences in VN etc.
if you went to univ they couldn't
deliver. but anytime you went to owmen's union, you could get
deliverty, you could get it within days.
there are some really
well-placed women in the national assembly.
these women call
the cministers on the carpet.
they're amazing.
if you nod to
women, they deserve it.
if you go ot VN and see who is doing
thework, ditch digging, laying roads, etc.
it's all women.
Lot of beer hals in hanoi and ho chi mink city.
movie:
scent
of green papaya. won at Cannes in 1993. look at VN men.
family - local community. homesick, come home more often.
zeal for education. gov't doesn't have money to provide gov't·
run schools. they can only education in national system some 2
percent of those who qualify to go.
So all these priate
universities have sprung up.
VN want to do community colleges.
there was a study done it
ended up that they tried to institue a community colelge
situation turned into 4 year college because they demdand was so
great.
unemployment is high - reason is big - they don't have ability
to create enugt jobs to absorb those coming inot the job
jmarket.
always said one million ocming into workforce
everyo years, small fraction of those jobs available.
Amb
If you can't absorg people, you're going to have unrest.
communists are reformed because they have to:
"you can reform now, or you can refomr later.u
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�Communist party is a wide range of opiinions.
reformers are not
dominant right now.
they were for a while.
they lost power,
some were voted out. Ongoing internal battle.
\
You can talk about the value of honest dialogue in open forums.
a.nod to the national assembly.
because that's what that is.
people know from readin ghte newspaper what the difficulties are
in the country. ,
one day alan larsen says something that is against current
policy, in America, either he's not p~ying attention or
somehting big has happened. When these guys ready the
newspaper, when the message disappears or is altered, you know
something happened.
imagine your whole life you read the newspaper with an eye to
changing message. you become aware of the struggle.
Transparency, open, public discussion of issues that affect
d~ily lives - back to the generational thing.
what they're
going to if they want to achieve something they're going to have
to take some of the responsibility to get in the fight.
I'm talking about people udner 25; they are apolitical.
they
are in cities.
they've got two motorcyles, waraing gold chains,
going to soccer mathes.
the rioters are in rural. yearly
income measured in wheat or rice. official sare talking so mcuh
of their food; that' sthe rioting I'm talking about.
Look at the BTA; it's a huge risk for VN.
you have an agreement
ot open markets. you have got the legal baiss, the
transparency, no corporate sturcture, the law an dthe basis is
not there.
Study law.
learn the laws of your country. VN has taken a huge
risk - how do we dleiver on this. VN method of operation has
been sign the paper and ask questions later.
BTA binds us togethe.r we're bound together by history. good
faith on both sides binds us together in prospeprity stability.
in order to meet that is a challegne.
the promise of the BTA
requires the young people to live up to the risk invovled.
If
you want to achieve.
maybe they could encourage tehir children into unusual
professions. what doi you need to support prosperpity
�stability, economic reofrm.
lawyers, elgislators, accountant.
you need all the building blocks that don't go hustle on the
street, sell nails on the street.
lawyers - peoepl thinK: oh money!.
it's not a profeission that
is so developed.
accountants are important.
take a risk. send
your child to a foreign country to study.
and bend and mold and
shape.
"There is no way you should be behind your neighbors!"
VN conservatives felt happy during the aisaan economic crisie
becau9e they didn't get hurt too much.
If you push
·integration, they might feel they did better by not being
connected.
The government will be concerned about doing not as well as
neighbors, they have low-wage labor.
they don't have trained
labor.
investors don't want to go into.veitname because of lack
of transparency.
To the young people: you will have an increasing role to play
1n the future of Vietnam.
that much I am confident of.
You
The people went nuts for soccer:
"the only time I felt proud to be vietnamese was when vn beat
thailand at the soccer game last year.
Agent Orange as an issue.
Issues:
heroin - drugs, and drug-trafficking, AIDS.
Confucian values
.:
or "confucian-bound social fabric .
·,
�why should we be looking to the future.
well there's more to
look at - VN has 85% of the people under 40.
They have more
future than past.
65% of the nation is under age 26.
for the first time in 4,000 years of history. they have a chance
for peace and prosperity.
If you pursue prosperity, -- forget about ideology, forget about
- just take the steps that put for faith in people, give them
more opportunities, more choices, more power - and see if peacea
nd prosperity don't come out on top.
The challenge of history is to learn from history.
to explore,
·experiment, to make good guesses based on the past experience of
others, and not to repeat mistakes.
property - it makes people wary, it makes them pay attention.
If they have properity, they have something to lose, if they
have something to lose, they want a say.
Pete: assets get you involved in government.
assets you have; it's the assets you want.
if it's not the
maybe a riff on how vietnamese are poised to prosper. hardworking, value education, -- note the prosperity of vietnamese
in the US.
you ignore ideology; we'll ignore ideology, we'll both
experiement with what creates prosperity and empowers people and
makes people happy, leaving them free to pursue happiness, and
we'll end up in the same pleace. at peace and prosperous.
one message:
don't fear the free market.
Note/Theme:
the vietnamese and americans who work together to
find dead on both sides.
vn advantages:
human resources, struggle for education,
natural resources, coal. export of petroleum. gold precious
gems. terrific agr. base.
second largest exporter of rice in
the world.
another- position.
1,000 to 1,500 ships travel
·the coast of vn~everyday.
No tow nations have ever done what we're doing now to discover
the losses suffered in war.
�get a copy of the film/video PP talks about in his speech to the
Asia society.
should make an attempt in this speech to talk about the things
that are surpris-ing about VN.
consider that the american people
through the US media are a major audience in this speech, and
they are to be given a sense _that things are moving forward, inpart because of our engagement, and continued engagement will
help further.
This is a chance to reintroduce VN to America.
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The New Viet
VN signs and implements the provisions, VN would very
quickly become ont oe fhte most prosperous nations in Aisa.
We need VN to be prosperous, because without prosperity, the
region could. become destabilized again.
PP:
'A prosperous VN integrated into world markets and regional
organizations wil contribute to r~gi6nal stability,
For tehse
reasions the US seeks to encourage and support the VN leadership
as it makes cruical decisions on economic reform.
Note that after tremendouse economic run in from 1990- to 1997,
economic reform stalled, then Asian financial crisis hit.
In 97 98 many business grew weary of non transparency and scaled
back.
economic crises in Asia may have given VN fear that the crisis
was brought on by too much reform, rather than not enough.
Clinton point: you have options, you have choices, you have a
future that could be terrific or disappointing,.
that's why you
care.
In a nation with no options or opportunities, people
don't care what the govbernment does.
In a nation of promise,
people watch the government, they want to participate, they have
a stake.
bilateral issues with VN:
POW/MIA
emigation
human rights
relgious freedom
economic reform
�trade - opening markets for US business.
political reform
promoting regional stability
make sure you get a separate sense of VN strengths and
weaknesses, risks and opportunities.
PP june 99:
concerned about human riht. VN contineu to deny or curtail
basic freedoms to its citizens.
the govb't maintian a n
autocratic one-party state that tolerate no organie opposition.
A numbe rof peopl remain in jail or under hous arrest fo rthe
·peaceful expression of their politica or reoigiohviews.
and the
vdoutnry labor practices fall short of international standards.
But we have seen some improvement which we bleiev can be
attributed to deepending US engagement with VN.
restrictions onreligion institution themselves remain in palce,
including on clrerical apointemetn seminary activiyt and
transfers of clergy
june 99:
in fact, prominnet dissident Nguyen Dan Que, in a
jjne 13 communique, announced his support for a BTA based on his
belief that the agreemetn would be a force for change in VN.
thematic from PP June 99:
a prosperous VN intebgrate into
world marekt and regional orgs (ASEAN APEC) wil lcontirbut to
regional stability.
the US seeks to encoruage VN along the path
of refomr sot ath as it enter the 21st century ti will become
areligatl and peaceful regional and interinationa lplayer.
the
best wea to afchie this is to work with other antions to increat
trade the rfree flow of info and know how and people to people
exchanges tiwht VN>
from NYT Almanac:
"In oct 95, VN's nationa lassembly adopte its first -ever
nationa civil coed under the communist gover't the document
which tool ten years to draft, spelled out rights to land,
peronal properpity, ineritances, and raising capital.
Clos~ to
90 percent of the Assembly members voited in favor of the cos,
which wen into effect in Julyu 1996.
�engagement, most effective tool we have to encoruage
change in vietnam.
pro~ess
of
PP says in 99 speech that principate deputy PM recently
addmitted the at the country awas facing frim econoimc prospects
and that the faulture ot move forward with economic refomr was
part of the cause.
a section where you review the recent changes in Vietnam since
withdrawing from Cambodia.
Then perhaps at look at the
trajectory: where is this all headed?
we dop't think vietnamese should have to come to America to be
rich.
What is the difference between vietnamese in the US, and
here.
(can you compare their wealth in statistices)
The
difference is economic and political freedom.
trace a little bit the history of democracy, human rights~
religious freedom.
cherished in American, not made in America.
not a western value, but a universal right.
where there is peace and prosperity, there is democracy and free
market economies.
A scientist would infer .causation.
correlation, causation.
We spend 10 million for recovery and 3 million on the living - a
reporter asks:
is that the right proportion?
Thoughts:
behind us,
refight old
while there
to move to the future, we need to put the past
To put aside the instinct to settle old scores,
wars.
We're not going to put the past behind
are still US servicemen whose remains are here.
POW/MIA efforts are essential to moving ahead and looking to the
future. because we ~an't truly embrace the future until we come
to terms with the past.
This is how we do it, for the families
of the servicemen missing, for those who fought here, for those
who have fought anywhere, for those who have ever worn the
uniform of their country, and for every American who honors
their sacrifice.
honors the choice they made with their lives.
that's what we have to deal. with before we move forward, and
that is - in the midst of our progress in normaliziing relations
why POW/MIA has been the paramount interest.
Because we can't
move forward in any other area, unless we move forward in this
one.
We will not be a nation that forgets ·its fallen sons and
daughters.
(look at Memorial Day language, 2000)
�the tragedy of the past should not keep us 1n the past, but
propel even fast~r forward toward a future unlike the past.
can we talk about eh econmoic success of americans of vietnamese
descent, and make a note: when you combine the diligence and
free market economic prosperity results.
Find out what kind of traditions and customs Americans of
vietnamese ancestry keep alive in the US.
are there groups of Vietnamese-Americans we will be meeting with
before the trip.
Note perhaps that they have done so much to help us with the
fullest possible accounting because they, too, mnow the grief
and anguish of not knowing.
We will never be able to fully forget the past, nor should, for
its lessons, but also for loyalty to those who lost many other
options in life to come in, and last that life, too.
note activities of american community in vietnam.
Sources:
Ted Osius (try to get him on trip)
Greg Hicks
Tracy Thiele
Vietnam desk officer, state, 647 4023
former embassy culture and public affairs attache
'
David Monk
Pete Peterson
current embassy culture and public affairs attache
ambassador, get his congressional testimony
note:
wounds take long to heal.
It is only on (certain terms)
that we move forward to mend our relations.
We as a nation are ready to move forward, because some of our
most outstanding citizens and leaders have determineq they
personally are ready to move forward, and they have led this
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�movement toward reconciliation. name them.
who suffered worst are prepared to
Many times those
we will never forget the saciifices they made, the suffering of
their families, the causes and principles that we fought for but those_ same causes America fought for are best pursued today .
by these means. A time for war and a time for peace.
but we refuse that we not pass on,
·TEd osius notes:
go to vietnam: we're in new phase. we have political
normalization. with singing of bilat trade agree~ents, we're
trying to integrate vietnem intot he world economy. we' ;re
gringin this insular country in to the world economy. hooling
them to the internet. giving the private s~ctor more power.
strengthen civil society and the rule of law. most NGOs are
foreign.
there are increasingly aggressive unions.
they're
suuposed to be wings of the party. they're headed by party
officials usu. the leadership is officials of the party.
there
is a women's union.
they are great.
they are dealing with
poverty alleviation.
they address concerns of woemn - how to keep kids in schools.
food on table, etc.
there is a youth union. not just a feeder to communist party
anymore. they have job placement services, sports events.
ballroom dancing. they have a condom cafe.
a cafe where they
had out free condoms and teach about HIV AIDS and how to prevent
transmission. Ted was there in summer of 98.
bright spots in free marka economc and rule of law.
courageous step of singing bilat trade agreement.
singed july
of 2000.
Commits VN to gradually put foreign invested
companines and state owned enterprises on a elvel playing field.
not separate sets of rules but one set.
give~ us market access
we didn't have before.
dropping tarriffs to almost nothing.
this is a step in the eirection of WTO membership.
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�Next step - they have to work out agreements iwht all WTO
members, not just us.
strictly bilat agreement iwht us; each
is consisten with WTO membership.
This agrement is being used
by econ. reformers to force economic reform.
There is a big
fight over this in VN.
big fight. we've been negotiatiing for
four years. most of it was negotiating among the Vietnamese.
They know this is the beginnign of the end of one-party.
Fact
that chinese took this big gamble is the reason VN did it.
Not
an accident that vn did it after CHina. we need to do it for
prosperity, because if we can't keep prosperity we can't keep
power.
·our gamble- economic opening will lead to political opening.
there's economic opening will give them the prospeirty they need
to stay in power.
Ideological - they_acknowledge if they do not go free market,
they will not feed.
they had massive famines in late 70s and
early 80s.
in 86, they started adopting this policy of "Doi
Moin - renovation.
A little bit by reformasi.
not exact
analogy. Doi Moi is strictly economic.
perestroika without glasnost.
their biggest fear is that we have - greatest feat they have is
that we have hidden agenda which is democratizaiton which, of
course, we do.
that is our belief - otherwise we wouldn't be
pushing this.
Gamble on our side in the case of China.
opponenets who are
thinking the most would fear we are strengthening what down the
road would become our enemy.
we're making expensive for them
to misbehave by brining them into instiutitons that insist on
our rules.
vietnam:
priase of nation:
since they .adopted their doi moi policy (86),
they have enjoyed relaly high rates of economic growth (which
have delinced in the last few years), and they have joined
ASEAN, which is huge. ASEAN was set up as a bulwark against
communism. now they are members and have chaired ASEA.
they did huge thigns in 95
normalized relations with US
�normalized reliuaotnwith UN
and joined ASEAN.
JOining ASEAN does not commit them to political changes, but
does commit them to economic changes. ASEAN free trade area is
looming years ahead.
means they have to reduce the support they
provide for their state owned enterprises.
have to get the
private sector up and runnning.
they're terrified of small
businesses, because they cannot control them as they can state
woend enterprise.
they like to have party cells in every
enterrpise. much harder to have that in small business of 25
people.
certain maount of party control is lost ot the extent
that they lat prviate sector. florusih.
they've invited exchange with the rest of the world when they
invite in foreign investors and open up to the internet. they're
doing this as fast as the chinese are.
praise we want to praise the cooperation they have exnteded to
us on POS MIA discovery. I can't think ever any country that
they have given us the access they have given us.
their policy
has been top to bottom in every province.
let them dig, search,
just to find the remains of their fallen.
there are a lot of
nuts who think there is a POW behind every wall. we have had to
run down a lot of false leads and the VN have been incredibly
patient.
We need to acknowledge right at the top their cooperation.
~7
~doesn't
hurt to acknowledge their l
s ory o
education among all else.
in th temple of literature i
a
coupple thousand years old. Hano
+ways-:Been""'t"l'ie cultural
and political capital and educational cpaital. business capital
has been saigon. ·
---
process of getting french out was not complete until 54
in 45 - ho chi mink pushed out japanese.
then french came back
and pushed Ho into the mountains.
north and northwest - two
zones of influence, french in north and brits in south.
truman decided to support degaules in indo china.
45 -54 ho vx.
the french.
by 54 he had top half of the country. then 54-75
that he was fighting to unite the country.
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�Hanoi - at one point way back- Hue was the imperial capital.
emperor lived in Hue.
somehwerein 19th century~
great history book on vietnam.
bring the book.
lots of underlinings. ted will
french missionaries brought romanized alphabet which helped
conditions to raise literacy rate, which you don't have in
countries with lot sof cha~acters.
happened late 19 - early 20
century.
education and literacy are things you can do safely:
tto do fierce nationalism.
don't wan
they have an unbroken history of war right up to fighitn gin
cambodia in the eighties.
pretty chaotic after pol pot left power.
76 - 79 reign of
terror, then no one was ln charge - this was communism at its
basic form.
by the end of Pol Pot, there was nobody left to run
the country.
Chinese fought a border war iwtih VN in 79.
after chinese
pulled back, VN went into Cambodia in 1980.
they wanted to keep
china out.
this was preemptive.
it was a quagmire, they got
stuck there for nine years.
not until 89 were they able to
extrace themselves.
that.
they couldn't join ASEAN while they were invading on eof their
neighbors.
they were getting materiel from china during the war, but also
economic and political support from USSR.
our fear during VN
war was to prvvent drawing china into it. we really didn't want
chinese army to move in.
a lot of our talks with chinese was.to keep them from beomcing
direclty invovled in the conflict.
Kissinger was trying
constantly with his opening to china was trying to neutralize
the VN war as a superpower conrlict.
limit it to triage.
do
traige and help us get out with honor.
VN historial enemy has always been China. yes Ho got support
form MAO, but for 900 VN was a southern province of china.
even
the chinese charactedrs for VN< means provinc einthe south.
�all the great battles in their history. they drove the chinese
out from vietnam.
The Choong sisters, plunged to death,
because death was better than being seized by the cihnese.
warrior heros were those that defeated chinese in various
battle.s
900 year of chinese dominiation of VN ended sometime before
french missionaries coming in in 18th century.
TOAST
ideas:
new chapter, new relatinoship.
end to old animosities.
courage
of vietnam's leaders in integrating intot the world economcy.
providing opportunity for their children to enjoy prosperity.
the face that VN young peope unlike their parents have growtn up
in peace.
just an aside - 60percent of popluation. young
country what's the religion situation in vn.
and what is it under this government/
what is it historically.
Notes on Ted's Book
Stanley Karnow - Vietnam - A history
Highlights of OPL Briefings in Preparation
for the Vietnam Trip
Briefing for the Veterans Community
October 10, 2000
Briefers: Gene Christy (NSC Asia)
Randy Beardsworth (NSC Defense)
Bob Jones (DoD POW/MIA Office) .
Ken Steadman (VA)
Main Questions/Suggestions:
~
It would not go over well if POTUS took a business delegation
and no veterans.
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�../ Will POTUS refer to POW/MIA issue as "most important" or are
1
economic rela tions a higher priority for him?
../ Will issues that have plagued veterans, like Agent Orange, be
raised?
../ POW/MIA issue should be in forefront, but there is a need to
·"get on with it." It is time to put the past behind and go to
Vietnam to do what needs to be done .
../ POTUS should go to south Vietnam to talk about economic
opportunity. Tremendous difference between what he'd see in
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. A visit to Saigon carries a lot of
symbolism .
../ Some veterans are protesting this trip, and it would ease
their concerns if he addressed POW/MIA issue in advance of the
trip and on the trip .
../ POTUS participation in a joint excavation site might evoke
passions - but he is Commander in Chief, so needs to address
this issue .
../ Participation in the repatriation ceremony is critical .
../ Importance of discussing humanitarian issues.
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�Briefing for the Business Community
October 4, 2000
Briefers: Gene Christy
Ambassador Richard Fisher
Main Questions/Suggestions:
~ Need for dialogue with Congress around the trip.
should move forward on Bilateral
its obligations to ensure
fa1't±~~~~~&m~~~rQLC2Tit:ST~-------
~ U.S.-Asian Business Council will organize business mission to
Vietnam and plan to be in Ho Chi Minh City at same time asPOTUS (want to do an event with him.) [Note: U.S.-ASEAN
Business Council has now joined to do a single business
mission.]
~ Will POTUS~ human rights and labor issues? ]
~ Business community would like opportunity to brief CODEL if
there is one.
I:"
�Vietnamese-American Community
October 13, 2000
Briefers: Gene Christy
Joseph Damond (USTR)
Bennett Freeman (State/Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor)
Main Questions/Suggestions:
~ Need for improvements in attitudes of Vietnamese officials
toward the rights of Vietnamese Americans.
~ Vi~tnamese-Americans should be included in official
v'
~=!~g~~i~~~ress i~offieking
of
wo~
children.
--~ The United States should push for the protection of Amerasians
in Vietnam and facilitate their getting American citizenship.
~ When Secretary Cohen was in Vietnam, the Vietnamese pushed for
an;::o~f~f~l~·c~i~a:;l=:a;p~o~l~o~g!y~~f~r~o=m~~t~h~e=FU~.~S~. The United States should
·not-c:io that and should look toward the future.
~ POTUS should bring up the following issues: Vietnamese
soldiers from the Vietnamese War, high ranking communist
leaders who became dissidents.
He should also push for
democracy and reform, devise an institutional arrangement for
foreign aid.
~~he
· ed States should provide humanitarian assistance for
flood. victi____.. in the Mekong Delta.
~ Whlle the Agent Orange dialogue focuses only on compensating
war veterans, there is also the need to bring up health and
environmental implications.
~~-aJC'ecl"Effilt~cle>Y..s:L resources in the private sector because
ve achieved financial success and
----
~
~
~
~
Vietnam.
POTUS should recognize importance of NGOs in the normalization
of U.S.-Vietnam relations; should push Vietnamese officials to
embrace ~0 e f f 9
The Unic'frcr States should apply constant pressure on Vietnam to
uphold human rights.
The United States should push fo
Vietnam - essential for a chi ev i ng~=-::.~:::'::-::;~~~;;.;~~T:::::::
Need to close the chapter of the War
future.
Free market is best way to increase democracy and
freedom.
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�NOTIONAL OUTLINE
Talk about the past
Mine us vietnam relations for all its worth. We're two nations
linked by all kinds of common expereience some of them painful
but not all.
Go back before 1945.
Chtrstoperh. Jefferson
got seeds of vietnam to plant.
Words from us declaration
incroopraitoned into vietnamese.
First us ship to vietnam
when jefferson. Was president.
They know gov't of the people by the people for the people.
On the war -- we want to avoid apologies.
This was a fact, it
happened, it scarred botyh nations.
It was a profoundly
important event in us his. otyr and vietnamese.
~
\~
,v
orne
wledgment would be good if we talk
ab~
affected them.
What we call the vietnam war didn't begin.with
ith
f of us forces in vietname and it didn't end wihen
we left.
They had been at .war from 1940s to 1980, wars against
japense, frenche, us, chine cambodia.
We don't see their
history stolely through the prism of our expernece.
eXplicit
aknwoeldgment of that concept.
We're not going to answer all the bitter questions, that's not
what we're here for.
What we do -- we do have an ogligations to
remember the past and to honor it, and to do our part for the
victims and their families and the people who still don't know
what happened to them.
Priase the national character but not at all in the context of
the war.
The war has to be philosophical and non judgemental
Talk about he legacy of the war:
Part is very painful.
But
par tof the legacy is that we have millions of americans who
passed throug hvietnam as soliders and journalists.
Aid
workers and who came to know this countyrl and.to develop
profound repsect
�point
countries.
One quote you may want to steal from warren c. is.
this old vn 16th century, after centuries of war only life
remains.
Do you make the point that in US hisotry we have become friends
and partners with former adversaries. Don't sound too naive.
This past thing must have a tone of seriousness and realism.
It
has taken us a long time to get to this point.
The US.
· Histically par of our national character is to build relations
with mutual respect with nations that have been our former
adversaries and to do so without forgetting the past.
Ev
e ul, forward-looking natur eo fhte
identify common interests.
Confront the past as honestly as possible together not fo rthe
sake of recrimination but to honor those who have suffered and
lost.
You don't orget the grievances that are-re
but you
make an effort not to pil
resposibility to the future~~~~~~P4~~PQ~~------~---HaNoi, they don't give a shit about the war among this young
audience.
In terms of the future and persent.
Globalization -- these years we've been carefully sloely
gradully rebuilding our ties, the world has been changing
dramatically, rev. change.
Central theme is around the trade agreement and what it
me~ns.
I would steal a line from SRB speech -- china WTO agreement, and
they caled it china's ec ~ationn of interdepen enc . ~
Recognition that we can't succeed or surv1ve un
together with other.
Trade agreement cuts to heart of contradictions that are
described in pierre's article.
The ykind of understand tha tafor teir economt dto do well thaty
have to eopn op toe griegin investment regulations traSNPACRENTY
�OPEN MAREKTS.
Foreign investment has gone from 8 billin down
to one billion in the last few years, huge plight.
Cite that statistic about lower foreign investment.
But blunt,
rush of foreign investors.
Somehow that has to be turned
aournd.
Make the pont aht vietnamese americans are prosperous their
diligent, etc.
what's the difference between vn here -- none - except for their freedom.
A nation with people so
diligent and strong is losing its greatest resource to the lack
of fr~edom.
If the pep~e were less talented, they would lose
less productivity by res
When you restrict freedom, you restict their talent, their
eneryg, ingenuity, you lay down youyr excellence as a nation.
Declaration of interndepenece.
decpeiton.
Use that line.
We can't self-reliance:is self-
You have~LL~~~-L~~~~-eaT.~~~a-~~~~~
athat.
lltaabout
We're not just pawns in a big hiostircal game.
Vn master of
its own destiny and a product of its own history.
Repudiation
of domino theory.
Vn is not a square on a global chess board.
Try to show ou r appreciation of the fact that their aspirations
is aproduct of their own expernece.
Interdependece. R
/
ut
Stability comes form chan ge.
will say changes
reatene stability ,and stabi
e have
o es ln assump lons Wlt out being too ay explicit about
getting into their debate. One way is to do it in context of
globalizaiton.
~~e're undertstaind this as tht same tim,
on~.~
our country and yours.
In temrs of policy -- economc reform and 'political reform.
~- - Economically what would the traDE AGREement mean. In terms of
~ staep taken and benefits.
~-
�World bank estimates what it would mean in terms of money and
..
·increased trade.
hcc
- - - - - - - - - - - ·------------------
Rob rosen from NEC might have trade numbers that set
of this agreement, what it means macro and micro.
lue
Je/1
~h_
Welieed to make transition from economic reforma nd trade
agreement to the more contentious issue of politcal reforma nd
human rights.
We have found all across asia that those economic conditions are
more lkely to flourish in societies open to difernent ideas that
don't_restict their peoople's acess to iriformation and uphold
·the rule of law.
There are different way to you can get tat that.
get at it with some humility.
It took our_ conty a long time to build a more perfect union.
how long t i l..l;;ke:u<m:rm::f=~FE===¥e-b~..b,~a c ks got vote .
Here ' s what we
believ.e
pricnipels. State them in ways that a 21
years old v·-;n~s~ffiiffln-""lm~=l=Fj==j;;;,;=rm~aiTpn:pealing.
. Every yong
person should have access to every_ idea. And ev·ery piec~S of
information that's avaialbe to other people in ourhter areas of
the world.
..
\ .. o
~
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You have to
P; :_;e: :.;o: : . e~=- . ": : .=-: . : :_.: :_
shodl giv young
to make judgements, but
Somethi.!]g__abold-t-·rul~,.,....~~,.,..,.,..----,.x~.....,.,.-r,::~~:.:.:;:;:'n:::;-;;-;::-"'f=l:~-,--::a:7w~::-l-;:;s:=-;:n::;-;o~t;:.. ----_w:i-dhuatt·--;;mething that restrcts
can do, it resticts
gov '-t can go.
1"'"
···-----------------
That should appela aot a country that is concenred above 'all
with corruptpin. To make sure no one is above the law is to
make sure there is an independent judiciary.
I would say we
bleiev every storngly that no county can imporse it se values or
way of life on any other. And we ··:Know from hlstory that no·
countyr in the world is more dteermined to .defend itFright to
shape its destlngy than VN.
No one can interfere with VN's future developoment.
It's not
only wrong, you have proved it is impossible VN is doing to
determine its own way. We say the people of VN should have a
sya, and our relatiuosn with VN will be at their best whne that
happen.s
.....
J
·.
I---:~"'«(.
�Thw whole point of preching our democracy.
Is not to influcent
but to makes ure that the values of the VN people are refeldted
in the policies of the VN govnt'erm
Conditions and progress of N.
we have some self interest.
Rule of law. We want enviroemt to be better for them.
Turth is
what's good for them is at least as good for vn companiesna
dpeope of VN. That is the definitoin of common ground. Any
change that benefits outsiders doing buisness in vietnam is
going to benefit VN doing business in vietnam,. who also need
predictable ideas of good government and accountable
institutyions.
rm~ OS~~ v~~
BT7\ -
Other issesu:
()W(~-&- ~
~
~
~-t/
Not just about economics. There is a lot of interesting s ff to ~
say about env. In vn species. Nedc to preserve, biodiversity. ~~
Then the practicaly necessity of protecting forrests to avoid
~~ ~~}c
flooding.
Drug resistant malaria.
rww aJ ~-
~ /o ~ J..
as~u come out of
-&L \-a !J,p ~
Might end tiwth those issues
political stuff.
~
the
OJJ~~~~-
J t 'k i;/..
Vlo
mo~·
-~
Vietnamese americaasna nd personal stories.
It shoul~V more
real and personal than we value our vietnamese americans ...
In christopher speech he talked about vegetables. We can talk
about a novel -- them is contributions to our society.
NOTE:
expectations of youth are not being met.
Look youth in
the eye and say: these. have been good times and hard time.
The coutnry has been at peace. For the first time in its
history.
Time when vn has emerged from isolation.
Tade
foreign investment.
Time when young people nca finally be
young.
But at the same -time, time of high expectatinos that
have not only been met.
Question: how for all the promise of
this new economcyl vast majort are ot connceted to the internet .
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�Still trying to figure out how to feed their kids.
Do you give
up and say it didn't work, or you keep trying an say it hasn't
gone far .enough. To stop half way ove·r the ravine.
What this tade agreement is about a decision to keep going.
Some people hardliners will say our reltavbie isolation is a
good thing, because we didn't suffer as much from the asian
financial crisis.
Make this into an expllicit point.
You're right, you did not experience what s, jkorea experience.
They stargte 8 times as rich as you, then they went to seven
times_ as rich as you ..
~meone
with no wealth taking pleasure in the bear market
~ause it doesn't hurt them.
You may no suffer the downs, but you don't get
are insulate from the growth.
That has taken
thailand, taiwan into the modern world. After
are still
percent better than they were
the ups.
You
s. korean
the crisis, they
___ years ago.
It is a very promising time for Asia.
Make uyse of the comparisions with neightors.
Sublte messagew: you can't get there by oepeingn economic but
not politics.
You need to go further.
It is not enough to
take baby steps.
Not that it has gone too far, but hasn't gone far enoguht.
Now get into interdependece. Empower your people to take
advantage of these realities.
J
0
VN has more to lose from restrciting freef~ms ~e~~sri~ P,:op ~e~~··
are so energetic,
~~~ w~~ v~ ~: I~
L
Pragmatic, not dogmatic.
{ ..#aldo~j
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iv?
~
.)
1
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Belief in democracy that is growing all around the wor~ lS not
dogmatism, not pragmatism.
Having sais that:· make the
arguent young 22 vn doenst care about marxism and democracy.
=:::=--------------1
.
1
1
22 years odl:
I have the right to get on the internet,· have
the sakme opportunties an the same rights as government people.
Newspapers with the same rights to publish as other coutnry.
�Of crouse yojng people should be trusted to jake judgments. Who
in VN should shape my countries destiny:
I should, not just a
bunch of old. Men.
Kwith apprpoacpriate phrases of
clintonesque humilty.
I '_m speaking
more than 200 year .
f
~ country tha
been sruggling for
haven't always gooten it rig
Agent orange will be their counterpoint to human rights.
Saya soething to take the bite out of the agent orange,
reparations notion.
-Pouint:
frame human rights issue that odesn't allow a quick
retort on agent organde and resparations.
.
We're not here to refight the war in words.
Let's praise those
who are overcoming the past through their ations.
Whether vn
villagers help american familiy find their son or am vets
, -~
returnign to help suplply hosptical in rurual vietnam - or VN
~;~ american famileis coming back here to start businesses in
~~-~ partnership with those who stayed behind.
C
~~qop
'
Doesn't mean for a moment givin gup the conviction of the past.
-~It means living it in a way that will work for the future.
~~
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Take advantage that like it or not we are linked by this painful
historyl and we feel some sense of responsibliyt to make the
future better.
That langage and therotic should pervade this firwt par to it.
Defense -· ng target
We nee dto move on withotu glvlng up any of the cause or
commitment, positive legacy on the war we have all these ties,
vn ameri,
vets. Driving force in US behind better lrations
with VN was the vets..
drivin
ooitical force in US for
beter relations is from veternas. They are pushlng or VN trade
agreemetn.
They have a profound personal conncection to VN it
is comlications, it is coinflicted.
They are genuniedly
personally committed to the right kind of reconciliation.
Pete
pterson. Remembers the past and honros people who suffered. But
l~
~
�No question we would not have done anything to improve
reslations.without their support and without their leadership.
Those most committed to friendship are those who founght here
and went through that xpereicne bnd suffered,
but developed a
repsect for vn and a personal conncection,
they don't want to
see our relations reestablished.
Democracy is not our values, its openign
expression of local values . r----....,...~=.....:;::::-;~~;--r.;-;-;;7;:::;,::-;::;";;;-+=i:;-:::-;_--~:--;
· ition can't be im ose
~
·TED OSIUS C
go to vietnam. we're in new phase. we have political
normalization. with singing of bilat trade agreements, we're
trying to integ ate vietnem intot he world economy. we' ;re
gringin this in lar country in to the world economy. hooling
them to the inte net. giving the private sector more power.
strengthen civil s ciety and the rule of law. most NGOs are
foreign.
there ar increasingly aggressive unions.
they're
suupo~ed to be wing
of the party. they're headed by party
officials usu. the l adership is officials of the party. there
is a women's union.
they are great.
they are dealing with
poverty alleviation.
they address concerns
food on table, etc.
f woemn- how to'keep kids in schools.
there is a youth union.
ot just a feeder to communist party
anymore. they have job pl cement services, sports events.
ballroom dancing. they ha
a condom cafe.
a cafe where they
ch about HIV AIDS and how to prevent
had out free condoms and t
transmission. Ted was ther in summer of 98.
bright spots in free marka
rule of law.
courageous step of singing
agreement.
singed july
of 2000.
Commits VN to gradua ly put foreign invested
companines and state owned ente rises on a elvel playing field.
not separate sets of rules but o e set.
gives us market access
we didn't have before. dropping arriffs to almost nothing.
this is a step in the eirection o WTO membership.
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�Next step - they h
to work out agreements iwht all WTO
members, not just
strictly bilat agreement iwht us; each
is consisten with
membership.
This agrement is being used
by econ. reformers
force economic reform.
There is a big
fight over this in
big fight. we've been negotiatiing for
four years. most of it was negotiating among the Vietnamese.
They know this is th beginnign of the end of one-party.
Fact
that chinese took th s big gamble is the reason VN did it.
Not
an accident that vn 'd it after. CHina. we need to do it for
prosperity, because i we can't keep prosperity we can't keep
power.
· our gamble - economic
there's economic openirr
to stay in power.
will lead to political opening.
give them the prospeirty they need
Ideological - they ackno ledge if they do not go free market,
they will not feed.
the had massive famines in late 70s and
early 80s.
in 86, they s arted adopting this policy of "Doi
Moi" - renovation.
A lit le bit by reformasi.
not exact
analogy. Doi Moi is strict y economic.
perestroika without
their biggest fear is that w have - greatest feat they have is
that we have hidden agenda w ich is democratizaiton which, of
course, we do.
that is our b lief - otherwise we wouldn't be
pushing this.
Gamble on our side in the case of China. opponenets who are
thinking the most would fear we are strengthening what down the
road would become our enemy.
e're making expensive for them
to misbehave by brining them int instiutitons that insist on
our rules.
vietnam:
priase of nation:
since they adopted their doi moi policy (86),
they have enjoyed relaly high rate of economic growth (which
have delinced in the last few year ) , and they have joined
ASEAN, which is huge. ASEAN was se up as a bulwark against
communism. now they are members and have chaired ASEA.
they did huge thigns in 95
normalized relations with US
,-~~:~k~~/FC~~~~:::~-~-.:,:·c~~ ~~:-:~1
'(~~~·>tiNTON LiBRARY BHOTOC:OPY:. ;~IL ;{:~~
,,~~~; . -h~··!·~~:,;::~·~r,::,:.:~~~~· .;d~w .)
�normalized reliuaot
and joined ABEAN.
UN
JOining ABEAN does n t commit them to political changes, but
does comm1t them to e anomie changes. ABEAN free trade area is
looming years ahead. means they have to reduce the support they
provide for their stat owned enterprises. have to get the
private sector up and unnning.
they're terrified of small
businesses, because the cannot control them as they can state
woend enterprise. they like to have party cells in every
enterrpise. much harde to have that in small business of 25
people. certain maount f party control is lost ot the extent
that they lat prviate se
florusih.
they've invited exchange
the rest of the world when they
invite in foreign investo s and open up to the internet. they're
doing this as fast as the hinese are.
praise we want to praise th cooperation they have exnteded to
us on POB MIA discovery. I an't think ever any country that
they have given us the acces they have given us.
their policy
has been top to bottom in ev ry province.
let them dig, search,
just to find the remains of heir fallen.
there are a lot of
nuts who think there is a POW behind every wall. we have had to
run down a lot of false leads and the VN have been incredibly
patient.
We need to acknowledge right a
the top their cooperation.
doesn't hurt to acknowledge the r long history of valuiong
education among all else.
in t e temple of literature is a
coupple thousand years old. Han i has always been the cultural
and political capital and educat onal cpaital. business capital
has been saigon.
process of getting french out was not complete until 54
in 45 - ho chi mink pushed out jap nese.
then french came back
and pushed Ho into the mountains.
north and northwest - two
zones of influence, french in nort and brits in south.
truman decided to support degaules 'n indo china. 45 -54 ho vx.
the french.
by 54 he had top half
country. then 54-75
that he was fighting to unite the c untry.
�Hanoi - at one point way ba
emperor lived in Hue.
was the imperial capital.
19th century.
great history book on
bring the book.
lots of underlinings. ted will
french missionaries brought omanized alphabet which helped
conditions to raise literacy ate, which you don't have in
countries with lot sof charac ers.
happened late 19 - early 20
century.
education and literacy are
tto do fierce nationalism.
they have an unbioken history
cambodia in the eighties.
don't wan
f war right up to fighitn gin
pretty chaotic after pol pot le t power.
76 - 79 reign of
terror, then no one was in charg
this was communism at its
basic form.
by the end of Pol P t, there was nobody left to run
the country.
Chinese fought a border war iwtih
pulled back, VN went into Cambodi
china out.
this was preemptive.
stuck there for nine years.
extrace themselves.
that.
after chinese
they wanted to keep
it was a quagmire, they got
til 89 were they able to
they couldn't join ASEAN while they were invading on eof their
neighbors.
they were getting materiel from chin during the war, but also
economic and political support from SSR. our fear during VN
war was to prvvent drawing china into it. we really didn't want
·Chinese army to move in.
a lot of our talks with ch~nese was to keep them from beomcing
direclty invovled in the conflict. Kis inger was trying
constantly with his opening to china wa trying to neutralize
the VN war as a superpower conrlict.
li it it to triage. do
traige and help us get out with honor.
VN historial enemy has always been China. yes Ho got support
form MAO, but for 900 VN was a southern pr vince of china. even
the chinese charactedrs for VN< means prov nc einthe south.
�all the great battles in thei history. they drove the chinese
out from vietnam.
The Choong sisters, plunged to death,
because death was better than o ing seized by the cihnese.
warrior heros were those that d eated chinese in various
battle.s
900 year of chinese dominiation o VN ended sometime before
french missionaries coming in in 1 th century.
TOAST
ideas:
new chapter, new relatinoship.
old animosities. courage
of vi~tnam's leaders in integrating i tot the world economcy.
·providing opportunity for their childr n to enjoy prosperity.
the face that VN young peope unlike the'r parents have growtn up
in peace.
just an aside - 60percent of opluation. young
country what's the religion situation in vn.
and what is it under this government/
~
Y;
is it historically.
~
Amina findings:
i~d
Vietn~
More importantly, the theme revitalizes the teaching that
in every
since childhood, "Mot cay lam chang nen non, ba ca chum lai nen hon nui cao." Figuratively,
the proverb mean "By working to get er we can achieve much more than if we work a one.
"If you don't venture into the cave, how will you catch the tiger?" tells us that we must risk
something in order to ~thing. In English, our version of this expression is, "Nothing
ventured, nothing gain ~
Tom,
Here goes. You'll find attacheq information about:
1. The identification of an American s~ldier which would never hav~
happened without the
· of some Vietnamese villager~
2
diary which a U.S.
to the Vietnamese.
e took this
IS
cJ_
�believe should be noted.
3. Information on another initiative, sponsored by several . . veterans
organizations, which continues to lead the Vietnamese to ites where their
-dead were buried by U.S. or South Vietnamese forces. /
4. Hospital records that we have discovered, pertaining to enemy soldiers
which may eventually lead to an accounting of their soldiers.
5. Results of several archival initiatives which has and will continue to
produce U.S. documentation to assist the Vietnamese in accounting fort eir
missjng.
6. Training of their scientists to familiarize them with our use of
mitochondrial DNA as one of the forensic to,ols we use to make final
identification of remains.
You'll probably want to discuss some of these, and I'll be available here at
(7~~ 6Q~-1245, or later this evening and over the weekend at home at ~~!'~@h}(6)j~~~Jl
~.6/(~J·('iJ~~l From home. I can talk in generalities. Here, I do have some staff
experts, when I can catch them.
Larry Greer
Defense POW/Missing in Action Office
(703) 602-1245
MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS
March 5, 1998
The remains of an American serviceman previously
unaccounted-for from Southeast Asia have been identified and
will be returned to his family for burial in the United States.
He is identified as U. S. Army Sergeant Douglas Alan Ross,
of Temple City, Calif.
On January 22, 1969, Sgt. Ross's unit came under heavy
enemy sniper and grenade attack in South Vietnam.
He was
reportedly struck in the head by enemy fire and died on the
battlefield. The other members of his unit were forced to take
cover in nearby caves and did not rejoin friendly forces until
the following day.
At that time, a search of the battlefield
did not locate his remains.
-~,~~.;~~~-~-c·-
- ~~~~~--l
f{.i~~:\::iN:to~ LisRAkY PHoTdtcwY'· f~1} /i,::;il
;'i~~ ~;·-:~;·:~_:;.'J,>~·~-:;::t"~·':;}~~,,~-~~:>~~~~ ·' .:..!
�......
In 1994, a joint U. B./Socialist Republic of Vietnam team
visited surrounding villages and was told that no one lived in
the vicinity of the battlefield during the war and none of the
local villagers had any firsthand knowledge of the incident.
The team also visited the battle site where they found evidence
of defensive positions, but no other pertinent information.
The.
investigators had no further leads to pursue.
But in 1997, Vietnamese villagers were searching a woode
area f~r scrap metal near the battlefield and discovered the
remains of a U. S. soldier. T ey repor e
o
e1r prov1n
o 1cials w o, 1n turn, passed the information to central
government officials. These remains and some personal artifacts
were passed to U. S. officials, and subsequently identified by
the U. S. Army's Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii as
those of Sergeant Ross.
With this identification, 2,096 Americans remain
unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War.
The U. S. government welcomes and appreciates the
cooperation of the government of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam which resulted in the accounting of this serviceman. We
hope that such cooperation will bring increased results in the
future. Achieving the fullest possible accounting for these
Americans is of the highest national priority.
-f1W i-3 -~r
Note: Rapidity with which local villagers and government
-J\officials reacted-to finding remains was above and beyond
~ normal, routine procedure.
Excellent initiative and cooperation
here.
<
August 2000 American Embassy passed to us (in Vietnam) a small personal diary and
pocket-size photo album that an American veteran had taken from the body of a
People's Army of Vietnam soldier who was killed on a battlefield in South Vietnam in
mid-1967.
The American veteran had passed the items to the Embassy with a request that the
Embassy find a way to return the items to the PAVN soldier's family. The Embassy
asked us to examine the items, to extract any information the items might contain about
missing Americans, and to provide a recommendation on how we might pass the items
to Vietnamese officials.
The items did not contain any information about missing Americans.
The notes in the diary included the deceased soldier's thoughts of his home and family
in North Vietnam as he progressed through his military training, movement to South
~.;
�Vietnam, and combat duty in the· South. The photo album contained photos of persons
that appeared to be the deceased soldier's wife, child, mother, siblings, and friends.
The notes in the diary also included information that we believed may allow Vietnamese
officials to confirm the deceased soldier's identity and locate his family.
The diary did not contain information that could help recover the deceased soldier's
remains.
We and the Embassy agreed the deceased soldier's family would treasure the
photos and the record of his last thoughts of home and family. We passed the
items on behalf of the American Ambassador to the director of the Vietnamese Ministry
of Defense's Policy Department, which is responsible for efforts to account for
· Vietnamese soldiers who were lost during the war.
We do not recommend releasing the name (one of several) found in the diary, as there
is no confirmation that the Vietnamese government has been able to make contact with
the family to turn over the diary. The gesture, however, by the U.S. veteran, is clearly a
humanitarian one, with the interest of the Vietnamese family at heart.
Selected Areas of Interest
U.S. Assistance to Vietnam
To
Account for their Missing
-
Several U.S. veterans organizations have for several years
operated a "Veterans Initiative'' whereby they encourage their
membership to turn over information or artifacts they may have
collected during the war that might assist the Vietnamese in
accounting for their mission.
For some U.S. veterans, this
is a hard sell, especially when they witnessed the death and
destruction seen throughout the Vietnam War.
But many have
stepped forward, and working through their own private
organizations, presented information or artifacts to the
Vietnamese, with positive outcome.
One such vet was Jim
Kapucinski, Bay Village, Ohio.
In 1968, he was engaged in a
fierce -all-night battle at LZ Grant with enemy forces.
The
following morning, he witnessed ·south Vietnamese forces dig a
mass burial pit, and place enemy soldiers in it.
Following
the end of the war, he kept his map which indicated the{act
location of the battle and the burial.
When the first
~ ~Veterans Initiative delegation traveled to Vietnam, the
~?
carried with them Jim Kapucinski's map.
Thanks to his
humanity, and concern for other families like his, the
·
Vietnamese were able to excavate that site and found 95 bodies
of their fellow soldiers.. Jim Kapucinski is quoted as saying,
"I know they believe in praying to their ancestors.
To me,
v
G.I
·
\
6
\J(
1\-
�them not knowing where their loved ones were, and how that
they've located them, makes me feel good.
I could picture
myself with my three kids or even just one of my daughters
missing for 20-some years and someone saying to me we found
your daughter's remains.
I know how I would feel.
It would
.be a big relief to me --or to the Vietnamese -- to find a
missing child.
It's very important."
U.S. Defense Department archivists have just this month
uncovered in U.S. archives documents which show hospital
. treatment and final disposition of captured enemy soldiers.
Some were released, but some died in captivity.
These
archivists are now seeking to correlate their initial findings
with more detailed medical records, and will turn them over to
the Vietnamese to assist them in determining the fates of
those Vietnamese soldiers who did not return from the war.
In late 1999, our archivists discovered documents in our
National Archives which we believed would be of interest to
the Vietnamese~ pertaining to their missing in action. We
invited four of their archivists to visit Washington to review
these documents. We also took them to several archival
\ holdings in the area. While the visit was ongoing, we learned
I that the U.S. Marine Corps was collating ·many of their
---~~~~·arch.ives, also ·pertaining to unaccounted-for Vietnamese, and
~
we presented their archivists with 45 CD ROMs (390,000 pages)
of material.
The remaining portion of the CD ROM collection
()J~
is to be pre~ented to the Vietna:mese dar~II~ the _,re:id~nt's
~It Wlll total 150 CD ROMs, contalnl
2 mill1an
\ pages. A ltlona y, we have already shipped their archivists
200 pounds of other documents, all related to their MIA
soldiers.
·
~
4
-
~ ~
~
As part of
Vietnamese
invitation
scientists
sit will
A as one
@
the Secretary of Defense's commitment to assist the
in their accounting work, we have extended an
to the Vietnamese government for two of their
to join us early next year.
The purpose of their
be to familiarize them in our use of mitochondrial
of the forensic tools we use to help identify
erican rerna1ns.
~
~~
This may be the more precise translation we are looking for.
In a United Nations Devlopment Program document on Vi
. Le Quang Duat
urges people to join in on anti-poverty efforts by saying, "There is an ol
YU
:
�proverb that says one tree is nothing, but three trees close together can make a
mountain. That's what these people are becoming-- a mountain."
More importantly, the theme revitalizes the teaching that is ingrained in every Vietnamese's heart
since childhood, "Mot cay lam chang nen non, ba cay chum lai nen hon nui cao." Figuratively,
the proverb means "By working together we can achieve much more than ifwe work alone."
"If you don't venture into the cave, how will you catch the tiger?"
tells us that we must risk something in order to gain something.
In English, our version of this expression is, "Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.
0~ uf ~
~ ~ ~ rf._.t
· I t ~ f 11 f) r;]
I am still trying to find some recent numbers, but here is what i have so far:
~'- Y
Up+ ~ 7 f tv
Vt ef Jl. ~
New laws are encouraging returnees, or Viet Kieu, to invest and take part in their home an
open econom .
is a wn passe as year a ows 1e teu o pure ase property in
tty an egulations have been eased on cash sent from Viet Kieu to relatives in
Vietnam. An April14, 2000 article in Asiaweek discusses the Viet Kieu; "some have returned,
bringing money and, equally important, new ideas and management skills." A 1997 Los Angeles
Times article writes that, "time has opened some paths through the minefield of reconciliation.
Today, increasing numbers of young Viet Kieu are accepting the invitation of a government that ~l..A
wants to tap into their economic strength and brainpower." This group of returning Vietnamese
1/"'"''r
is largely California-based and are, "in the end, a bridge helping two countries overcome the
animosities of a devastating war."
~a)~
wU
(/
"f.
.JfTA~ .-AM-e Jut
1114/97 Los Angeles Times:
f'
1
"Andrew Hien, 35, a former San Jose residynt who is now a marketing consultanti;H:~ cbi
~ t ry~
Minh City, observed, 'Being here is like being on a frontier. There is so much opportunity, it's ~·~
electric. And it's exciting because we're the first generation to come back to contribute to the
f'~
rebuilding of Vietnam, not just profit from it."
/'
fL.-
4/14/00, Asiaweek
·-==-
.lovvJ IJ
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~~
Int~m'
Compaq's Dilip Phadke, who flew to Vietnam with his company to host seminars on
infrastructure in Hanoi, comments, "The response has been remarkable. The Vietnamese are , ~
enthusiastic, eager and ready to go."
v
International Cooperation at The Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Recently, VNU has developed close relationships and cooperation with roughly 90 higher
education institutions, researc · · ·
ional organizations all over the world,
has opened itselfup to valuable
inclu ·
s ra 1a, France, Japan, and the United
dent an sta exchanges t at range from joint research activities to sharing library materials
and academic publications. On the foundations of mutually signed agreements, many of these
projects have been implemented, thus."helping to strengthen the development potential ofVNU,
improve its physical facilities and upgrade its academic staff." Vietnam National University
�"encourages and appreciates further international linkages for mutual benefits and the overall
development of higher education."
MEMORANDUM TO JOSHUA GOTTHEIMER
FROM:
AMINA OSMAN
SUBJECT:
NONZERO, BY ROBERT WRIGHT
A "Non-Zero" sum is a game in which both players can win, or lose together.
"Non -Zero Sumness" is how Robert Wright defines his basic premise: society moves along a
path that leads t~st.
-
Civiliz~ beginings, seeks out new technology to achieve its goals.
The advent of these technologies increases the complexity of society, i.e. the web of a
citizen's
relationships becomes more intricate, industry becomes more
effective and varied.
The more complex and developed a society becomes, the more interdependent its citizens
become.
The final result of this interdependent society is an increasing number of overlapping
interests.
Members of society are increasingly involved in more mutually beneficial relationships. Wright
asserts that this evolution towards interdependence creates an environment that makes the
"global village" a most probable destiny for the human race.
This mutual interest can be harnessed to the advantage of all players. There doesn't always have
to be winners and losers in order to achieve success. In this increasingly complex global world,
success will come to those who create policies and practices that strive towards positive non-zero
sums or gains for all players.
Robert Wright lays out a view of humanity that is convincingly logical and healthfully idealistic.
Society is not aimless; there is a "point" to it all. We all have basic strivings in common and we
all want what is most profitable, this is natural and good. The key to a broadly successful global
village is not forced equality, but a governance that recognizes and addresses common interests.
The President has summarized Wright's premise by saying, "The argument is that the more
complex societies grow, and the more interconnected we all get, the more interdependent we
become, the more we have to look for nonzero sum solutions. He basically argues that if you
look at it over the whole sweep of history, it is a good thing that we are growing, A, more
complex, and B, more interdependent, because it forces us to try to find solutions in which we all
win, instead of solutions in which some of us win at everybody else's expense. That is, solutions
we all win, instea o so utwns m w 1c I wm at your expense."
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�Wright argues that "relations among nations are growing more non-zero sum year by year."
Trading information and working together becomes increasingly beneficial-the Internet
empowers an increasing number of individuals and businesses, countries unite to make better
products, and nations increasingly join collaborative groups such as the IMF and WTO.
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Wright suggests that civilization's current state, infiltrated by the-turmoil ofr~ regimes,
militias, weapons of mass destruction, natural disaster, less cohesive nations, and speedy
financial speculation, marks a storm that is on the brink of calm. A new equilibrium is on the
horizon, but we must act to ensure that it is achieved. We could use the power of our non-zero
sumness and unite to the advantage of all of our mutual interests or just plain lose out. The Ideas
or Weightless Economy, the declining relevance of distance, and liberation by technology are not
new ideas; they are trends along Wright's path to global governance. Wright argues that in this
new miUennium, we have a unique opportunity to voluntarily submit to "Non-Zero" and look for
-policies, practices and relationships that benefit the community of the world.
0
7
~ ...
X
President Clinton remarks, "It's not a naive book. He says, hey look, there's still going to be an
election for President. One person wins, one person looses. There's still going to be choices for
who wins the company or who gets the pulpit. There will be choices. It's not a naive book. But
he says that, o balance
· ·
ieties will have to increasin 1 look for
] wa.Ys for everyone t~ in an atmosphere of principle compromise, ased on shared values,
maximizing the tools at hand."
�Brian Quinn - univ. studetns an urban gtroup - middle class or
upper class vietnamese, kids with access to info.
if you ask
concerns aren't too different,
how do they pay for school. no
Pell grant progream.
they have to come up with the cash
themselves.
they are working at the same time. univ not free.
one hundred ollars a year in tuition.
they pay a third of per
capita income.
sacrifice.
cover room and board. no on ether
to help em.
some working in cafes.
spate of articles in
vietnam about women prostitution to cover tuition.
bit of insecuirty.
they look out and don't always see vietnamese most want to stay, not so interested in moving.
they
would like to work for a foreign compnay, young people get
responsibility earlier.
sometimes have to wait 30 years for
experience in vietnam.
they like the opportunity. There has been very little said
about what the BTA means for the students.
much will require
drastic changes in state gov't so those negotiating want to keep
it quiet.
POTUS should talk a little bit about what this BTA
means.
senior at Univ, no recruting program, they're on their
own.
"Look, ,)[OUr life will be better, you will have more
opportunitiesY7
love to be able to hire you and give you
responsibility~~~
hierarchy of foreign companies. worst koreans and taiwanese.
second level japanese. next level is euroepans,
best companies
to work for are american company.
willing to give people
responsibility and let people do their own things.
if people
have a choice between.
these folks- all born 1976 77.
war is old news. poverty is
real. what is ameirca.
they don't know.
they know its
something good. they may have cousins int eh US.
you get positive impressions of US make it through controlled
media.
There was just a report in Washington Post about protest in ho
chi minh city, its happening across the street from downtown
campus of ho chi minh city.
has not grown - even through next
to universtiy, if they don't care about political care about
money.
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stay with a v~ry positive future oriented message.
PM came to
Harvard about four years ago. Joe biden asked: what about
peaceful evolution.
PM said:
"look successful countries cannot
afford to be afraid fo the future.
they can't afford to waste
time.
these students don't know about these films.
but they know
Cannes, don't use film allegories, has br6ught a posoitive
picutre of vietnam.
leisure and fund.
inord~nate people
sit around in coffee shops, kaiaoke bars.
s~tting around in coffee shoips.
value talking about drug cutlure.
these kids are tempted by
drugs. heroin around.
US example - our young peopleface the
problem of drugs, how we keep them aaway.l
problems that we
share. policy level types.
major social crisis.
I'm looking for work.
tale of kieu == lo6k for a passage where she has
still has hope for the future.
e~caped
and
soccer crazy - he should have the scores handy.
t~o years ago they lost in the final against Singapore.
tiger cup.
the one player who is the big star
~
next
Le Huynh Due
Lay Hwin Dook. He is the michael jordan of vietnamese soccer.
he's at 28.
if potus has free time, he should get this guy at a
reception. make reference to game.
one argumenet aginast reform, we're a small country, how can we
compete.
Amb. peterson says: vietnam doesn't need to be
afraid. vietnam can compete.
one person won a gold medal in the olympics, judo, tae kwon doe.
Can vietnam success in. the intenraitonl world.
the best in the
world.
she's 21 years old.
her story, from a fishing village
in southern vietname,
her familiy didn't even know. some
reproter came to their door.
your sister just won the gold
medal. no phone or internet - reporter .
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every year they get a group of 15 16 year olds and they come
back with gold medals.
math and physics.
sent six four came
back with gold.
talked to good physicists and mathematicians.
check if some past winners are in National University.
be in the hall right there.
some may
they will be very excited.
these kinds of vents outside
speakers are not very common.
they will understand the import.
Ciao --
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the
anguage .
xin chao cac ban
Sin (please) Chao
(h~llo)
c~c
ban -
make sure potus gets correct - Dai
Dai
If he is touching base with what the kids are interested in soccer, int'l success of judo gold medalist.
he will have them
on his side.
drug problem.
jobs.
future is the trade
agreement.
opportunity that it brings it doesn't.
find out if people are in the hall.
home - brian quinn mobile phone:
Stanley Karnow:
can:
:[ think - this t:tip
~ank ~:·;*fth n:l:xon'.s;, t:t:fp tO china.· no
president has been to 'vietnam since or even befor ~th.e·war,
johson flew over in 66 to give a pep talk to the soldiers.
two audiences - us vn - in terms of american audience - vietnam
haunts american but it doesn't haunt vietnam.
let's talk about
.american side.
I don't thin he ought ot go into history.
same
message is useful in both respects - let's look forward rather
than·look back.
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no apology anecdoate when Mcnamara wnent a few years ago, -he talked to
commanders - let's both admit we made mistakes they said:
"we
didni't make any mistakes, you did.
I still find in american public people who remember the war are
confused about what went wrong.
vietinam has now become a
buzzword for other adventures in the world.
we're moving forward from this - without saying it was a
blunder.
from vietnamese point o£ view - young population.
they don't
talk about the war.
I gave a talk last year on the war, they
could not have been elss itneresteed.
they want to know about
high-tech.
very chic to be american in vietnam now.
I've been going back since the end of the war. nobody every
criticizes you.
fall fo saigon in 75 was a debacle but not a
disaster.
we thought it would be the end of the world and
mae4ircan prestige.
maerican is still a beacon.
only people
anti-american are terroiists and french intellectuals.
Us represents high-tech opportunity, represents a booming
economy, a consumer revolution.
Gen's wife said one day- old time communist, "I see scenes of
america on television.
I think American should be our model.
consumder resovlution has replaced marxist revolution.
you see signs upa nd down the street for english lessons.
hundreds of books of english dictionaries~ business english.
'MAKE SURE YOU WRITE IN A WAY THEY CAN UDNERSTNAD IN ENGLISH
was in the mountains in April,
farmer lives in a shanty in two
rooms.
in one room there was a computer,
14 years old kid was
on the computer showing me how he was learning english.
used speakers windows 95 - leaning english by internet access.
he's going to be a doctor.
I'm an advisor to the memorial
wall.
we went over with a group of veterans.
Jim Chimsee, one
of founders of AOL.
guy called Christos, president of e-
�5
treade,
former president of merrill Lynch.
computers with them in April.
they brought
I sent over to brooke anderson - I thought it would be
interesting to take some of these guys over.
Christow is dealing with landmines.
we have these computers we gave a bunch of computers to a scholl in Hanoi.
I just
talked about what you put in a computer.
kids are avid for
that stuff.
bobby muller (202 483 9222) is a good guy, he is a paraplegic
one of founders of vietnam veterans of america.
a lot of these
guys did not want to join american legion or VFW.
they wanted
to start their own thing. Bobby is not running it any more but
active, he has gotten into landmines.
Jan scruggs - he organized this trip we went on in april.
number is 202 393 0090. the guy who built the wall.
His
I don't know if there was any cohesive reconciliation drive but
a lot of guys went over,
there is a viet name veterans of
american office in Hanoi. guys went over in NGOs to do things.
why? a lot of guys felt that there was a sense fo (guilt) . the
guys, there was a tone we were paying back in a way.
not that
they were apologizing. they wanted to do sometihg.
each guy had
his own agenda.
the feeling that vietnam was such an important
part of their lives.
the guys I went with - bobby muller is in
a wheelchair, shot two weeks after he got there).
these other guys - high powered guys, they went to nam at 25 or
26 , first trip back , they went back to battlefields, very
wrenching experience.
so it's guy going back to omaha beach.
I
gather John Kerry very active in anti-war ..
All these guys feel this affinity.
I go back to what I said
earlier, ranks with nixon's trip to china.
that had to do with
big power relationships.
ranks in the sense of vietnam being an
american experience.
the most divisive episode since the civil
war.
There is a mountain Dalat - I go on these trips.
so I decided
to peel off of the trip and went to Dalat to do a travel piece.
�6
about half hour flight north of saigon.
colonial enclaves built by the french.
one of those old
30,000 -these are ofr my own story.
like these places the
british built.
french town big old hotel and restaurants.
nothing left but flavor.
we drove out to the coutnrwise, big
flower-growing area.
just went out to some farm that frew
flowers, poked around and started talking to thet farmer,.
there he was, his kid showed me the computer.
two rooms no
plumbing~
electricity - modem, phone service.
14 year - man wife three children.
the farm.
his sister helped them on
you go out to the countryside, no plumbing, kitchen, they cook
on little coal stoves, over all the houses you see televison
aerials. the tv set has become - there are stages here, I've
been going - served in asia in second world war.
go back a
long way.
if I go back 50 years, I started going to asia.
big thing was a transistor radio. you'd see a kid on a water
buffalo in. the middle of a rice field. listening to a transistor
radio.
then tv.
everyone now has. now we go to computer and
internet.
these three stages.
everyone has a cell phone.
vallely's theme:
you have all the elements to be successful.
you have the ability but question is do you have the will.
plagued by corruption and red tape and bureaucracy. you can't
preach to them. very stubborn, and intensely xenophobic and
nationalistic, that's why they won the war.
I was there a few years ago with business gourp.
chair of
communist party committee on saigon insisted on givinga speech,
ultra nationalistic speech "don't come in here and tell us what
to do."
friend of mine who works for gov't.
translation.
she had to tone it down in
christopher gave a talk at Univ of Hanoi.
I believe he
preached ot them about human rights. I don't think they
broadcast it.
have to talk about buman rights, don't know how to do it.
�7
you can use nothing is more precioys than freedom and
indpencence, and use the ambiguity.
I think they recoil from the term globalizaiton.
it scares
them again.
vietnam and cuba are really lagging behind the
rest of the world.
they're very worried about losing their
authority.
communism is no longer an ideology; it's a mafia.
Andrew Pierre - he said ideology is alive. but they go to the
marz~st lien inst, because that's how you get jobs, connections,
kickbacks.
stanley karnow thing about the vietnamese they really are marvelous. they are
so adaptable. like the chinese,
see what. they've done in the
unitedstates, kids in high tech.
second generaiton.
they have
terrific potential. they have to be unleashed.
·they have to do
it themselevs. but we can say we're here to help you do it.
not because we ant to atone, or think,
mutual interest.
b~cause
it's in our
from gerald epstein at OSTP
Tom- understand you are drafting the President's remarks at Vietnam National
University in Hanoi. I have been working with Randy Beardsworth, Gene Christy, Greg
Hicks at State, and the interagency on our proposed joint research program with the
Vietnamese on the health effect of dioxin (the comp.onent of Agent Orange suspected of
causing health problems). I think Greg has sent you a barrage of material for the
speech·; and somewhere in there should have been a point on this program. I wanted to
reiterate that we would like the President to include a bit in his speech emphasizing the
importance of the topic; stressing the science; and expressing the hope for eventual
internationalization. Something like the following, turned into appropriate Presidentialese:
Both of our nations have concerns about protecting our citizens from dioxin pollution,
and we both give high priority to understanding the health risks of dioxin
contamination. Indeed, this important topic is of interest to researchers and
governments around the world. I am very encouraged that Vietnamese and
American scientists will meet later this month to discuss a joint research program on
dioxin·health effects in Vietnam-- a program that I hope can expand to include
broad international participation. I look forward to a successful program~- one of the
�21
I should have several more bits and pieces for you in
a day or two. For now, I want to close
with something you will almost certainly not be able
to use. In 1974, the poet Van Le, visiting
the province of Quang Tri, wrote the following poem,
titled simply "Quang Tri":
Eyerywhere we dug there were white bones.
What could we do? Could we just leave them?
What kind of foundation would they make for our ·house?
My friends were perplexed. Were they our bones or
· their bones?
No, I told them, there are no American bones here.
The Americans left years ago and took their bones with
them.
These skeletdns, scattered all over our land,
Belong only to Vietnamese.
(Translated by Nguyen Ba Chung and Bruce Weigl)
If the president wanted to do something really
important, he would revoke the policy that US VNese relations are contingent upon the recovery of
all American MIAs. There are millions of
VNese MIAs that will never be found--in a culture that
honors the bones of ancestors, this
causes a profound psychological dislocation. When
Secretary of Defense Cohen recently
visited VN he reiterated this policy while at the same
time saying that the US WANTED TO
NORMALIZE relations. The two positions are
self-contradictory; the US policy has been
driven by a cult-like group of POW/MIA fanatics who
have been give unprecedented power to
make foreign policy. If he wants to really advance the
cause of US VN relations, rather than
just pay lip-service to it, the president would end
this misguided policy. By acknowledging the
VNese dead, the president could make a profound
contribution to a deep and full peace
between our nations.
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Highlights of OPL Briefings in Preparation
for the Vietnam Trip
Briefing for the Veterans Community
October 10, 2000
Briefers: Gene Christy (NSC Asia)
Randy Beardsworth (NSC Defense)
Bob Jones (DoD POW/MIA Office) .
Ken Steadman (VA)
Main Questions/Suggestions:
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
It would not go over well if POTUS took a business delegation
and no veterans.
Will POTUS refer to POW/MIA issue as "most important" or are
economic relations a higher priority for him?
Will issues that have plagued veterans, like Agent Orange, be
raised?
POW/MIA issue should be in forefront, but there is a need to
"get on with it." It is time to put the past behind and go to
Vietnam to do what needs to be done.
POTUS should go to south Vietnam to talk about economic
opportunity. Tremendous difference between what he'd see in
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. A visit to Saigon carries a lot of
symbolism.
Some veterans are. protesting this trip, and it would ease
their concerns if he addressed POW/MIA issue in advance of the
trip and on the trip.
POTUS participation in a joint excavation site might evoke
passions - but he is Commander in Chief, so needs to address
this issue.
Participation in the repatriation ceremony is critical.
Importance of discussing humanitarian issues.
�,·
Briefing for the Business Community
October 4, 2000
BFiefers: Gene Christy
Ambassador Richard Fisher
Main Questions/Suggestions:
~ Need for dialogue with Congress around the trip.
Congress
should move forward on Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)
ratification and Administration shoul~ urge Vietnam to fulfill
its obligations to ensure faithful implementation of BTA.
~ U.S.-Asian Business Council will organize business mission to
Vietnam and plan to be in Ho Chi Minh City at same time as
POTUS (want to do an event with him.) [Note: U.S.-ASEAN
Business Council has now joined to do a single business
mission.]
~ Will POTUS raise human rights and labor issues?
~ Business community would like opportunity to brief CODEL if
there is one.
�'
Vietnamese-American Community
October 13, 2000
Briefers: Gene Christy
Joseph Damond (USTR)
Bennett Freeman (State/Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor)
Main Questions/Suggestions:
~· Need for improvements in attitudes o~ Vietnamese officials
toward the rights of Vietnamese Americans.
~ Vietnamese-Americans should be included in official
delegation.
~ Need to address issue of sex trafficking of women and
children.
~ The United States should push for the protection of Amerasians
in Vietnam and facilitate their getting American citizenship.
~· When Secretary Cohen was in Vietnam, the Vietnamese pushed for
an official apology from the U.S.
The United States should
not do that and should look toward the future.
~ POTUS should bring up the following issues: Vietnamese
soldiers from the Vietnamese War, high ranking communist
leaders who became dissidents.
He should also push for
democracy and reform, devise an institutional arrangement for
foreign aid.
~The United States should provide humanitarian·assistance for
flood victims in the Mekong Delta.
~ While the Agent Orange dialogue focuses only on compensating
war veterans, there is also the need to bring up health and
environmental implications.
~ There are tremendous resources in the private sector because
Vietnamese entrepreneurs have achieved financial success and
would like to direct their success to philanthropic work in
Vietnam.
~ POTUS should recognize importance of NGOs in the normalization,
of U.S.-Vietnam relations; should push Vietnamese officials· to
embrace NGO efforts.
~ The United States should apply constant pressure on Vietnam to
uphold human rights.
~ The United States should push for freedom of the press in
Vietnam- essential for achieving a transparent environment.
~ Need to close the chapter of the War and look toward the
future.
Free market is best way to increase democracy and
freedom.
••
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Briefing for Human Rights, Religious, Labor and Service Community
October 20, 2000
1:30-2:30 PM, Eisenhower Executive Office Building Room 450
Opening Remarks
Laura Efurd, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Liaison welcomed the participants to the
briefing. She stated that the purpose of the briefing was not only to plan the trip to Vietnam, but
to also get their input about the trip. Ms. Efurd asked that the participants not speak about the
meeting to the media.
Gene Christy ofNational Security Council welcomed the participants, and stated that the
President's visit to Vietnam is historic. The White House and the Vietnamese government want
- to look forward to the future, so there will be lots of focus on the Bilateral Trade Agreement
signed on July13. The White House will also want to acknowledge the role of the Vietnamese
government since it joined ASEAN, and the President will explore with the Vietnamese
increasing their participation in APEC.
Assistant Secretary Harold Koh of the State Department stated that human rights has been a
long-time focus of the United States in relations to Vietnam. The State Department has
conducted 8 rounds of dialogues with Vietnam over the past several years, of which the last
dialogue occurred in June 2000. Assistant Secretary Koh acknowledged that the last dialogue
was honest and forthright, and focused on: prisoners of concern, freedom of press and internet,
and freedom of religion.
Question and Answer
Steve McFarland ofthe U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that the
freedom to practice religion is getting worse in Vietnam, especially for the Hoa Hao and the
Montagnards. He asked what the approach will be to address these issues. Assistant Secretary
Koh responded that the President's trip should emphasize the main themes of religious freedom
at the highest level to show that the issues are important to the U.S., but that the detailed
discussion is best focused at the annual dialogue through the State Department.
Andrew Wells of the Asia Pacific Center for Justice and Peace said that although progress has
been made in the US-Vietnam relations, he asked if the President will continue to keep up the
progress, such as providing for scholarships for students in Vietnam. He also asked whether the
President will acknowledge the problems, such as Agent Orange, and look for solutions. Mr.
Christy responded that the trip is still in the planning phase, and that the U.S. is working on
several issues with Vietnam, such land de-mining, and Agent Orange. The developing relation
on Agent Orange is framed in cooperation, and will be referred to in public and private talks that
the President has with the Vietnamese government. The apology issue will be handled but most
likely framed as closing chapter of the war, and looking 'towards the future. Since Vietnam is a
young country with little direct memory of the war, the young people have different issues and
�views ofthe war. Mr. Christy added that in terms of education, Senator Kerry has developed an
idea that is being looked at, but the President does want to respond to issues of education
Hai Tran of the International Committee for Freedom to Support the Non-Violent for Human
Rights in Vietnam recorllinended that the President focus on religious freedom, as religion is
controlled by the government. After the devastation of the flood, Reverend Thich Quang Do was
arrested for his work to help flood victims. He asked that the President have a reception with political prisoners, so that the President could have a dialogue with them.
Max Niedzwiecki of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center recommended that the President
encourage Vietnam to: 1) implement decree 177 which allows independent Non-Government
Organizations (NGOs) to do work in Vietnam, 2) not harass Vietnamese Americans while they
are in Vietnam for business, and 3) not reopen issues of Vietnamese refugees in administrative
- detention in the U.S., as it is inhumane to repatriate refugees to Vietnam:
Thuyen Nguyen of the Vietnam Labor Watch said that he has heard rumors that the President
may visit the Nike plant in Vietnam, which he believes would send the wrong message. Mr.
Nguyen claimed that Nike represents the worst type of labor conditions, with low pay and use of
child labor, and that Nike has tried to undermine labor rights in Vietnam. Mr. Christy responded
that the President's schedule is still being developed, and that the vetting process on where the
President will visit is intense. He also said that the Bilateral Trade Agreement will have a
significant impact in the # of areas and that although labor is not directly linked to the
Agreement, it is still related to the Agreement.
James Bishop oflnterAction asked if the President will visit a site where an American NGO is
engaged in work. Mr. Christy responded that the President frequently does so while traveling
abroad, and currently the NSC is collecting a wide variety of American NGOs in Vietnam. Mr.
Christy welcomed additional examples of possible site visits.
Reverend Thich Van Dam recommended that the President visit an NGO because it will help
boost Vietnamese and U.S. relations.
Ann Hoffman of Unite, stated that because thetextile part of the Bilateral Trade Agreement has
not been completed, she hopes that the President will let the Vietnamese know that the White
House will be tinder pressure from textile labor groups. Mr. Christy said that the Bilateral Trade
Agreement ratification is an issue for the next Congress, but there is a broad awareness of the
issues that will need to be dealt with.
Sang Tran of the International Institute for Vietnam said that political prisoners are his main
concern, and asked the President to bring up the specific case of Professor Nguyen Dinh Huy
(sp??). Assistant Secretary Koh asked Mr. Tran to send the information on Professor Huy to his
staff.
Rich Raner of the Association of Vietnam (not on the list????) said that he had secret state
Vietnamese documents of elaborate plans to arrest people and reverse efforts of different groups,
especially the Mountain people. In these documents ·Mr. Raner_ says that the President and
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Ambassador Peterson. He thanked the Administration for their help, and also noted that so much
effort is being wasted by restricting NGO use in Vietnam.
Chau Nguyen of the overseas Hoa Hao Buddhist Association stated that most major religions are
suppressed, and the religious leaders are harassed. He urged the President to meet with religious
dissident leaders, such as Thich Quang Do and Whey Lu Lin (sp??), because what the image that
the Vietnamese government presents to the State Department is highly polished.
Frank Smyth of the Committee to Protect Journalists said that his group is concerned with the
restriction of the internet, and recommended that the President meet with General Giap who has
made comments about the need to democratize and lift the ban on t~e internet in Vietnam. He
also urged the President to raise the case of writer, Ha Sy Fu (sp??).
- Steve Young of the International Committee to Free Vietnam emphasized the need for the
President to discuss issues of democracy when in Vietnam. He also urged the President to: 1)
go to Ho Chi Minh City, 2) meet with Truong Do to show the President's commitment to
democracy, 3) put his thoughts in writing, ·4) read Young To Boon's novel, and mention the
novel to the Vietnamese, 5) encourage the Vietnamese to have a time table for a free and fair
election, and 6) spend time with dissidents or religious leaders. He also said that the
Vietnamese-Americans hope that the President's visit will lead to increased visibility of human
rights in Vietnam, and the Bilateral Trade Agreement is good if it is used as a tool for
democracy.
Mike Jendrzejczyk of Human Rights Watch asked if the President will take the First Lady or
Congressional members, as they can do things that the President cannot do. He also suggested
that the President to do a radio or television address in Vietnam. Mr. Jendrzejczyk urged the
President to use maximum leverage to negotiate for tangible outcomes before the trip. Mr.
Christy responded that it has not been decided who will go on the trip, especially whether the
First Lady or cabinet members will accompany the President. It has also not been decided
whether the President will do a radio or TV address. The White House understands that it is
important to negotiate before the trip, and that President always raises religious freedom and
human rights issues wherever he goes.
LeVan Tien, a journalist, said that he hopes that the president will comeback from Vietnam with
some idea of what it is like to work in Vietnam with no benefits, and low pay. He stated that
most companies have foreign investments but lack transparency or rule of laws. Mr. Tien would
like the President to make the Hanoi government understand the importance of human rights and
religious freedom.
Closing
Assistant Secretary Koh thanked participants for their input at the meeting, and said that any
additional comments can be sent in written form to his office.
Mr. Christy said that the trip is still in its planning phase, but he reminded the audience that the
President's discussions in Vietnam will take place on two different levels: private and public.
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everyone that the discussions in the meeting were not to be shared with the media.
�Vietnam Briefing for the Vietnamese American Community
October 13, 2000
11:00-1:30 PM, Roosevelt Room
Opening Remarks
Laura Efurd of the Office of Public Liaison welcomed participants to the meeting, and
introduced the speakers who would be addressing the participants. She also asked participants
not to discuss the meeting with the media.
Gene Christy of the National Security Council welcomed the participants, and stated that the
President's visit to Vietnam is historic and sets the stage for US-Vietnam relations. The White
House and the Vietnamese government want to look forward to the future, so there will be lots of
· focus on the Bilateral Trade Agreement. The President will emphasize the importance of the
Vietnamese joining ASEAN, and encourage their activity in APEC. Mr. Christy stated that it
would not be possible for the President to do this trip without the cooperation of the Vietnamese
on the POW/MIA issue, and the President will look for opportunities to underscore the
importance of human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam. ·
Joseph Damond of the United States Trade Representative for Asia and the Pacific stated that the
Bilateral Trade Agreement has been a long process, and was signed this past July. Vietnam had
to quickly learn international trade rules. In order for Vietnam to receive normal trade relations
the Bilateral Trade Agreement must be ratified by Congress, and Vietnam must abide by
Jackson-Vanik immigration waiver.
Bennett Freeman of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department
of State stated that human rights and religious freedom are crucial issues on the President's
diplomatic agenda. Mr. Freeman noted that the Vietnamese government has recently been more
willing to substantively engage with the U.S. on human rights issues, and the U.S. is working
with other countries with interests in Vietnam on these issues. The U.S. uses 3 major
mechanisms to raise issues to the Hanoi government: 1) through Vietnamese Americans, 2)
through Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and 3) through the U.S. embassy in Hanoi.
The State Department engages in a series of structured human rights dialogue once a year with
the Vietnamese government. Mr. Freeman reported that the substantive issues from the June
2000 dialogue were:
1) Human Rights - Release of particular prisoners of concern, such as religious or political
prisoners; Treatment of released prisoners; Allow international observers to watch
Vietnamese trials; Freedom of press; Lift the restriction on the internet; Ethnic
minorities living in Vietnam, such as the Montagnards
2) Religious Freedom- Promote religious freedom, especially on Catholicism, Buddhism
and non-registered religious groups, such as Protestanism, Cal Dai (sp??), and Hoa Hao;
Recognize all religions; Lift the ban on religious materials
3) Worker's Rights- International Labor Organization encourages Vietnamese to ratify
child labor worker rights
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Questions/Comments and Answers/Responses
Que$tions/Comments
Dang Pham of the San Francisco Commission on Immigrant Rights stated that he would like to
see improvement in the rights of Vietnamese Americans in Hanoi. When Vietnamese Americans
do- business in Hanoi they are harassed by the Vietnamese government, arid 90% oftheir VISAs
are denied. Mr. Pham would also like to see the State Department move forward with the case of
Reverend Thi QuanDo (sp??)
· Jackie Bong Wright of the Vietnamese Voters Association in Virginia said that the issue of sex
trafficking of women and children in Vietnam needed to be addressed. In addition, the United
States should push for protection of Amerasians in Vietnam, and facilitate their American
citizenship.
Viet Dinh of Georgetown Law School commented that when Secretary Cohen was in Vietnam,
the Vietnamese pushed for an official apology from the U.S. Mr. Dinh hopes that the U.S. will
resist making an apology, and hopes that the U.S. will look towards the future.
Hung Nguyen of George Mason University stated that he is glad that this trip is a historic and not
a symbolic visit. He urged the President to bring up the following issues 1) Vietnamese soldiers
from the Vietnam War; 2) high ranking communist leaders who became dissidents; and 3) push
for democracy and reform. Mr. Nguyen would also like to see the U.S. devise an institutional
arrangement for foreign aid, and the use of Vietnamese Americans to use their talents to speed
up the reconciliation process.
Answers/Responses
Mr. Freeman stated that the State Department has raised the issue of the use of child trafficking
with Vietnam. There is currently a Southeast Asian work group that the U.S. participates in, that
is focused on trafficking issues. The work group met in Manila last March, and Vietnam
indicated interest in working with this group. Mr. Freeman also responded that the rights of Thi
QuanDo (sp??) has been raised, and Ambassador Peterson has been working hard on this. Other
issues that have been brought to the attention of the U.S. government is the case of writer Hasi
Fu (SP??), and the issue of the Hmong as an ethnic minority.
Mr. Christy said that the White House is aware of the problems that Vietnamese Americans·
might face while traveling in Vietnam, and they are taking this into account when planning the
trip. The White House will want to focus on the future through discussion about youths or the
Bilateral Trade Agreement, and the President will look for ways to support the reform process in
Vietnam.
Questions/Comments
Ngan Nguyen ofOxfam stated that this trip will be an opportunity to open up Vietnam.
However, it is important for the President to provide humanitarian assistance for the flood
victims in the Mekong Valley. Also, the Agent Orange dialogue only focuses on compensating
war veterans, but it is necessary to bring up environmental issues and health implications of
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�Agent Orange on the affected area. Ms. Nguyen stressed the need to use the legal framework of
NGOs in disaster relief efforts.
Canh Viet Le ofLe Viet Canh and Vuong Ngoc Quyen Foundation stated that the trip is at a
historic turning point, and it will be the first time that there is consensus abqut humanitarian
NGO work as NGO activity is no longer taboo. Mr. Le stated that there are tremendous
resources in the private sector because Vietnamese entrepreneurs have achieved financial
success, and would like to direct their success to philanthropic work in Vietnam. He stressed
that it is important for the President to recognize that NGOs are important in the normalization of
US-Vietnam relations.
Tuan Anh Nguyen of the Vietnamese Professional Society stated that there is a lot offundraising
activity .in the Vietnamese American community for Vietnam, and that if the money goes to the
· corrupt Vietnamese government then it does not go to the victims pf disaster. He asked that the
trade agreement allow service sectors to go in to Vietnam, so that donors can bypass channeling
money through the government.
Toa Do of Vietnamese Small Businesses commente~ that the rights of Vietnamese Americans
need to be protected. He has heard that if Vietnamese Americans go to Vietnam, they should not
say that they are US citizens but that they are US passport holders. He said that this was
unacceptable. Also, Mr. Do said that Vietnamese Americans send billions of dollars to Vietnam
ever year, and urged that this money should be used for education.
Answers/Responses
Mr. Christy responded that the U.S. has been monitoring the floods in Vietnam, and that last year
the U.S. made large official contributions to building flood-resistant housing and other disaster
relief efforts. He also stated that environmental issues are also on the White House's radar
screen. The U.S. is looking at how to use private partnerships in the US-Vietnam relations, and
that the Bilateral Trade Agreement will provide an opportunity to use private funds for technical
assistance. He stressed that the rights of all passport holders will be upheld, and that Vietnamese
Americans should not be concerned with discrimination while traveling in Vietnam.
Mr. Damond stated that the Bilateral Trade Agreement creates new rights for Americans in
Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has asked the U.S. for technical assistance in reforming
their economy, and has specifically asked about setting up laws fore-commerce.
Mr. Freeman responded that Agent Orange is constantly raised in the human rights dialogue, and
the U.S. has a standing offer to conduct joint research on Agent Orange. He also reported that
Amnesty International and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation may soon have VISAs to travel in
Vietnam, and the State Department continues to press the freedom oflocal NGOs to helpin
Vietnam.
Questions/Comments
Khoa Xuan Le proposed that the White House kick off the President's visit with a large donation
to the Vietnamese flood victims, and stated that the role of the Vietnamese Americans are crucial
in responding to Vietnam's needs.
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Ngoan Le of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
emphasized the historic nature of this trip, as this is the first U.S. President to have a Vietnamese
constituency. She urged that Vietnamese Americans should be included in the official delegation
as it would be symbolic to the Vietnamese that their government must be as open as the U.S.
government. When the President is in Vietnam, he can recognize the Vietnamese Americans by
spending as much time in the South as the North. It would be symbolic for the President to lay a
wreath in the cemetery of both military cemeteries to recognize that although they have different
ideologies, they all fought for their beliefs. Ms. Le also stated that the President should meet
with former Communist government officials, who are now considered dissidents, in Vietnam to
show that they are being heard even though their issues are outcast. Ms. Le said that this is the
first President to see the entire scale of the fall of communism. She suggested that the President
use his library to show that he is a President who has reviewed the history of the Cold War, and
that the -President should announce this as the theme for his library on this trip.
Sereivuth Prak of the Khmer Krom stated that the Khmer Krom, who are affected by the flood,
worked with the U.S. special forces in the Vietnam War. He asked that the President push the
Vietnamese to respect all human rights, and to help former Vietnamese veterans come to the U.S.
Mr. Prak also stated that all Khmer Kroms are oppressed Buddhists, and asked that the U.S.
establish a human rights watch in the Mekong River where they reside.
KaYing Yang of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center stated that there is a large number
of Southeast Asians live in the U.S., and that they should be included on this trip. They also
should be invited back to debrief with the White House about the trip. Ms. Yang also urged the
President to go to Laos and Cambodia because of the war trauma these countries still experience
from the Vietnam War.
Mai Cong of the Vietnamese Community of Orange County suggested that the U.S. set up a
permanent body to deal with human rights in Vietnam.
Answers/Responses
Ms. Efurd reported that there has not yet been a decision on whether the President will take an
official delegation of private citizens. In the past trips, the President has not had delegations, but
if there were citizens in the country at the same time as the President then they were invited to
the events. Ms. Efurd asked that the public keep in touch with her office around this issue.
Mr. Christy stated that the President's schedule has not yet been set, and the only thing for
certain is the dates that the President will be in Brunei for the APEC summit.
Mr. Freeman thanked Mr. Prak for raising the Khmer Krom issue, and said that he will get the
information to the U.S. embassy in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He also requested to speak
with Ms. Cong privately regarding her ideas around the permanent human rights body.
Questions/Comments
Anh- Tuan Le of Manna Consultants stated that the President should put Vietnamese Americans
on his trip so Vietnamese Americans can be part of the dialogue in US-Vietnam relations.
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�Diem Do commented that the Bilateral Trade Agreement will ensure that the trade environment
is fair in Vietnam, but that there should be a free exchange of information to open the media
industry in Vietnam. He also noted that the U.S. should apply constant pressure on Vietnam to
uphold human rights.
Dan Duy Hoang of the Vietnamese American Public Affairs Committee stated that there was a need for the U.S. to push for a transparent environment in Vietnam through the freedom of press.
Due Hong Duong ofthe National Alliance ofVietnamese American Service Agencies said that
there is a need to close the chapter ofthe Vietnam War, and look towards the future. Free
market is the best way to increase democracy and freedom, and he would like to see the
establishment of Asian support for a free market.
Hoang-Ha Le of the Vietnamese Professional Society stated that the President needs to press for
the democratization of business.
Hung Nguyen of the League of Vietnamese American Voters commented that the President
should interfere so that the money the Vietnamese Americans are giving for flood victims do not
go to the corrupt Hanoi government. Also, POW/MIA issues should be a priority before the
trade agreement, and trade should be used as a leverage for human rights.
Answers/Responses
Mr. Damond responded that the transparency of the Vietnamese government is part of the
Bilateral Trade Agreement, so that laws will be published and Vietnamese citizens will have the
right to appeal. This move is a big step for the Vietnamese government, and they will need a lot
of technical assistance. Private sectors in Vietnam and foreign companies will benefit from the
agreement. Also, Vietnam is beginning to recognize the need for a strong infrastructure in order
to have telecommunication and financial success.
Questions/Comments
Trinh Nguyen of the Vietnamese American Professional Society asked that the President not
meet with the Communist Party, and not visit the Ho Chi Minh rape site.
BaoKy Vu of the Vietnamese American Public Affairs Committee noted that in the past, the U.S.
has been less willing to use trade to enforce human rights. He asked whether the U.S. will use
trade to open up the Vietnamese government. Even if there is a free flowing government, if
there is no trust by the Vietnamese government then there is no transparency:
Chau Nguyen of the Vietnamese Buddhist ofHoa Hao Section raised the issue of religious
freedom. Large religions are somewhat protected, but there is no help for the indigenous groups
(i.e., Gao Dai, Hoa. Hao, etc.) He urged the President to help these religions.
Thu Bui stated that Vietnamese still insist on appointing the church bishops, and the government
still controls the numbers of priests ordained. Also religious materials cannot be printed in
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�Vietnam. Mr. Bui wants to be able to ship religious books and materials to Vietnam, and to_ be
able to conduct clergy training there.
De Pham of the Vietnamese Community ofNew Hampshire stated that it is important to
remember that the Vietnamese are under Communist rule, and that there are no basic human
rights in Vietnam. He urged the U.S. to pressure the Vietnamese government for the freedom of
the Vietnamese people.
Doanh Do of the Dien Hong Foundation stated that free press is key, and that it is good that the
U.S. government wants to push for free press in Vietnam.
Y. Hin Nie of Montagnard Advocacy supports the Presidents trip. He asks that the President
visit rural areas, as the rural poor have no freedom of immigration, worship or humanitarian
- rights. Also, even though the Vietnamese are highly educated, he would like the students to be
able to travel and study abroad as well.
Van-Lan Tran Truong of the National Congress ofVietnamese in America suggested that the
President request a meeting with prisoners of conscience. She urged the President to put
pressure on the Hanoi government to respect religious freedom. It is also important for the
Vietnamese to carry out the terms of the trade agreement so that: 1) Vietnamese-American
business people can carry out business without harassment in Vietnam, 2) there is safety for
U.S. tourists, 3) there is free speech and free internet access, 4) separation of church and state,
and 5) NGOs can do work in Vietnam without government intervention.
KimOanh Nguyen-Lam of the National Association for Education and Advancement of
Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans stated that she hosted a workshop in Hanoi in
1997, and found that there is a large shortage of teachers in Vietnam because of the low pay.
She asked if the trade agreement will allow educational assistance in Vietnam?
Xuan Vu stressed the need for the President to raise independent labor organization and worker
rights while in Vietnam.
Answers/Responses
Mr. Damond responded that the decision was made not to directly link trade and human rights in
the Bilateral Trade Agreement~ but to use trade as a leverage to make the market economy
transparent. This will have implications down the road on human rights. He also reminded
participants that Vietnam will have to renew the trade agreement yearly based on their
immigration practices, and their compliance with the trade rules.
Closing
Ms. Efurd wrapped up the briefing by urging participants to keep in contact with her, as the
Office of Public Liaison will be the main point of contact for Vietnamese Americans for this trip
to Vietnam. She also stated that if participants had any more recommendations about the trip or
about the delegation, please fax the information to the Office of Public Liaison.
�.
Vietnam Briefing for the Veteran Community
October 10,2000
3:00-4:00 PM, Roosevelt Room
Opening Remarks
Christine Stanek of the Office of Public Liaison welcomed participants to the meeting, and asked
everyone to introduce themselves. Ms. Stanek also introduced the speakers who would be
addressing the participants.
Gene CJ:rristy of the National Security Council welcomed the participants, and stated that the
. President's visit to Vietnam is historic and sets the stage for US-Vietnamese relations. The White
House and the Vietnamese government want to look forward to the future, so there will be lots of
focus on the Bilateral Trade Agreement. The President will emphasize the importance of the
Vietnamese joining ASEAN, and encourage their activity in APEC. Mr. Christy stated that it
would not be possible for the President to do this trip wi!hout the cooperation ofthe Vietnamese
on the POW/MIA issue, and the President will look for opportunities to underscore the
importance of human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam.
Bob Jones ofthe Department of Defense POW/MIA Office stated that his office has been
involved in the planning of the trip e'arly on to see how POW/MIA issues will impact the
President's trip to Vietnam, and it has been an integral part of the trip planning. If the
President's schedule permits, Mr. Jones would like to see the President to participate in two
activities: 1) event at a joint excavation site, and 2) cremation of American remains and
repatriation to the U.S. Mr. Jones has sent suggested language for the President to use in his
talking points to emphasize the priority of the POW/MIA issues in the US-Vietnam relations.
The bottom line is that there are still many American soldiers missing in Vietnam, and the
Vietnamese are seeking greater unilateral activities to help the U.S. recover the bodies.
Question and Answer
Bob Wallace ofthe VFW said that it was rumored that corporations will accompany the
President to Vietnam, and he wanted to know whether the President would also take veterans.
Ms. Stanek stated that there has been no decision to take anyone on the trip, as the President does
not usually take a private delegation. Instead, if U.S. citizens are in Vietnam at the same time as
the President the White House makes every effort to include them in the President's activities.
Mr. Christy pointed out that the President will go to Brunei for the APEC conference before
going to Vietnam, so if he takes a delegation that goes only to Vietnam it will be a logistics
problem.
Bob Wallace of the VFW stressed that it would be a public affairs nightmare if the President
only took business to Vietnam, and didn't include veterans. Ms. Stanek responded that if the
President does take a delegation, it will be well-rounded.
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Bruce Harder ofVFW said if the POW/MIA issue is the most important, will the President
reinforce that point? He stated that news has been reporting that the most important issue is
economic relations with Vietnam. Mr. Christy said that the POW/MIA issue has been a #1
priority to the people planning the trip. Randy Beardsworth of the National Security Council
stated that it is recognized top-down that the whole relationship with Vietnam is based on the
POW/MIA issue. Mr. Jones stressed that his office has been involved in the beginning of
planning of the trip.
George Duggins of the Vietnam Veterans of America said that it was important for the President
to reinforce POW/MIA issues when in Vietnam. He asked whether Agent Orange or other issues that have plagued vets will be raised? Mr. Christy responded that although some initiatives are
on the table it is tied to sharing of information from the Vietnamese government. These
· initiatives may come out as a result of the trip, but because the planning is still in the early stages
it is hard to tell.
General Gordon Sullivan of the Association of U.S. Army commented that the President
acknowledging the POW/MIA issue is important, but the general consensus is in terms of the
US-Vietnam relations, "let's get on with it" as long as the POW/MIA issue is on the forefront.
Marshall Hanson of the Naval Reserve Association said that although much of the trip will
probably focus on Hanoi, it would be good for the President to visit South Vietnam (i.e.,
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City) to talk about economic opportunity and reflect back on America's
promises made over 25 years ago. Mr. Duggins of the Vietnam Veterns of American wondered
if it would send the wrong message to Vietnamese Americans if the President were to go to
Saigon. Mr. Christy responded that the schedule has not yet been set, but on foreign trips the
President generally goes to the capital. Ho Chi Minh City is definitely dynamic for economic
opportunity, and it would be a natural place for the President to talk about the future with youths.
He also suggested that since a majority of the Vietnamese were born after the war, the war may
not be as heated of an issue.
Mr. Harder of the VFW commented that there is a difference in what the President will se in
Hanoi versus Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City has signs of capitalism, but it also has an
increase in crime.
David Autry of DAV stated that a lot of veterans are protesting the President going to Vietnam,
and that it would reaffirm their concerns if he would address the POW/MIA issue.
Mr ..Harder of the VFW reported that some internet articles have spread the rumor that the
President would be traveling on a navy ship, and that the U.S. ensign flag would be lowered.
The various organizations in the room agreed that they have stopped this rumor, and that it is
now a non-issue. Mr. Christy urged that if organizations have heard rumors about the trip, and it
sounds strange, please let the White House know.
Anne Mills Griffith of the National League of POW/MIA Families stated that it would ~ave been
helpful if the President's announcement about the trip had at least mentioned POW/MIA issues,
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�but the White House press release only talked about trade relations. Brooke Anderson of the
National Security Council responded that the press briefing did include mention of POW/MIA
issues, even though the press release did not.
I.
Both Mr. Sullivan of the Association of U.S. Army, and Ms. Griffith of the National League of
POW/MIA Families echoed that it would be good for the President to visit South Vietnam.· Mr.
Christy asked whether there were any specific places in old South Vietnam that would send a ·
wrong message if the President were to visit. Ms. Griffith responded that Cu Chi (sp??) Temple
would send the wrong message if the President were to go.
Mr. Hanson of the Naval Reserve Association stated that the President' participation of a joint
evacuation site depending on how the scene is framed might evoke passions. Because there is
still memory of the President's anti-war activities, being an active participant at the excavation
·site may inflame the veteran community's passions. He suggested that the President should take
an individual that veterans identify with where the veterans gets his hands in the dirt, and the
President makes a policy statement. Ms. Griffifth of the National League of POW/MIA Families
responded that although the President does have "baggage" that he brings on the trip, he is still
the Commander in Chief and that it might be strange if the President does not do something at an
excavation ·site. It is much more important for the President to discuss humanitarian issues.
Brooks Corley of the Marine Corps League commented that it is time to put the past behind, and
to go to Vietnam to do what needs to be done.
Mr. Harder stated that if the President does go to South Vietnam, it would have the greatest
meaning if he were to go to Ho Chi Minh City for the veterans. It will also be much better
received to go to what is the former Republic of Vietnam.
Mr. Jones asked participants whether the President should tour the Hanoi Hilton. Ms. Griffith of
the National League of POW/MIA Families said that going to the Hanoi Hilton may be a risky
move. Mr. Corley of the Marine Corps League agreed saying that going to the Hanoi Hilton will
look like a media production. The President should go to Vietnam as a statesman, and not as a
showman.
Mr. Harder commented that there is a JF A ????, and the President does not go to the JF A then
the public will be mad.
Mr. Duggins of the Vietnam Veterans of America asked whether the President will be meeting
with the Vietnamese counterpart for POW/MIA offices. Mr. Jones assured that the President
would be meeting with someone similar to his counterpart, and higher up.
Ms. Griffith of the National League of POW/MIA Families asked which Federal agencies would
be going on the trip. Mr. Christy responded that this has not been set. He also added that the
precise date of the trip has not been set, but the President would be going following the APEC
conference in Brunei.
�Closing
Ms. Efurd wrapped up the briefing by urging participants to keep in contact with Christine
Stanek, as the Office of Public Liaison will be the main point of contact for the veterans for this
trip to Vietnam.
·
Note: After the conclusion of the meeting, it was mentioned that all facilities the President visits
in Vietnam should be wheelchair accessible.
�Vietnam Briefing for Business Community
October 4, 2000
2:00-3:00 PM, Indian Treaty Room
Opening Remarks
Laura Efurd, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Liaison welcomed the participants to the
briefing. She stated that the purpose of the briefing was not only to plan the trip to Vietnam, but
to get their input about the trip. Ms. Efurd also introduced the speakers who would be
addressing the participants,
Gene Christy of National Security Council welcomed the participants, and stated that the
Preside1_1t' s visit to Vietnam is historic. The White House and the Vietnamese government want
· to look forward to the future, so .there will be lots of focus on the Bilateral Trade Agreement
signed on July13. The White House will also want to acknowledge the role of the Vietnamese
government since it joined ASEAN, and the President will explore with the Vietnamese
increasing their participation in APEC.
Ambassador Richard Fisher stated that the President's trip to Vietnam is powerfully symbolic
and transforms U.S.-Vietnam relationship in to a trade partnership. This partnership will make
Vietnam more open to the world economy, and has tremendous potential for the U.S.
Ambassador Fisher emphasized that this is the beginning of the planning phase for the trip to
Vietnam, and the White House welcomes the business community's feedback. Ambassador
Fisher then took questions.
Question and Answer
Myron Brilliant of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce assumed that the White House is beginning a
dialogue with Congress around the trip. He stated that he is eager to see Congress move forward
on USTR and have Vietnam fulfill obligations to ensure faithful implementation of the Bilateral
Trade Agreement. He reported that he had a meeting with Ambassador Larson, and he suggests
that it would be good for the White House to compile a list of U.S. companies and projects in
Vietnam so that they are aware of US economic involvement in Vietnam. Ambassador Fisher
responded that he has pushed for the President to visit Vietnam quickly after Bilateral Trade
Agreement, and will take his suggestion in to account.
Meredith Miller of the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council reported that she is trying to compile a list of
American projects and business in Vietnam, and asked guests to contact her if they have not
already done so.
Frances Zwenig of the U.S.-Asian Business Council stated that s];le will be organizing a business
mission to Vietnam with the Business Council. The purpose is to have D.C. representatives
understand business issues in Vietnam by doing site visits. She has already spoken with MPI
(Ministry of the Vietnamese Government?), and will also work with Secretary Mineta. Fourteen
companies have already signed up for this trip, so she urged the White House to let them know
about the itinerary as soon as possible. They are planning to be in Ho Chi Minh City at the same
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�time as the President, and would like to do an event with him while he is there. Ambassador
Fisher responded that the U.S. government doesn't have all the money to provide the technical
assistance needed in Vietnam, and that the U.S. government will need to form private-public
partnerships in order to foster technical assistance in Southeast Asia.
Brad Figel ofNIKE asked whether the President will raise human rights and labor issues in
Vietnam. Ambassador Fisher responded that it was too early to give specifics on what will be
discussed during the trip. Mr. Christy did add that the president raises issues of human rights
and religious freedom wherever he goes.
Laura Hudson ofUnocal asked whether the Pres.ident will take a Congressional delegation? If
so, the business would like the opportunity to brief their representatives on what trade relations
with Vi~tnam mean for the people in their state from a job standpoint. Mr. Christy reported that
- several members of Congress have indicated their interest in going on the trip, but no decision
has been made whether the President will be taking a Congressional delegation.
Christopher Padilla with Eastman Kodak asked whether the White House was looking for
examples to demonstrate U.S. economic opportunity in Vietnam. Ambassador Fisher responded
that any examples could be given to Joe Damond.
Brad Figel ofNike asked whether the President is interested in seeing facilities in Vietnam that
U.S. companies operate. Ambassador Fisher stated that nothing has been set for this trip.
Andrew Durant of Samuels International stated that it was good for the President to go to
Vietnam, as it will build up the constituency for Bilateral Trade Agreement.
Edward Hogan of the Unysis Corporation asked whether there are international competitors In
Vietnam. Ambassador Fisher responded that the U.S. is the 5th or 6th largest investor in Vietnam.
China, Taiwan and Japan are competitive pressures, but this shouldn't discount that Vietnam is
an untapped market. Mr. Christy added that Vietnam is excited about relations with U.S., so this
- is an opportune time for the President to go to Vietnam.
Richard Brecher of Motorola asked what the Vietnamese government was indicating was the
main themes for the President's visit. Ambassador Fisher responded that Vietnamese have not
suggested any themes, but that they are happy about the direction of the relationship.
Raymond Sander ofNew York Life International stated that they hosted the President of
Vietnam when he was in New York City. Mr. Sander wants to make sure that business is
involved in the President's trip.
Andre Sauvageot of GE International Inc. in Vietnam reported that the Vietnamese are very
happy with the Bilateral Trade Agreement, and that this is part of a long-standing relationship of
foreign trade.
,
Brad Figel ofNike asked whether the President will take leaders of organized labor with him to
Vietnam. Ambassador Fisher responded that no decision has been made on this.
�Orit Frankel, GE International, Inc. in Washington D.C. asked about the textile agreement. ·
Ambassador Fisher responded that the U.S. has just begun the dialogue, and that Vietnam will
need lots of technical assistance, such as with customs. The U.S. will proceed cautiously, but the
issue is not keeping textiles out of the market but how to proceed productively.
Closing
Ms. Efurd wrapped up the briefing by urging participants to keep in contact with Eric Schwerin,
as the Office of Public Liaisor:t will be the main point of contact for the public'for this trip to
Vietnam. She ended by saying that it was possible that this trip will be similar to India, where
the President will not take a delegation but the private citizens will go on their own and attend
the various events.
�
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Previously Restricted Documents
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FOIA 2008-0703-F - Thomas Rosshirt, National Security Council Speechwriter
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Previously Restricted Document Release no. 1
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