[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 169 (Friday, December 7, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2225-E2226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR JOSEPH VERNER REED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2001

  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to submit for the Record a speech 
delivered by Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of 
the United Nations and a distinguished resident of Greenwich, 
Connecticut. Ambassador Reed's remarks were made at the Centennial 
Celebration of the Yale-China Association on October 6, 2001.

 Remarks by Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of 
                           the United Nations


 Centennial Celebration of the Yale-China Association, Yale University

       Dean Brodhead of Yale College, Counsellor Xu of the 
     Consulate of the People's Republic of China in New York City, 
     Mr. Jones, Chair, Board of Trustees, Yale-China Association, 
     Ms. Chapman, Executive Director, Yale-China Association, 
     Members of the Yale-China Family, Ladies and Gentlemen,
       What an honor, privilege, and pleasure to be at Yale to 
     celebrate the centenary of the Yale-China Association!
       This is a major milestone for me as I have been a life-long 
     son of Sino-American relations. I grew up surrounded by 
     ``things Chinese'', sculpture, porcelain, furniture and 
     paintings. Some in my family say I am ``in love'' with all 
     things Chinese.
       As a banker I had the pleasure of a close working 
     relationship with Ambassador Huang Hua at the Mission of the 
     People's Republic of China in the 70's. We have maintained a 
     lasting friendship. I accompanied David Rockefeller on the 
     first visit of American business following President Nixon's 
     historic trip to Beijing.
       Many moons ago I became associated with Yale University 
     Press in the historic publishing endeavor known as Chinese 
     Civilization and Culture. We at the Yale Press work side by 
     side with the Chinese authorities, publishers and scholars in 
     an historic undertaking to publish 75 volumes--painting, 
     architecture, calligraphy, furniture--our first volume on the 
     history of painting won the highest prize in publishing--the 
     Hawkins Prize. It is a grand endeavor with Yale's most senior 
     graduate as Honorary Chair of the Project, President George 
     H.W. Bush. Henry Kissinger is Chairman of the Advisory 
     Council. Professor Jonathan Spencer is on the Editorial 
     Advisory Board. The Rockefeller Family is supportive with 
     Mrs. Nelson A. Rockefeller serving as Chair of the Friends of 
     CCC.
       Mr. Anthony Fouracre is the Head of the United Nations 
     Postal Administration, a great organization, which produces 
     some 50 stamps a year. The ``Terra Cotta Warrior'' series 
     was/is the United Nations Postal Administration's most 
     popular stamp.
       May I now say a few words as an American citizen, working 
     for the United Nations.
       Our World has been profoundly altered by the unspeakable 
     acts of evil committed against the United States of America 
     and innocent civilians on 11 September 2001--A Day of Terror. 
     11 September 2001, the 20th anniversary of the United Nations 
     International Day of Peace, was supposed to be a day on which 
     we try to imagine a world quite different from the one we 
     know.
       It was to be a day on which ``we try to picture hatred 
     turning into respect, bigotry into understanding and 
     ignorance into knowledge, a day on which we dare to imagine a 
     world free of conflict and violence''. I am quoting here from 
     the Message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, 
     Kofi Annan. That message was recorded on 10 September for the 
     International Day of Peace.
       Instead, the horrible and previously unimaginable acts of 
     terror committed by international terrorists have profoundly 
     altered our world. America, indeed the entire civilized 
     world, must now be at war against terrorism.
       Barely a mile from United Nations Headquarters, the 
     Parliament of Mankind, the Parliament of Peace, more than 
     6000 innocent civilians from over 60 countries were killed 
     and a symbol of New York City and the Free World was 
     destroyed. The Capital of the United States of America was 
     attacked.
       President George W. Bush, with the entire nation rallied 
     behind him, said this will not stand.
       This single most horrible act of international terrorism 
     has united people across the globe. This was not only an 
     attack on America, but also on everyone in the modern world. 
     This will and shall provide the catalyst for an unprecedented 
     international coalition to resist terrorism and fanaticism, 
     against hatred, bigotry and ignorance.
       On 12 September, the newly elected President of the United 
     Nations General Assembly, the Foreign Minister of the 
     Republic of Korea, Dr. Han Seung-soo, stated before the 
     assembled representatives of the international community at 
     the opening of the 56th session of the General Assembly, 
     which had to be postponed by one day:
       ``Mere words cannot express the outrage and disgust we 
     doubtless all feel for the vile actions perpetrated in our 
     host country, the United States. I condemn in the strongest 
     possible terms these heinous acts of terrorism. I pray for 
     those who lost their lives and on behalf of the General 
     Assembly offer our deepest condolences to the families and 
     loved ones of the innocent victims.
       These terrorist crimes were, in effect, acts of war against 
     all the world's peace-loving peoples. Their primary target 
     was, by a vicious twist of fate, located in the very city, 
     which is home to the world's foremost institution dedicated 
     to promoting world peace. No terrorists can ever deflect this 
     body from the task to which it has dedicated itself since 
     1945--ending the scourge of war in whatever form it may take 
     once and for all.''
       The United Nations Security Council has, in the meantime, 
     acted decisively, at the initiative of the United States. The 
     General Assembly, in a rare show of unity, is deliberating 
     and adopting measures to eliminate international terrorism. 
     Ladies and Gentlemen, these were some of the thoughts that 
     are uppermost in my mind these turbulent days following the 
     Day of Terror.
       Had I been delivering these remarks a month ago, however, 
     my belief in the importance of the work of the Yale-China 
     Association would have been no less sincere. The tragic 
     events we have all recently witnessed--and developments yet 
     to unfold--inject a new sense of urgency into the 
     continuation of the Yale-China traditions that we honor here 
     tonight. In times such as these, it is more important than 
     ever to strengthen those impulses and institutions that 
     refute the power of violence, ignorance, and mutual hostility 
     among peoples. On the global scale, these institutions 
     include the United Nations, which I have the honor to serve, 
     and the many multilateral efforts to ensure peace and 
     security under its auspices. But no less significantly, they 
     include private associations of compassionate, committed 
     individuals reaching out beyond their own borders and working 
     to make the world a more tolerant, peaceful, and enlightened 
     place. Among such associations, the Yale-China Association 
     has been both a pioneer and an example for others for the 
     past century. The Yale-China Association is a banner 
     organization of quality and success.
       Close to one year ago, I had the pleasure of working with 
     Nancy Chapman and members of her staff at the Yale-China 
     Association to organize and to host the visit of Madame Chen 
     Zhili, Minister of Education of the People's Republic of 
     China. Minister Chen was the highest ranking member of the 
     Chinese

[[Page E2226]]

     government ever to visit Yale. On that occasion, I was 
     tremendously impressed by the efficiency and dedication of 
     the Yale-China staff. The success of this visit paved the way 
     for the extraordinarily warm welcome extended to President 
     Levin and his delegation this past May in Beijing. It is thus 
     a special pleasure to return this evening to be with you all 
     to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of this extraordinary 
     organization, which has contributed so much to the life of 
     Yale University and relations between China and the United 
     States.
       We are gathered to salute one of the great international 
     endeavors of the past century. Before there was a Rockefeller 
     Foundation, a United Nations, or a Peace Corps, there was the 
     Yale-China Association. Growing from missionary roots amid 
     the optimism and self-confidence of Yale's bicentennial 
     celebration in 1901, Yale-China soon evolved into a 
     bicultural educational enterprise that reflected Yale's 
     spirit of intellectual tolerance and openness. In the 
     process, Yale-China cultivated its own traditions of 
     compassion, cultural sensitivity, and selfless service for 
     the benefit of others. It is those traditions which we 
     celebrate this evening.
       Of course, China--indeed, our entire world--is a very 
     different place today from what it was a century ago. Who in 
     1901 could have foretold the extraordinary changes China has 
     undergone? Who even a decade or two ago would have predicted 
     China's recent advances in economic development and 
     education?
       Since its founding a century ago, the Yale-China 
     Association has been engaging young Chinese and American 
     people and equipping them with both an appreciation for and 
     the cross-cultural tools essential to successful world 
     citizenship. Today's instantaneous transmission of ideas and 
     images brings the world closer together, yet it cannot 
     replace the life-changing power of a single intense, personal 
     encounter between people of different cultural traditions. 
     Many of you--Chinese and Americans--have been touched by 
     Yale-China and can testify to its extraordinary power in your 
     lives. These encounters are important not only for the 
     individuals involved, but for the broader cause of 
     international understanding which forms the necessary 
     foundation for peace.
       Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
       People come and go, but our institutions and traditions 
     endure. Tonight, let us each commit ourselves with pride to 
     strengthening those institutions within our world that have 
     sustained hope and our shared humanity. Let us transform our 
     sorrow of the day of Terror and its aftermath into a renewed 
     resolve, and our loss into a gain for a humanity free of 
     terrorism.
       I congratulate the Yale-China Association on its hundredth 
     birthday and all of its accomplishments since its birth here 
     in New Haven--the students educated, the lives saved, the 
     suspicions and animosities dispelled and the spirit enriched. 
     May Yale-China's work and traditions continue as shining 
     light for many generations into the future!

     

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