[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16731]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    AMBASSADOR JOSEPH VERNER REED SPEAKS IN MEMORY OF RONALD REAGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 19, 2004

  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, on June 5, 2004, our nation lost a 
distinguished statesman, a world leader and a fine President in Ronald 
Reagan. President Reagan was a man of his word, and his principles were 
unquestionable. He had extraordinary faith in the promise of America 
and the belief that the best of America is yet to come.
  On July 2, 2004, Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-
General of the United Nations, paid homage to Mr. Reagan at Kyung Hee 
University in Seoul, Korea. I submit the text of Mr. Reed's address to 
be entered into the Record.

 Statement of Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed at the Graduate School for 
   Pan Pacific International Studies of Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 
                           Republic of Korea

       An event in the United States eclipsed matters in the media 
     recently, and that was the passing of President Ronald 
     Reagan.
       I was privileged to have been appointed to three posts by 
     President Reagan. First as Ambassador to the Kingdom of 
     Morocco, then as Deputy Permanent Representative to the 
     United Nations as Ambassador to the Economic and Social 
     Council and lastly as the Under-Secretary-General for 
     Political and General Assembly Affairs of the United Nations.
       Several years ago I was privileged to accept on behalf of 
     President Reagan, here at Kyung Hee University, the Great 
     World Peace Award. It was an honor and a privilege.
       Ronald Wilson Reagan--father, husband, actor and dedicated 
     public servant--restored the pride, optimism and strength of 
     the United States and earned deep respect and affection of 
     his fellow citizens. When he passed away, we witnessed an 
     outpouring of solemnity, sorrow and reflection in our 
     country. In the view of many people, President Reagan remains 
     the most significant United States President since Franklin 
     Delano Roosevelt. He was a man who changed the course of 
     American politics, culture and world history. He was right on 
     the most important questions of his era: the role of 
     government and the defeat of the Soviet Union. The structure 
     of the American economy was altered profoundly by his term. 
     Top tax rates have never returned to their previously 
     punitive levels. America's current standing in world affairs 
     is also a direct result of President Reagan's calling the 
     Soviet Union's bluff in the 1980s and restoring US military 
     power and self-confidence. This was not evident at the time. 
     Everything President Reagan did was challenged. He was a 
     polarizing figure--more disdained in Europe than President 
     George W. Bush is today. For at least half his presidency he 
     was unpopular at home as well, as most effective Presidents 
     are.
       With his Californian optimism, President Reagan transformed 
     conservatism into a progressive force, into a political 
     philosophy that took risks and changed things. President 
     Reagan took conservatism into a reformist, unapologetic 
     governing philosophy. That achievement endures in the United 
     States.
       I feel blessed to have been appointed to posts in public 
     service by President Reagan. He inspired; he amused; he gave 
     conviction a sunny disposition. Because of him, millions live 
     in freedom where they once labored under tyranny. Because of 
     Ronald Wilson Reagan, America was recharged and freedom 
     reborn. In life it is rare to live under a political leader 
     who evokes love as well as respect.
       President Reagan's extraordinary political gifts carried 
     him through--his talents as a communicator, his intuitive 
     understanding of the average American, his unfailing 
     geniality even after being hit by an assassin's bullet, his 
     ability to build and sustain friendships across partisan 
     lines. Those gifts--and his conviction that words counted for 
     far more in politics that mere deeds--enabled him to convince 
     large majorities that as long as he was in charge, it would 
     remain ``Morning in America''. I believe the cool eye of 
     history will place Ronald Reagan in the list of the great 
     Presidents.
       President Reagan believed that America was not just a place 
     in the world, but the hope of the world. He came to office 
     with great hopes for America. He was optimistic that a strong 
     America could advance peace, and he acted to build the 
     strength that this mission required. He was optimistic that 
     liberty would thrive wherever it was planted, and he acted to 
     defend liberty wherever it was threatened. And Ronald Reagan 
     believed in the power of truth in the conduct of world 
     affairs. When he saw evil camped across the horizon, he 
     called that evil by its name. Who can ever forget President 
     Reagan in Berlin calling ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this 
     wall''?
       Ronald Wilson Reagan belongs to the ages; a great American 
     story has closed.

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