    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [March 20, 1991]
    [Pages 294-295]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Toasts at the State Dinner for President Lech Walesa of Poland
    March 20, 1991

        President Bush. Mr. President and Mrs. Walesa, 2 years ago Barbara
    and I had the privilege of dining at your home in Gdansk. And today we
    are simply delighted to have you and other members of the Polish
    delegation at the White House.
        It's been said that the character of a people is embodied in its
    leaders. And that is certainly true of tonight's honored guest. Eight
    years ago you were unable to visit Norway to accept the Nobel Peace
    Prize. Tonight, America salutes you as an apostle of peace throughout
    the world.
        Some leaders reflect their time. Mr. Presi- dent, you have defined
    your time. You have been resolute in defeat and magnanimous in victory.
    You have fought to preserve liberty for all: for individuals, choice;
    for soci-

    [[Page 295]]

    eties, pluralism; for nations, self-determination. To a crisis of the
    spirit, you supplied an answer of the spirit--an answer forged upon
    trust in God and man.
        Over the centuries Poland suffered through a winter of adversity.
    But you and your countrymen have delivered Poland into a springtime of
    thrilling possibility. You've brought us all to the verge of a new and
    freer world. And you helped a nation and a planet, if you will, summon
    lightness against the dark.
        You've delivered the message of freedom everywhere. Go to Gdansk or
    Warsaw--they know that by rediscovering its past, Poland is uplifting
    the future. Mr. President, under you, sir, Poles have learned anew that
    the individual, not the state, is the voice of tomorrow. You've used
    that voice to unlock minds and boundaries, enlarging Poland's horizons
    and helping build a new Europe, whole and free. For that, I thank you on
    behalf of every American.
        Let me close with a story that shows the spiritual ties that bind
    our lands. It happened in 1776, when America was at a turning point in
    its history. A great Polish patriot fought with the Colonies, then
    returned to Poland with a simple three-word message. Today, 200 years
    later, you have returned General Kosciusko's message to the country of
    its birth: liberty, security, property. These words inspired the Joint
    Declaration of Principles that we signed today.
        And so, now may I invite all our guests to raise our glasses to
    Polish-American friendship; to the health of our dear, admired friend;
    and to the liberty we can and must achieve for all the children of the
    world. Mr. President, sto lat. May you live 100 years. God bless you.
        President Walesa. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, I'm convinced
    that I shall be at a loss for words to express my gratitude. It is for
    the second time that I'm present in the White House. It is, to me, a
    reason for honor, and it is moving.
        It is also proof of the friendship that links the American nation
    with the Polish nation. This friendship was seen by the hundreds of
    thousands of Poles who, here, found their second motherland. They came
    from across the ocean because they were looking for freedom. America was
    freedom to them and remained a symbol of freedom.
        Today, we and the country on the Vistula River also have freedom.
    Nobody, thank God, has to leave Poland. We have achieved new prospects
    through the reduction of the Polish debt. We are deeply grateful for the
    role which you, Mr. President, played in this magnificent act. It is a
    relief for millions of Poles. We shall remember this.
        Two years ago, you were a guest in my home in Gdansk. Now, I am your
    guest in America. I am met here with undescribable sincerity. I hope
    that we shall meet on many more occasions. At the end, I would like to
    toast the most popular politician in Poland. [Laughter] Today it was
    passed on to the mass media--this politician, President George Bush.
    [Laughter] I came up third in the poll. [Laughter]
        So, to your health and that of your wife. To the health of all
    present here, all the magnificent American friends, your health.

                        Note: President Bush spoke at 8:15 p.m. in the State
                            Dining Room at the White House. In his remarks,
                            he referred to President Walesa's wife, Danuta.
                            President Walesa spoke in Polish, and his
                            remarks were translated by an interpreter.