    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [May 14, 1991]
    [Pages 506-507]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Welcoming Ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II of the United
    Kingdom
    May 14, 1991

        The President. Your Majesty and Your Royal Highness, ladies and
    gentlemen, and friends of what is indeed our special relationship. Your
    Majesty, on behalf of the American people, it is an honor to welcome you
    to the United States and to the White House.
        You have been freedom's friend for as long as we remember--back to
    World War II when, at 18, you joined the war against fascism. It was
    then that America first began to know you as one of us, came to love you
    as standing fast with us for freedom, summoning across the oceans our
    values and our dreams.
        George Bernard Shaw once joked that Britain and America are two
    countries separated by a common language. In truth, we are joined by a
    common heritage and culture, civilization and soul.
        On the occasion of your first state visit to the United States,
    Dwight Eisenhower spoke of these bonds of friendship. He said, ``Those
    ties have been tested in the crucible of war when we have fought side by
    side to defend the values we hold dear.'' That was true in 1957 and just
    as true today.
        For nearly 400 years, the histories of Britain and America have been
    inseparable. The first permanent English settlement in America was
    created at Jamestown, in Virginia, 384 years ago this week. Thirteen
    years later, the Pilgrims landed far to the north at a place they called
    Plymouth Rock, named after your great naval port from which they sailed.
        From those events sprang the American nation, believing, as you do,
    in the sanctity of the individual, and enriched by family ties that make
    our nations one. Because those ties have never been closer, today our
    alliance has perhaps never been stronger. For evidence, look to the
    sands and seas of the Persian Gulf. Our countries have long sought the
    real peace which means the triumph of freedom, not merely the absence of
    war. We know that you can't lock people behind walls forever when moral
    conviction uplifts their souls. So, like Monty and Ike, and Churchill
    and FDR, we linked hands and hearts in the Gulf to do what was right and
    good.
        Years from now, men will speak of American and
    British heroism in the Gulf, as they do today of our cooperation in two
    World Wars and 40 years of peacetime alliance. They will talk of the 1st
    Infantry Division and the Desert Rats and of the finest sons and
    daughters any nation could ever have. They will praise those who assured
    that naked aggression would not stand, and in so doing, salute Britain's
    help and leadership

    [[Page 507]]

    in forging our great coalition.
        The past year has reaffirmed our alliance of shared principles, our
    fidelity to democracy and to basic human rights, the fact that there
    will always be a Britain and that Britain will always be our friend.
        In that spirit, let me close with your words from a 1947 radio
    broadcast when, in the aftermath of another war, you issued both a
    pledge and a request. You told the British people: ``My whole life,
    whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the
    service of our family to which we all belong.'' And then you concluded:
    ``But I shall not have strength to carry out the resolution alone unless
    you join it with me.''
        Your Majesty, your example helped inspire a nation and helped your
    nation inspire the world. Because of what you are, because of what Great
    Britain means, all freedom-loving people stand ready to carry out your
    resolution: to achieve what is just and honorable for the nations of the
    globe.
        With great pleasure, then, on behalf of an American people which
    reveres their mother country, I welcome you and Prince Philip to this
    country, the United States of America. Thank you very much.
        The Queen. Mr. President, thank you for your warm welcome to
    Washington and to the White House. We are both delighted to be back in
    the United States and to find you in the best of health. It gives me
    particular pleasure that this visit comes so soon after a vivid and
    effective demonstration of the longstanding alliance between our two
    countries.
        It is 15 years since our last visit to Washington when, with a
    gallant disregard for history, we shared wholeheartedly in the
    celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the founding of this great
    nation. But it is 40 years since our first visit to this country, when
    Mr. Truman was President. It made such a deep impression that I can
    hardly believe that so many years have slipped past in the meanwhile.
        By now, I fully understand what Winston Churchill meant when he
    spoke of the inspiration and renewed vitality he found every time he
    came here. This country means more to the rest of the world than a rich
    and thriving community. In her third as in her first century, the United
    States represents an ideal, an emblem, and an example: an ideal of
    freedom under the law, an emblem of democracy, and an example of
    constant striving for the betterment of the people.
        I know that our days in Washington will be full of interest. And
    once again, we expect to be inspired and surprised by the warmth and
    generosity of the people of America. We are looking forward to renewing
    old friendships and to making new ones.
        Friendships need to be kept in good repair, not just the personal
    friendships between heads of state but the more diffused friendships
    between the governments and peoples of two nations. There is a symbolism
    in the events of such a visit that defies analysis but which has a way
    of reaching the hearts of people far and wide.
        At your kind invitation, Mr. President, we are here to celebrate and
    to reaffirm that friendship. I can assure you that we are truly happy to
    do so.

                        Note: The President spoke at 11:17 a.m. on the South
                            Lawn of the White House, where the Queen was
                            accorded a formal welcome with full military
                            honors. In his remarks, the President referred
                            to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Queen's
                            husband.