    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [March 27, 1991]
    [Pages 313-315]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to State Department Employees
    March 27, 1991

        The President. Thank you all very much for that warm reception. I
    really wanted to come over here, and I really wanted to say thank you.
    And I wanted to address our foreign policy professionals and all those
    who support them. You are, indeed, the men and women on the front lines
    of American interests, both in war and in peace. And this recent
    situation was no exception.

    [[Page 314]]

        Dwight Eisenhower once marveled at freedom's power to assemble
    ``lightness against the dark.'' Well, I think that all of you showed
    that rather eloquently in this Gulf situation, indeed, in our victory in
    the Persian Gulf. You acted for right against wrong. I don't know how
    each and every person here was motivated, but for me, very early on it
    became a clear choice of good versus evil, of right versus wrong. And
    when that happens it makes it easier to make some of the decisions.
        You spoke here, various officers, for dignity against oppression.
    And I salute you--I salute you on behalf of every American and all the
    freedom-loving peoples of the world.
        We do stand for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and no one
    tried harder to resolve the Gulf conflict peacefully than our Secretary
    of State Jim Baker, and then the entire State Department.
        You know, from August 1990 to January 15th of 1991--166 days--you
    conducted nonstop discussions in the hopes of reversing aggression, in
    the hopes of this peaceful settlement. Secretary of State Baker had more
    than 200 meetings with foreign dignitaries, 10 diplomatic missions, 6
    congressional appearances. I.O. and Tom Pickering, operating up in New
    York, helped put into effect 12 United Nations resolutions. And over
    103,000 miles traveled on the Secretary's part to talk with members of
    the U.N., the Arab League, and the European Community.
        Every American staff, every consulate, every bureau, and every
    department here and abroad facilitated these missions. The American
    people will always remember the courage of Embassy Baghdad and Embassy
    Kuwait. You were called upon, those that served there, to do your duty,
    and you did so.
        You worked closely with our allies, this Department did--an
    extraordinary coalition. I really believe that when history writes the
    final chapter on all of this, this coalition of--some might say
    disparate coalition--is going to be one of the highlights of what
    happened in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
        Indeed, I think all of your work inspired the American people. And
    you brought new respect, frankly--and deserved respect, in my view--to
    men and women for whom diplomacy is not merely a profession but it's a
    mission.
        During all of this, I recall several important meetings at the White
    House where I drew on the experience of, among others, Assistant
    Secretary Kelly, Ambassador Glaspie; met also with the--[applause]--I
    think that's appropriate. And also the returning officers from Embassy
    Kuwait and Embassy--he's back there. [Laughter] Ambassador Howell and
    Mr. Wilson later on, and so many others that just did a wonderful job.
        That mission, your mission, of course, deals with the entire world,
    not only the Middle East. It's a mission you carried out even as war
    raged in the Persian Gulf. We forget that at a time all of this was
    going on, just by way of example, there were some very harrowing
    problems still remaining, I might add, in Liberia. And you look at other
    trouble spots in the world, and things were going on. And those officers
    and those supporters of the missions there get very little credit for
    that. But you kept the foreign policy moving forward. You put out the
    fires, and you did a great job, even though not as much in the focus as
    those Embassies in Kuwait and Baghdad.
        So, you're dealing with the entire world. It went on; all that
    important work went on even as war raged in the Persian Gulf. And then
    you, along with the finest soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines
    and coast-guardsmen that any nation has ever known, helped light the
    lamp of liberty. Now, I'd like to see us use that, and I know many here
    are already actively involved in this, in illuminating a new world
    order.
        I know that your jobs often are not comfortable or safe. The
    scroll--there's a scroll outside that I've seen that tells the tale. Far
    too many Foreign Service officers have made the supreme sacrifice for
    this nation and the values it holds dear. And every day you guard this
    nation's freedom.
        In coming weeks, we'll be working together to shape this order--and
    in trying to bring peace, lasting peace, to the Middle East and every
    corner of the globe. We're talking about Lebanon; we're talking about
    the Palestine-Israel situation; we're talking about security and
    stability in the Gulf

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    itself. And our efforts are going to be critical to the solution of the
    problems in those three areas and so many others.
        But for now, let me simply leave you with a word of thanks, I'd say,
    on behalf of the entire coalition--and in memory of those who gave what
    Abraham Lincoln called ``the last full measure of devotion.''
        So, thank you all very, very much. I am very proud of you. I expect
    there are some times you wonder whether we know you exist way over four
    or five blocks away at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And there are probably
    sometimes you wish we didn't know you existed. [Laughter] You can
    interpret that any way you want.
        But I've had the privilege since 1971, when I was the Permanent
    Representative of the United States to the United Nations, to work
    closely with many people, many of whom are here today. Not so many old
    guys left, but quite a few. And it's been a joy, and it's been an honor.
    And I support you. And I just came over to say thanks. Thank you very
    much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 3:42 p.m. in the Dean
                            Acheson Room at the State Department. In his
                            remarks, he referred to Secretary of State James
                            A. Baker III; the Bureau of International
                            Organization Affairs; Thomas Pickering,
                            Ambassador to the United Nations; John H. Kelly,
                            Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
                            and South Asian Affairs; April Glaspie, former
                            Ambassador to Iraq; Nathaniel Howell, former
                            Ambassador to Kuwait; and Joseph Wilson, former
                            Charge d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.