[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.