[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[June 13, 1991]
[Pages 652-653]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Signing the Baltic Freedom Day Proclamation
June 13, 1991

    Welcome everybody, and please be seated. First of all, may I welcome 
Senator Riegle from Michigan and Congressmen Ritter and Hertel with us 
here today. Just delighted to have you here. And let me begin by 
thanking all of you. I'm sure it's inconvenient coming from as far away 
as some of you have, but you're welcome here, and we're delighted to 
have you.
    I had the pleasure of meeting some of you all a few months ago here 
at the White House. And I, frankly, valued and got a lot out of the 
exchange of views on the situations in the Baltic. And I pledged then 
and pledge again our desire to continue close consultation with Baltic-
Americans from whatever State and, of course, the Congress as well on 
these important questions.
    And it's an honor to mark this occasion, this important occasion 
with so many of the men and women who champion the cause--and have for 
years--of freedom for the Baltics.
    More than 50 years have passed since the dark days of June in 1940, 
when three sovereign nations were subjugated by superior force. In those 
50 years, the courage of the Baltic peoples has shown that force can 
subjugate a nation, but it cannot rob a people of their desire to be 
free.
    Never has anyone in this room believed that the fate of the Baltic 
States was sealed by that secret pact between Hitler and Stalin. Never 
has the United States recognized the forcible incorporation of the 
Baltic States into the Soviet Union. Never in five long decades have the 
people there and all of you too, I might add, lost hope: the indomitable 
spirit that sustains the history and heritage of the Baltics. 
Generations of sons and daughters who have never known freedom have 
faith that the Baltics will one day once more be free. Today, that dream 
of self-determination, the Baltics' democratic destiny, burns fiercely 
and bright.
    In Estonia, in Lithuania, and Latvia, freely elected legislatures 
now govern in the name of the people. The popular will has expressed its 
clear and unmistakable desire for freedom. And in the face of violence 
and intimidation, the Baltic peoples and their freely elected leaders 
have steadfastly refused to answer violence with violence, preferring 
the path of peace and principle.
    The resumption of negotiations between the Soviet Government and the 
Baltic States is a positive step. And yet there's much reason to be 
concerned about recent Soviet actions against customs posts in Lithuania 
and Latvia and the ongoing Soviet occupation of broadcast facilities in 
Vilnius--acts that are incompatible with the process of peaceful change. 
Good-faith negotiations cannot go forward in an atmosphere of threat and 
intimidation.
    And this nation has taken steps to demon- strate our support 
of the Baltic nations, the people there. In February, through the 
generous support of many of the groups represented here today, the U.S. 
shipped emergency medical supplies to Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. 
And I'm proud to say that since the response from the Baltic-American 
community has been so tremendous, we'll soon send a second shipment to 
the Baltics. These shipments are but one side of the affinity we feel as 
Americans with the

[[Page 653]]

aspirations of all the Baltic peoples.
    In May, I met here in the White House with the elected leaders of 
Lithuania and Estonia and Latvia--and my sixth meeting, incidentally, 
sixth meeting with the Baltic leaders in the past 12 months. And I will 
tell you today what I told them: At every opportunity, I and other 
members of our administration have made clear to President Gorbachev and 
to the other Soviet leaders this nation's firm belief in the legitimate 
aspirations of the Baltic States. The fate of freedom in the Baltics 
will remain high on our agenda.
    So, once more, keep up your good work. I think the educational 
process that all of you are engaged in as you help other Americans 
understand what's at stake here is very important to the ultimate 
solution to these problems. And I'm delighted to have you here. And may 
I say, God bless the people of the Baltics. And now I want to ask the 
Members of Congress to come up with me as I sign the proclamation 
designating June 14, 1991, Baltic Freedom Day.
    Thank you all very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. in the 
                        Roosevelt Room at the White House. In his 
                        remarks, he referred to Senator Donald W. 
                        Riegle, Jr.; Representatives Don Ritter and 
                        Dennis M. Hertel; and President Mikhail 
                        Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. The proclamation 
                        is listed in Appendix E at the end of this 
                        volume.