[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[January 1, 1991]
[Pages i-xii]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
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PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
P U B L I C P A P E R S O F P R E S I D E N T S
O F T H E
U N I T E D S T A T E S
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[[Photographic insert]]
photographic portfolio
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PUPLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS
OF THE
UNITED STATES
________________________
George Bush
1991
(IN TWO BOOKS)
BOOK I--JANUARY 1 TO JUNE 30, 1991
________________________
United States Government Printing Office
Washington : 1992
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Published by the
Office of the Federal Register
National Archives and Records Administration
For sale by the
Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402
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Foreword
On January 16, 1991, the United States and its coalition partners
launched Operation Desert Storm. At midnight on February 27, the guns
fell silent; Iraq's unlawful occupation of Kuwait was ended. This was a
victory for every country in the coalition and for the United Nations.
This Nation fought with honor and valor. We owe our heartfelt
appreciation to our sons and daughters in our Armed Forces who achieved
such a quick and decisive outcome.
Before launching the operation, the United States explored every
avenue for a principled peace. The United Nations, with the full support
of the United States, had tried to apply peaceful pressure to force Iraq
out of Kuwait and had given Iraq until January 15 to comply with its
resolutions. Secretary of State Baker travelled to Geneva to meet with
Iraqi Foreign Minister Aziz on January 9 to convince him of the
seriousness of our will. Despite all our efforts, Saddam Hussein chose
to ignore the UN's deadline to withdraw from Kuwait. We had no choice
but to use military force, and, as a result, Kuwait is once again free.
In its wake, the Gulf War also opened an historic opportunity to
settle the Arab-Israeli dispute. To move this process forward, Secretary
Baker made numerous trips through the region, to see whether the United
States could act as a catalyst for peace. We made great progress toward
our goal of convening a Middle East peace conference. At the same time,
to address another serious problem in the region--the proliferation of
destabilizing conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction together
with the means to deliver them--I proposed a Middle East arms control
initiative.
The Persian Gulf and Middle East were not, however, the sole focus
of attention during this time. Economics and trade remained important
issues. To aid our goal of a successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round,
the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative, and the North American Free
Trade Agreement, I asked Congress to extend my ``fast track''
negotiating authority. I also signed a transboundary clean-air agreement
with Canada, added additional measures to our trade enhancement
initiatives for central and eastern Europe, and extended Most Favored
Nation trading status to the People's Republic of China for another
year. On February 4, I proposed that agreement be reached on a global
climate change convention by June 1992.
U.S. relations with the Soviet Union were, as always, of central
importance. The successful international effort to oust Saddam Hussein
from Kuwait would have been immeasurably more difficult without the
cooperation of the USSR. Nevertheless, we did not let this deter us from
protesting the excessive use of Soviet force in the Baltic Republics. At
the same time, to help alleviate a serious food shortage confronting the
people of the Soviet Union, I sent a mission there to examine and report
back to me on the food distribution system. In light of their
recommendations, I extended additional credit guarantees to the Soviet
Union. I also waived the Jackson-Vanik Amendment because of the USSR's
greatly improved record in emigration.
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To maintain our competitiveness internationally, we must invest
wisely in America's future--by promoting excellence in American
education. My national education strategy, ``America 2000,'' will help
us achieve by the year 2000 the six national education goals which the
Governors and I announced in 1990. America 2000 calls for a nationwide
effort involving every sector of our society and all Americans. It is
intended to stimulate reform and restructuring of our education system
in ways that enhance local control and innovation, while at the same
time encouraging parental involvement and choice and improving student
achievement levels.
In my State of the Union Address, I proposed an aggressive program
of new prevention initiatives to promote a heathier America, including
Healthy Start for infants. The Administration offered proposals for
medical malpractice reform, and my Budget also increased support for
Federal biomedical research. A strong Federally assisted highway system
is critical to our economy, and my Surface Transportation Assistance Act
is intended to achieve this important goal. Our National Energy Strategy
will strengthen America's future by increasing energy efficiency,
expanding the Nation's fuel and technology choices, and developing all
of America's energy resources in an environmentally sound fashion.
Additionally, cost-effective environmental initiatives for implementing
the Clean Air Act, revising our wetlands policy, and seeking ways to
reduce air toxic emissions will ensure a safer environment for all
Americans.
A sound, internationally competitive banking system is also critical
to our economic vitality and the financial well-being of our citizens.
This Spring, I proposed comprehensive financial sector reforms that
would modernize our outdated banking laws in order to make our banking
system stronger and safer. This legislation offers a carefully balanced,
integrated approach to increased competitiveness, a sound deposit
insurance system that safeguards the deposits of all Americans, and a
national regulatory structure that is both stronger and streamlined.
In my State of the Union Address, I emphasized the need to ``put
more power and opportunity in the hands of the individual.'' I
retransmitted a crime bill, the Comprehensive Violent Crime Control Act
of 1991, to the Congress. We could create thousands of new jobs for
individuals in our cities by encouraging expanded investment through
urban enterprise zones. We also asked the Congress to help us expand
opportunities for greater tenant ownership of public housing and tenant
management in dozens of American communities. And if we want to expand
opportunities for individuals, we need to make sure that barriers to
such opportunities are eliminated. That is why we are vigorously
enforcing the civil rights laws that enhance individual opportunity.
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Preface
This book contains the papers and speeches of the 41st President of the
United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary
during the period January 1-June 30, 1991. The material has been
compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National
Archives and Records Administration.
The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates
shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In
instances when the release date differs from the date of the document
itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Every effort has been made
to ensure accuracy: Remarks are checked against a tape recording, and
signed documents are checked against the original. Textnotes and cross
references have been provided by the editors for purposes of
identification or clarity. Speeches were delivered in Washington, DC,
unless indicated. The times noted are local times. All materials that
are printed full-text in the book have been indexed in the subject and
name indexes, and listed in the document categories list.
The Public Papers of the Presidents series was begun in 1957 in
response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications
Commission. An extensive compilation of messages and papers of the
Presidents covering the period 1789 to 1897 was assembled by James D.
Richardson and published under congressional authority between 1896 and
1899. Since then, various private compilations have been issued, but
there was no uniform publication comparable to the Congressional Record
or the United States Supreme Court Reports. Many Presidential papers
could be found only in the form of mimeographed White House releases or
as reported in the press. The Commission therefore recommended the
establishment of an official series in which Presidential writings,
addresses, and remarks of a public nature could be made available.
The Commission's recommendation was incorporated in regulations of
the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, issued under
section 6 of the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. 1506), which may be
found in title 1, part 10, of the Code of Federal Regulations.
A companion publication to the Public Papers series, the Weekly
Compilation of Presidential Documents, was begun in 1965 to provide a
broader range of Presidential materials on a more timely basis to meet
the needs of the contemporary reader. Beginning with the administration
of Jimmy Carter, the Public Papers series expanded its coverage to
include all material as printed in the Weekly Compilation. That coverage
provides a listing of the President's daily schedule and meetings, when
announced, and other items of general interest issued by the Office of
the Press Secretary. Also included are lists of the President's
nominations submitted to the Senate, materials released by the Office of
the Press Secretary that are not printed full-text in the book, acts
approved by the President, and proclamations and Executive orders. This
information appears in the appendixes at the end of the book.
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Volumes covering the administrations of Presidents Hoover, Truman,
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan are also
available.
The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the
direction of Gwen H. Estep. The Chief Editor of this book was Karen
Howard Ashlin, assisted by Sheli Fleming.
White House liaison was provided by Marlin Fitzwater, Assistant to
the President and Press Secretary. The frontispiece and photographs used
in the portfolio were supplied by the White House Photo Office. The
typography and design of the book were developed by the Government
Printing Office under the direction of Robert W. Houk, Public Printer.
Martha L. Girard
Director of the Federal Register
Don W. Wilson
Archivist of the United States
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Contents
Foreword . . . v
Preface . . . vii
Cabinet . . . x
Public Papers of George Bush,
January 1-June 30, 1991 . . . 1
Appendix A
Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 739
Appendix B
Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 769
Appendix C
Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 781
Appendix D
Acts Approved by the President . . . 789
Appendix E . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Proclamations and Executive Orders . . .
Appendix F
Points of Light Recognition Program . . . 797
subject index . . . a-1
Name Index . . . b-1
Document Categories List . . . c-1
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Cabinet
Secretary of State ............. James Addison Baker III
Secretary of the Treasury .......Nicholas F. Brady
Secretary of Defense ........... Richard B. Cheney
Attorney General ............... Richard L. Thornburgh
Secretary of the Interior ...... Manuel Lujan, Jr
Secretary of Agriculture ....... Clayton Yeutter
Edward R. Madigan
(sworn in March 8)
Secretary of Commerce .......... Robert Adam Mosbacher
Secretary of Labor ............. Lynn M. Martin
Secretary of Health and Human
Services ............. Louis W. Sullivan
Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development .................... Jack Kemp
Secretary of Transportation .... Samuel Knox Skinner
Secretary of Energy ............ James D. Watkins
Secretary of Education ......... Lamar Alexander
Secretary of Veterans Affairs .. Edward J. Derwinski
Director of the Office of
Management and Budget .......... Richard G. Darman
United States Trade
Representative ................. Carla Anderson Hills
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