[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[January 22, 1992]
[Pages 129-131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Citizens Democracy Corps Conference

January 22, 1992
    This is strictly a cameo appearance, a drop-by. I would ask these 
distinguished panelists to excuse the interruption and let you return to 
your regular program in just a few minutes. But I'm delighted to see 
Ambassador Hartman here, who served his country with such distinction; 
most recent post, unless I missed one, was to what used to be the Soviet 
Union, and did a great job. Then, of course, Ambassador Polansky, the 
CDC's Executive Director.
    In less than 2 years, this Corps, this Citi-

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zens Democracy Corps, has proved to be an idea ahead of its time. The 
first mission was to reach out to the newly independent nations of 
Eastern and Central Europe. And today, the CDC's mandate extends not 
only to the nations in the old Soviet bloc but to the Baltic States and 
then even to the former Soviet Union itself.
    Let me also welcome a couple of others: Cooper Evans, that worked 
long and hard in this building after he served with such distinction in 
the Congress, a good friend of long standing; Diane Butterfield, who I 
know is doing a lot of efficient work with the staff, modestly standing 
over here. And I'm told, but I don't see him right here, that Max 
Kampelman was here. Was he, or not? Well, he's supposed to be here--
[laughter]--and tell him he's got three demerits for not being here--
[laughter]--because I was going to say something very--where is he? Hey, 
Max. Anytime they can put Max Kampelman in the back of the room in the 
shadows, there's something wrong with the way this thing is set up. But 
let me just say I'm grateful for his participation. And like Art Hartman 
and others here, he really worked hard for human rights and for peace 
and for all the values that all of us believe in so strongly. George 
Soros is here, the president of the Soros Fund management. My thanks to 
all of you, all of you, for coming to Washington to take part in an 
effort that really can, literally, shape the history.
    You meet at a critical moment. Right now in the lands of the former 
Soviet Union, a new revolution is unfolding right before our very eyes. 
Millions of people have shed the dead weight of the Communist past to 
reclaim their heritage and their history, to revive the powerful hope 
all people share of living in freedom.
    This moment of great hope is also a time of terrible hardship, 
tremendous hardship. Seventy years of the Soviet experience and the 
implosion of the socialist economy have taken their toll, the harsh 
winter, empty shelves fueling discontent and threatening democracy's 
great gains. The challenge now for the newly independent States of the 
old Soviet Union is to create a breathing space for free-market reform 
and democratic institutions to take root and grow.
    Earlier this morning I went over to the State Department, meeting 
with representatives of over 47 nations. I think 40 of them are at the 
foreign minister level. They're all now focusing on the urgent question 
of humanitarian aid for the former Soviet Union. Look, our country has 
always helped when people need food or medical attention. We've always 
tried to do our level-best to help people in need around the world, and 
this should be no exception.
    And today I proposed that Congress now approve an additional 
assistance, $600 million in technical assistance, in humanitarian aid to 
help the people of the Commonwealth of Independent States. At the urging 
of many in this room, we have stepped up, and we have tried to do our 
part with several billion dollars of food aid arrangements. We have a 
tremendous stake in the success of Russia and, indeed, of the other 
members of the CIS, of this Commonwealth of Independent States.
    But I came here to make the point that obviously you all understand, 
and that is that Government to Government is only part of the overall 
equation. Bringing the former Soviet Republics into the community of 
free nations is a task that can never be accomplished by Government 
alone, particularly now, particularly with this experience that's taking 
place before our eyes. The move to market economy, the need to remake, 
totally remake the financial institutions, whatever it is, it cannot be 
done by Government alone.
    So, we've got to build the human contacts that give free government 
its real meaning. The countless exchanges that take place every day 
among private individuals, they help; and between businesses and labor, 
terribly important; the academic exchanges or just contacts by our 
academicians making contacts with theirs, wherever that may be, terribly 
important.
    All the groups and organizations that give life to a free society 
ought to be trying in one way or another to interact. And that's where 
each one of your organizations come in. That's why I proposed the 
Citizens Democracy Corps. As I said back in the spring of '90 when it 
was announced, the real strength of democracy is its citizens, the

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collective strength of individual Americans.
    So, let me single out the work of one group here today as a proof of 
the kind of difference that all of you can make. It's a project called 
Dakota Cares, sponsored by the North Dakota Grain Growers Association. 
It started with one of the traditions of the American heartland, 
pitching in to help someone in need, and transported that idea to people 
in need thousands of miles away.
    Right now, Dakota Cares is moving 100 tons of flour to the people of 
St. Petersburg, each bag stamped as a gift from the State of North 
Dakota. Its ability to move that flour across the country, across an 
ocean, and off the docks and into the homes of people who need it is 
testament to our spirit, to the American spirit at its very best.
    That same spirit animates all the people gathered in this room 
because you do represent a cross section of American society, people 
with the expertise and the energy to help an old adversary make the 
transition to free markets and free government, people who show the 
world the true meaning of democracy in action. And I am very, very 
pleased to see so many American organizations, so many individuals so 
active in strengthening the forces of freedom and democracy.
    Let me just say on the Government's part, we are going to stay 
involved. We're in a funny kind of tough year now in terms of 
priorities. But I must not and I will not neglect my responsibilities to 
do what I can do as the President of this great country in mobilizing 
others to do the good work of government, to help where governments can. 
I'm looking forward to seeing President Yeltsin, for example, when he 
comes here, talking about the problems that I'm sure many of you are 
talking about today. We will stay actively and fully involved.
    Everyone is looking to the United States of America, to our 
leadership, since the crumbling of the Soviet Union, not just in how we 
treat with the Commonwealth but how we treat with other problems from 
the Middle East to South America to wherever in the world. So we've got 
to stay involved as a Government, and I just wanted you all to know that 
I will do my level-best to keep the Government-to-Government programs on 
the right footing. But the Government simply can't do it, can't do it 
all. We need your help, and we need your active involvement.
    And it is an enormously exciting period. It's a time of trouble, a 
time of great grief and worry for the people over there, human 
suffering. But we've got to look at it like it's a time of great 
promise, not just for democracy and freedom and free markets in these 
things but for a whole new relationship between our country and these 
former--the one former adversary, parts of which we are trying to help 
now to the best of our ability.
    So thank you very, very much for your concern and your interest. And 
believe me, you are engaged in something that is fundamental, 
fundamental to world peace. Thank you.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:17 a.m. in Room 450 
                        of the Old Executive Office Building to the 
                        Conference on Private Sector Assistance to the 
                        Commonwealth of Independent States, sponsored by 
                        the Citizens Democracy Corps. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Cooper Evans, member of the board of 
                        directors of Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative 
                        Assistance; Diane Butterfield, director of 
                        finance and administration for the CDC; and Max 
                        M. Kampelman, member of the board of the 
                        International Media Fund and member of the 
                        Executive Committee of the American Bar 
                        Association's Special Committee on the Central 
                        and Eastern European Law Initiative.