    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [July 3, 1993]
    [Pages 993-995]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    July 3, 1993

        Good morning. Two hundred and seventeen years ago, our Founding
    Fathers declared our independence to secure the liberty and prosperity
    we celebrate every July Fourth. Although our times and challenges are
    very different from those our founders faced, these issues are still the
    enduring concerns of the American people today.
        In a few days, I will represent the United States in Japan at the
    annual meeting of the

    [[Page 994]]

    major industrialized nations of the world to work for new global
    policies that create more American jobs, open markets for our products,
    and strengthen our security as we embrace the challenges of this new
    world. America commands respect on the world stage because we have taken
    aggressive steps to put our own economic house in order at a time when
    all the advanced nations are having real troubles with the economy.
        Here in Washington the House and Senate have both passed versions of
    my economic plan to promote growth and to reduce the deficit by $500
    billion. The plan also has incentives for people to invest more in our
    economy, to create jobs, and provides money for education and training
    in new technologies and helps the defense workers who have been laid-off
    by defense cuts.
        We've made a good beginning now. As this plan has progressed through
    the Congress, interest rates have continued to come down, mortgage rates
    are now below 7.5 percent, and nearly 1 million new jobs have been added
    to the economy since January, about the same number as came in the
    previous 3 years.
        Change is hard, though. Many people are still skeptical. Many of the
    opponents of my plan chant ``tax-and-spend.'' But the truth is, it's not
    an old tax-and-spend plan. And the people who are attacking it are those
    who taxed the middle class, cut taxes on the wealthy, borrowed and spent
    our economy into a $4 trillion debt in the last 12 years. Our plan is
    fair. It has $250 billion in spending cuts and asks the upper 6 percent
    of Americans to pay 75 percent of the new taxes. It moves the working
    poor out of poverty. It enables me to attend this meeting of the other
    advanced nations with a record of real results that will encourage our
    competitors to take steps to revive their economies as well. And that's
    important for every American, because we can't grow the United States
    economy as we ought to until we have cooperation from other nations, and
    they're growing. Why? Because since 1987, two-thirds of our new jobs
    have come from exports. We live in a global economy. We have to compete
    all over the world, and we have to sell our products and services
    everywhere.
        When we stepped up to the plate here at home to get our own house in
    order, it enabled us to make the global economy work for the people of
    the United States if others will do their part. And that's what we're
    working on now. As I said, all the nations I'll be meeting with are
    facing difficult times. Their economies are even slower than ours. But
    we know that together we can grow, we can have a stronger economy, and
    we can have more security.
        I'd like to talk to you about that for a few minutes. Because of the
    vigilance, the democratic values, the military strength of the United
    States and our allies, we won the cold war. Our inheritance, our victory
    is a new chance to rebuild our economies and solve our problems in each
    of our countries while we reduce military spending. But our profound
    responsibility remains to redefine what it means to preserve security in
    this post-cold-war era We must be strong, we must be resolute, and we
    must be safe. This great task has certainly changed with the passage of
    the cold war. The technologies of mass destruction in the hands of
    Russia and the United States are being reduced. But technologies of mass
    destruction that just a few years ago were possessed only by a handful
    of nations, and still are possessed only by a few, are becoming more
    widely available. It is now theoretically possible for many countries to
    build missiles, to have nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
    destruction. This is a new and different challenge that requires new
    approaches and new thinking.
        During my campaign for President, I promised a wholehearted
    commitment to achieving a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. A test
    ban can strengthen our efforts worldwide to halt the spread of nuclear
    technology in weapons. Last year, the Congress directed that a test ban
    be negotiated by 1996, and it established an interim moratorium on
    nuclear testing while we reviewed our requirements for further tests.
    That moratorium on testing expires soon. Congress said that after the
    moratorium expires, but before a test ban was achieved, the United
    States could carry out up to 15 nuclear tests to ensure the safety and
    reliability of our weapons. After a thorough review, my administration
    has determined that the nuclear weapons in the United States arsenal are
    safe and reliable. Additional nuclear tests could help us prepare for a
    test ban and provide for some additional improvements in safety and
    reliability. However, the price we would pay in conducting those tests
    now, by undercutting our own nonproliferation goals and ensuring that
    other nations would resume testing, outweighs these

    [[Page 995]]

    benefits.
        I have therefore decided to extend the current moratorium on United
    States nuclear testing at least through September of next year, as long
    as no other nation tests. And I call on the other nuclear powers to do
    the same. If these nations will join us in observing this moratorium, we
    will be in the strongest possible position to negotiate a comprehensive
    test ban and to discourage other nations from developing their own
    nuclear arsenals.
        If, however, this moratorium is broken by another nation, I will
    direct the Department of Energy to prepare to conduct additional tests
    while seeking approval to do so from Congress. I therefore expect the
    Department to maintain a capability to resume testing.
        To assure that our nuclear deterrent remains unquestioned under a
    test ban, we will explore other means of maintaining our confidence in
    the safety, the reliability, and the performance of our own weapons. We
    will also refocus much of the talent and resources of our Nation's
    nuclear labs on new technologies to curb the spread of nuclear weapons
    and verify arms control treaties.
        Beyond these significant actions, I am also taking steps to
    revitalize the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency so that it can play
    an active role in meeting the arms control and nonproliferation
    challenges of this new era. I am committed to protecting our people,
    deterring aggression, and combating terrorism. The work of combating
    proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is difficult and unending,
    but it is an essential part of this task. It must be done.
        Americans have earned the right on this Fourth of July weekend to
    enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the new era America
    did so much to create. This moment of opportunity is the reward for our
    vigilance and sacrifice during the long years of the cold war.
        We now have the freedom to concern ourselves not merely with
    survival but with prosperity for ourselves and our children. We have the
    strength and the stature to lead the world into a future of greater
    security and global growth.
        Because of the changes we have made, America can now fulfill the
    dreams and aspirations of the patriots who made our freedom possible
    more than 200 years ago. We can do them no greater honor than to make
    the most of what these times have to offer. Working together, we will.
        Have a happy and safe holiday, and thanks for listening.

    Note: This address was recorded at 6:34 p.m. on July 2 in the Roosevelt
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 3.