[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

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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

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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.