    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [September 28, 1994]
    [Page 1642]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1642]]

    Remarks on Opening the Library of Congress Exhibit on the History of the
    Russian Orthodox Church in North America
    September 28, 1994

        Thank you very much. President and Mrs. Yeltsin, Mr. Speaker,
    Senator Stevens, distinguished Members of Congress and other guests: I'd
    like to say a special word of commendation to Dr. Billington. I don't
    have an informed opinion about his Russian, but his English was
    impeccable this morning.
        I'm honored to be joined by the President of the Russian Federation
    in opening the exhibit on the 200th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox
    Church in North America. We gather in a new era of cooperation between
    our countries, but this exhibit reminds us that the ties between our
    peoples are old and deep.
        Two centuries ago, eight Russian priests arrived in North America to
    minister to Russian traders and the native peoples of Alaska. Together
    they forged a partnership, a new Russian and native American community
    that eventually would stretch down the Pacific coast. Though born on
    different continents, they were all resourceful, brave, and faithful
    people.
        A century later, another Russian came to Alaska, Archbishop Tikhon.
    He soon presided over all the new Russian communities that had grown
    throughout the entire United States. He oversaw the completion of St.
    Nicholas Cathedral in New York City and returned to his mother country
    to become the first patriarch of Russia since the time of Peter the
    Great.
        In the years since, countless Russian immigrants to America have
    formed churches and cultural associations in many of our great cities
    and farming communities. They have strengthened American industry,
    education, science, and most notably, the arts: literature, music, and
    dance. As this exhibit shows, our Nation's history has long been
    enriched by the Russian people, their fortitude, their culture, and
    their faith.
        President Yeltsin, this library is a fitting place for this
    exhibition, for the Library of Congress first grew out of the personal
    library of our third President, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the
    Declaration of Independence and one of our first champions of religious
    tolerance and freedom. Today, the spirit of respect and understanding
    thrives in the exchange programs offered to the brilliant minds of young
    people from Russia and the United States. And we are joined here today
    by 30 of those students who have benefited from the exchange programs
    that our two Governments support so strongly. I'd like to recognize
    especially the efforts of our USIA Director, Joe Duffey, and Senator
    Bill Bradley, who have worked so hard to make these exchanges a reality.
    Thomas Jefferson would be proud of them both.
        As we remember the ties between Russia and America of two centuries
    ago, let us welcome our new ties and the new spirit of cooperation and a
    new century of partnership that lies ahead, remembering that much of it
    began on one of the most important principles of our entire existence in
    America, the principle of religious liberty. When our Founders fought
    for the freedom of this country, they pledged their lives, their
    fortunes, and their sacred honor for the right of every American to
    worship as he or she chooses.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:28 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Library
    of Congress. In his remarks, he referred to James H. Billington,
    Librarian of Congress.