    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [July 26, 1995]
    [Pages 1149-1151]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to James A.
    Lovell, Jr., and an Exchange With Reporters
    July 26, 1995

        The President. I am delighted to be here with all these
    distinguished Members of Congress. I hope I don't miss any. I have
    Senators Mikulski, Burns, Heflin, Glenn; Members of the House,
    Congressmen Hall, Sensenbrenner, Cramer, Chapman, and Mineta. I also
    want to thank Dr. Jack Gibbons, my science adviser, for being here and
    for his support of the space program and, of course, Dan Goldin, the
    Administrator of NASA, who told me just a few moments before coming out
    here that he worked on the engine as a young scientist that brought Jim
    Lovell home safely. So he's--[applause]--we thank you for that. And of
    course, we're delighted to have Pete Conrad, a former astronaut and a
    Space Medal recipient here, and Tom Hanks and his son, Colin, are here.
    They're here not only because of ``Apollo 13'' but because when they
    make the sequel to ``Forrest Gump,'' now he won't have to have a
    computer-generated President. [Laughter]
        Most of America is now familiar with the five words spoken by Gene
    Kranz when he was Flight Commander of Apollo 13 because of the wonderful
    movie that so many of us have seen: Failure is not an option. That was
    the creed for the Apollo 13 crew and for the dedicated people of Mission
    Control and throughout NASA during those difficult days of April 1970.
        Everyone connected with the mission understood that it was
    imperative to work together and to remain diligent in the face of
    enormous obstacles. The words ``failure is not an option'' have meaning
    far beyond that one extraordinary mission. In many ways, they have
    become, for millions of Americans seeing that movie, a statement of the
    national purpose we all need as we move toward a new century and a new
    and uncharted time here on Earth.
        The space program was born of competition with the Soviet Union, but
    it sowed the seeds for peaceful cooperation today. We enjoy with the
    Russians today a remarkable partnership,

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    which we saw recently in that astonishing rendezvous between the shuttle
    and the Mir. By replacing warheads with space capsules atop the Saturn V
    rocket, we launched more than a space program; we launched the beginning
    of the end of the cold war.
        Although we face great challenges today, I think we all know deep
    down inside that if we can muster the same determination, dedication,
    commitment, and sense of partnership that we saw in the story of the
    heroes of Apollo 13, we will get the job done.
        I am so honored to have Captain and Mrs. Lovell with us today. And
    to Jim Lovell: And now all America knows more clearly than they have for
    25 years that while you may have lost the Moon, as the phrase goes, you
    gained something perhaps far more important, the abiding respect and
    gratitude of the American people. And you gained another important
    foothold in the long struggle here in the United States to maintain our
    space program and to make it a part of our definition of what it means
    to be an American and to fight for the future.
        What you did up there and what you have accomplished in your life
    here on Earth continues to be an inspiration to all your fellow
    Americans. And therefore, I am honored to present to you, in the
    presence of two former recipients, the Congressional Space Medal of
    Honor. I thank Peter Conrad and my good friend Senator John Glenn for
    being here and for their contributions to the space program and to the
    welfare of the United States.
        And I'd like to say, thank you, again, Captain Lovell, on behalf of
    all Americans. I'd like to ask my military aide now to read the
    citation.

    [At this point, Lt. Comdr. June E. Ryan, USCG, read the citation.]

        Captain Lovell. Mr. President and distinguished guests, you know, I
    humbly accept this medal as Commander of Apollo 13, but with the
    understanding, really, that it was the efforts and the intuition and the
    teamwork of my crewmates, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, and the hundreds
    of people within NASA and the contractor group that really worked hard
    to make this team effort and the success of Apollo 13 to come back to be
    a successful recovery.
        And so, thank you very much. I really do appreciate this.

    Bosnia

        Q. Mr. President, do you think that the Senate vote on the arms lift
    is a repudiation of your policies?
        The President. No, I think it is an expression of the concern the
    Senate has for the inability of the United Nations mission in the past
    to do what it said it was going to do and to protect the people of
    Bosnia from the aggression of the Serbs.
        And I think the--first of all, I think in the adoption of the
    amendment by Senator Nunn and in several other ways the resolution is
    better than it was. Secondly, I noted from the comments that there are
    many people who voted in the majority who are still willing to work with
    us.
        I do not believe the strong course for the United States and the
    strong course for the people of Bosnia is to unilaterally lift the arms
    embargo, collapse the U.N. mission, and increase the chances of
    injecting American troops there. I don't believe that. I think the
    strong course is to have a powerful use of air power and to support the
    rapid reaction force that the French and the British are putting on the
    ground that they have proved will attack back if they're attacked.
        I have worked for 10 days to get NATO the ability to act through the
    United Nations to really use that air power to raise the price of
    aggression for the Bosnian Serbs. That is the only thing that has worked
    in the last 2\1/2\ years, and it has worked when we have done it.
        And I will say that in London over the weekend and then yesterday at
    NATO we have made substantial progress. We have a commitment now to a
    much tougher air posture. That is the only thing that we know based on
    our own experience that has a chance of working and pushing this whole
    process back to the conference table and stopping the aggression.
        So I think the Congress wants something done. I do, too. I do not
    believe a unilateral lift of the embargo is the right way to go. I
    believe that there is clear evidence from the speeches that were made,
    the amendments that were adopted, the votes that were cast, that we're
    going to be able to work together and continue to push for a strong
    position. But I don't favor a unilateral lift. I think what we're doing
    with the use of air power is by far the better course, as long as the
    allies will do what

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    they say they're going to do. And I believe now, after 10 days of hard
    work, we have got that done.
        Q. [Inaudible]--Boutros Boutros-Ghali will that make it easier for
    you to coordinate Washington policy?
        The President. Because he has delegated the authority? Absolutely.
    And I applaud that. That was the right decision for him to take, and it
    shows that he, too, is concerned that the United Nations cannot express
    a commitment to protect the security of people and then walk away from
    it. I applaud the statement that he made and the action he took today.
        Q. Do you wish maybe he had said it a little sooner than just the
    exact time of the vote?
        The President. Well, of course, but you know, the whole world can't
    calibrate their activities based on what we're doing here at a given
    moment. I think that the United Nations is working their way through
    this. And keep in mind, they've had people on the ground. They haven't
    wanted to have their hostages taken and then been made vulnerable to
    being killed or tortured or imprisoned for long periods of time. But if
    the United Nations guarantees the security of certain areas and certain
    standards of conduct, then we have to stand behind the guarantees.
        I think President Chirac and Prime Minister Major, in putting
    together this rapid reaction force, and then the work that I was able to
    do to get them to come back to a clear line of authority to use
    aggressive air--that is the strong approach. That is the approach that
    we know from experience has a chance to work, to raise the price of
    aggression.
        The other course has a lot of downsides, and we don't know if it
    will work. We know this will work if we do it. And I am determined to
    see that we follow through.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:45 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to actor Tom Hanks; United Nations
    Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali; President Jacques Chirac of
    France; and Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom.