    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 5, 1996]
    [Pages 866-867]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Fulbright Scholarship Program 50th Anniversary Dinner
    June 5, 1996

        Ladies and gentlemen, let me say a special welcome to all of you,
    especially to our distinguished guests from overseas, to the Members of
    Congress, and of course, particularly to the members of the Fulbright
    family, to Harriet and to Betsey and Bosey and Tad. We're delighted to
    have all of you here tonight.
        Hillary and I have looked forward for some time to celebrating this
    50th anniversary of the Fulbright program, to honor the dream and legacy
    of a great American, a citizen of the world, a native of my home State,
    and my mentor and friend, Senator Fulbright--a man who understood, long
    before others did, that the only way we could ever have peace in the
    world was by increasing understanding among people, by the open trading
    of ideas and knowledge and world views and friendships as well as goods
    and services.
        Those of us who shared his roots in the Arkansas Ozarks owe him a
    special debt of gratitude. His vision and brilliance and the power of
    his example said to a whole generation of us who were landlocked--and
    most of us had never been very far from home by the time we were nearly
    grown--that we could still imagine a world beyond the borders of our
    State and relate to it, to participate in it, that we needed to
    understand that world, and that perhaps we had something to give to it.
    To all Americans, Senator Fulbright gave the gift of understanding that
    the only way to lasting peace is for people to understand one another,
    the simple act of giving and receiving the best that each of us has to
    offer.
        Now for five decades, the Fulbright program has stood as a proud
    symbol of our Nation's fundamental commitment to that ideal. For hun-

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    dreds of thousands of scholars here and abroad, it has cemented
    America's mission as a nation that cares about and is engaged in the
    world community. Many of our world's finest leaders and artists have
    benefited from this special experience. Some of them are here tonight,
    and I thank them for their presence. No matter their native tongue, all
    of them are now known by the proud name of Fulbrights.
        Senator Fulbright once said, ``The essence of intercultural
    education is the acquisition of empathy, the ability to see the world as
    others see it and to allow for the possibility that others may see
    something we have failed to see.'' Parenthetically, we might need a
    interparty Fulbright program in Washington these days. [Laughter] He
    went on to say that ``the simple purpose of the exchange program is to
    erode the culturally rooted mistrust that sets our nations against one
    another. It is not a panacea but an avenue of hope.''
        Tonight, as we celebrate 50 years of bipartisan support for the
    Fulbright program, let us all rededicate ourselves to this ideal; let us
    pledge to do all we can to give the Fulbright program to future
    generations of aspiring young people across the globe.
        And let us close as we offer a toast to the Fulbright scholarship
    program, to the Fulbright scholars, and to the memory of Senator
    Fulbright.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:27 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Fulbright's widow,
    Harriet Mayor Fulbright; daughters Betsey Fulbright Winnacker and
    Roberta (Bosey) Foote; and son-in-law Edward Thaddeus Foote.