    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [January 1, 1997]
    [Pages i-xii]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

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                         PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS

                                     OF THE

                                  UNITED STATES

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    [Picture not available in text]

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                                Published by the
                         Office of the Federal Register
                  National Archives and Records Administration

                                 For sale by the
                           Superintendent of Documents
                         U.S. Government Printing Office
                              Washington, DC 20402

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                                    Foreword

        On the morning of May 2, 1997, on the banks of the Tidal Basin, I
    participated in the dedication ceremony for the Franklin Delano
    Roosevelt Memorial, honoring this great leader of the ``American
    Century.'' Later that afternoon, in Baltimore, Maryland, I announced an
    historic agreement to balance the Federal budget. These two events--one,
    a reflection on our past, the other, a promise for our future--embodied
    the new American consensus on the role of Government that I have worked
    hard to forge since my first days as President.

        We have quelled the contentious debate between those who view
    Government as the problem and those who view it as the solution. It is
    neither--as I stated in my Second Inaugural Address, which I had the
    great privilege to deliver. The challenges of a new age require not
    time-worn slogans but action. They require a limited, flexible
    Government characterized by fiscal discipline, enlightened innovation,
    and a commitment to creating opportunity for all Americans. The
    Government's role--and its responsibility--is to affirm these cherished
    values in changing times.

        Committed to these principles, America entered 1997 peaceful and
    secure, prosperous and stable, and determined to meet the challenges of
    the 21st Century. We discarded outdated dogmas and forged new
    relationships. In our own hemisphere, we celebrated the close friendship
    between the United States and Mexico, redefining our partnership in the
    face of new priorities--from combating drugs to preserving the
    environment. Across the Atlantic, where the barricades of the Cold War
    once stood, we built new alliances for global security and commerce. We
    completed new agreements: from the ratification of the landmark Chemical
    Weapons Convention, to the Founding Act that joins NATO and the Russian
    Federation in practical cooperation. In Helsinki, President Yeltsin and
    I agreed to pursue even deeper cuts in our nuclear arsenals. And in
    Denver, where I hosted the annual summit of the world's industrialized
    democracies, we worked to combat new security threats, prepared our
    countries to succeed in the global economy, and opened a new chapter in
    the history of Europe.

        Here at home, too, we set new and higher goals, refusing to grow
    complacent in our success. America's economy was the strongest in a
    generation. Inflation remained low while employment surged, defying
    conventional wisdom, and both crime rates and welfare rolls were down
    dramatically. And to ensure that all Americans will share in the promise
    of the new century, I launched a national campaign to lift our standards
    of education. In my State of the Union Address I called not for a
    Federal mandate, but for a national commitment to tough, smart standards
    in education basics.

        In June, at the University of California at San Diego, I opened a
    national dialogue on another challenge: race. When we finally lift the
    burden of race, it will not be because a law made it happen. It will be
    because the American people confronted and dispelled the myths that
    divide us. Americans of all backgrounds have responded to this
    challenge, leaving me more confident than ever that we will not come
    apart but come together; that we will enter the 21st Century not as
    separate, distinct groups, but as one America--at once diverse, and as
    the Founders declared, indivisible.

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                                     Preface

        This book contains the papers and speeches of the 42d President of
    the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary
    during the period January 1-June 30, 1997. The material has been
    compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National
    Archives and Records Administration.

        The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates
    shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In
    instances when the release date differs from the date of the document
    itself, that fact is shown in the textnote. Every effort has been made
    to ensure accuracy: Remarks are checked against a tape recording, and
    signed documents are checked against the original. Textnotes and cross
    references have been provided by the editors for purposes of
    identification or clarity. Speeches were delivered in Washington, DC,
    unless indicated. The times noted are local times. All materials that
    are printed full-text in the book have been indexed in the subject and
    name indexes, and listed in the document categories list.

        The Public Papers of the Presidents series was begun in 1957 in
    response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications
    Commission. An extensive compilation of messages and papers of the
    Presidents covering the period 1789 to 1897 was assembled by James D.
    Richardson and published under congressional authority between 1896 and
    1899. Since then, various private compilations have been issued, but
    there was no uniform publication comparable to the Congressional Record
    or the United States Supreme Court Reports. Many Presidential papers
    could be found only in the form of mimeographed White House releases or
    as reported in the press. The Commission therefore recommended the
    establishment of an official series in which Presidential writings,
    addresses, and remarks of a public nature could be made available.

        The Commission's recommendation was incorporated in regulations of
    the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, issued under
    section 6 of the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. 1506), which may be
    found in title 1, part 10, of the Code of Federal Regulations.

        A companion publication to the Public Papers series, the Weekly
    Compilation of Presidential Documents, was begun in 1965 to provide a
    broader range of Presidential materials on a more timely basis to meet
    the needs of the contemporary reader. Beginning with the administration
    of Jimmy Carter, the Public Papers series expanded its coverage to
    include additional material as printed in the Weekly Compilation. That
    coverage provides a listing of the President's daily schedule and
    meetings, when announced, and other items of general interest issued by
    the Office of the Press Secretary. Also included are lists of the
    President's nominations submitted to the Senate, materials released by
    the Office of the Press Secretary that are not printed full-text in the
    book, and proclamations, Executive orders, and other Presidential
    documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary and published in
    the Federal Register. This information appears in the appendixes at the
    end of the book.

        Volumes covering the administrations of Presidents Hoover, Truman,
    Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush are
    also included in the Public Papers series.

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        The Public Papers of the Presidents publication program is under the
    direction of Frances D. McDonald, Director of the Presidential Documents
    and Legislative Division. The series is produced by the Presidential
    Documents Unit, Gwen H. Estep, Chief. The Chief Editor of this book was
    Karen Howard Ashlin, assisted by Scott Andreae, Brad Brooks, Anna
    Glover, Margaret A. Hemmig, Carolyn W. Hill, Maxine Hill, Michael
    Hoover, Alfred Jones, and Michael J. Sullivan.

        The frontispiece and photographs used in the portfolio were supplied
    by the White House Photo Office. The typography and design of the book
    were developed by the Government Printing Office under the direction of
    Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer.

    Raymond A. Mosley
    Director of the Federal Register

    John W. Carlin
    Archivist of the United States

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                                    Contents

                Foreword . . . v

                Preface . . . vii

                Cabinet . . . xi

                Public Papers of William J. Clinton,
                January 1-June 30, 1997 . . . 1

                Appendix A
                Digest of Other White House Announcements . . . 853

                Appendix B
                Nominations Submitted to the Senate . . . 867

                Appendix C
                Checklist of White House Press Releases . . . 879

                Appendix D
                Presidential Documents Published in the Federal Register . . . 891

                Subject Index . . . A-1

                Name Index . . . B-1

                Document Categories List . . . C-1

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                                   Cabinet

       Secretary of State..............   Madeleine K. Albright

       Secretary of the Treasury.......   Robert E. Rubin

       Secretary of Defense............   William S. Cohen

       Attorney General................   Janet Reno

       Secretary of the Interior.......   Bruce Babbitt

       Secretary of Agriculture........   Dan Glickman

       Secretary of Commerce...........   William M. Daley

       Secretary of Labor..............   Alexis M. Herman

       Secretary of Health and Human...   Donna E. Shalala
       Services

       Secretary of Housing and Urban..   Andrew M. Cuomo
       Development

       Secretary of Transportation.....   Rodney E. Slater

       Secretary of Energy.............   Federico Pena

       Secretary of Education..........   Richard W. Riley

       Secretary of Veterans Affairs...   Jesse Brown

       United States Representative....   Bill Richardson
       to the United Nations

       Administrator of the............   Carol M. Browner
       Environmental Protection Agency
            Protection Agency

       United States Trade.............   Charlene Barshefsky
       Represenatative

       Director of the Office of.......   Franklin D. Raines
       Management and Budget

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       Chief of Staff to the President.   Erskine B. Bowles

       Counselor to the President......   Thomas F. McLarty III

       Chair of the Council of Economic   Janet Yellen
       Advisers

       Director of National Drug Control  Barry R. McCaffrey
       Policy

       Administrator of the Small.......  Aida Alvarez
       Business Administration

       Director of the Federal Emergency  James Lee Witt
       Management Agency