[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[May 28, 1997]
[Pages 664-665]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Luncheon Hosted by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands in The 
Hague
May 28, 1997

    Your Majesty, Prime Minister Kok, honored colleagues, on behalf of 
the United States, I would like to thank Her Majesty and the people of 
The Netherlands for this deeply appreciated commemoration. And thank 
you, Your Majesty, for your very fine statement.
    The ties between our two nations are long and unbroken. When my 
country was first seeking its independence, The Netherlands was one of 
the first nations to which we turned. John Adams, America's first envoy 
to The Hague and later our second President, described the completion of 
a treaty of friendship with Holland as, quote, ``the happiest event and 
the greatest action'' of his life. More than 200 years later, America 
still takes pride in our friendship with this good land, whose 
compassion and generosity throughout the world is far disproportionate 
to its size.
    I also express my gratitude to all my fellow leaders for being here 
today. Your presence is a very great honor to the United States and a 
symbol of the age of possibility which we now inhabit, thanks in no 
small measure to the vision and work of General Marshall and his 
contemporaries in the United States and in Europe.
    The Marshall plan we celebrate today, as Her Majesty noted, was open 
to all of Europe. But for half the Continent, the dream of recovery was 
denied. Now, at last, all of Europe's nations are seeking their rightful 
places at our transatlantic table.
    Here in this room are freely elected Presidents, Prime Ministers, 
and officials from every corner of Europe, including Russia. We are the 
trustees of history's rarest gift, a second chance to complete the job 
that Marshall and his generation began. Our great opportunity and our 
enormous obligation is to make the most of this precious gift and 
together to build an undivided, democratic, peaceful, prosperous Europe 
for the very first time in all human history.
    The daunting challenge in Marshall's time was to repair the damage 
of a devastating war. Now we face the equally ambitious task of 
promoting peace, security, and prosperity for all the people of Europe.
    As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Marshall plan, let us 
commit ourselves to build upon its success for the next 50 years and 
beyond. And let us now join in a toast to Her Majesty and the people of 
The Netherlands in gratitude for this great and good day.

Note: The President spoke at 1:53 p.m. in the Small Ballroom of 
Noordeinde Palace.

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