[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][[Page i]] PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES [[Page ii] [[Page iii]] [Picture not available in text] [[Page iv]] 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 [[Page v]] 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 We discarded outdated dogmas and forged new relationships.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. [[Page vii]] 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. [[Page viii]] 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 [[Page ix]] 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 [[Page xi]] 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 [[Page xii] 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