[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[July 12, 1997]
[Pages 952-953]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Luncheon Hosted by Queen Margrethe II in Copenhagen, 
Denmark
July 12, 1997

    Your Majesty and members of the royal family, Mr. Prime Minister, 
members of the Danish Government, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Your 
Majesty, for your kind words and your gracious welcome. You have 
reminded us that the friendliness of Denmark's people is matched by the 
warmth of its sovereign. On behalf of our delegation, I thank you for 
your wonderful hospitality. We feel very much at home.
    The United States has had uninterrupted ties with Denmark longer 
than with any other country. And our nations have never been closer than 
today. On almost every issue, we stand together. And on some of the most 
important issues, we stand together almost alone. [Laughter] But still, 
America always knows it is on the right side if Denmark is by our side. 
[Laughter]
    Thanks in part to this extraordinary friendship, we have together 
made history this week. We invited Poland, the Czech Republic, and 
Hungary to join NATO. We opened the door to all of Europe's new 
democracies. We made a great stride toward creating a peaceful, 
undivided, and democratic Europe for the first time since the emergence 
of nation-states on this continent.
    At this moment, however, I would speak not only about how America 
and Denmark have enlarged NATO but about how Denmark has enlarged and 
enriched America. In a literal sense, of course, without Denmark, 
America would

[[Page 953]]

have been much smaller because it was a Danish explorer, Vitus Bering, 
who found Alaska for us, although I suppose we would have eventually 
stumbled on it on our own. [Laughter] Peter Larsen, a blacksmith from 
this city, blazed a trail from Missouri to California in 1839, leading 
the way for countless settlers who followed. Half a century later, Jacob 
Riis taught us how the other half lives, enlarging the conscience of a 
nation and leaving us with a responsibility we have still not entirely 
fulfilled. President Theodore Roosevelt called Riis the best American he 
ever knew.
    Danish-Americans have contributed in every way to America's 
greatness. I'm proud that two descendants of Danish immigrants have been 
members of my Cabinet. Mr. Prime Minister, you'll be interested to know 
that our Attorney General, Janet Reno, is a Rasmussen on her father's 
side. [Laughter] And Lloyd Bentsen, a truly outstanding United States 
Senator and my first Secretary of the Treasury, one of the architects of 
our economic progress, was a son of a Dane who came to the United States 
as a teenager--as he loves to remind us--as a stowaway on a ship. His 
father was 16 and starving in the hold of the ship after 3 days, and 
finally he concluded he had come too far to be thrown overboard, so he 
emerged and worked his way to our country. [Laughter]
    Your Majesty, in the sons and daughters who came to our shores, 
Denmark has given America the most precious gifts. They came seeking new 
hope and new freedom. And now, through our partnership and our work 
together for a democratic and prosperous Europe, we can give their 
grandchildren in America, and all their families here in Denmark, new 
hope and new freedom in a new century. We are equal to that challenge 
together, and together, I am certain we will succeed.
    So I now raise my glass and ask you to join me in a toast to Her 
Majesty, the Queen of Denmark, to the people of Denmark, and the 
extraordinary long and rich friendship between our two peoples.

Note: The President spoke at 12:43 p.m. in Fredensborg Palace. In his 
remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen of Denmark.