    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [April 28, 2000]
    [Pages 786-787]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon for Nordic Leaders
    April 28, 2000

        Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White House. Let me also say
    that we are very honored to be a part of the opening of this magnificent
    exhibition at the Museum of Natural History. I am grateful to the Nordic
    Council, to all the museums and the nations represented in the exhibit,
    and especially grateful to the extraordinary assemblage of dignitaries
    who have joined us today from all the Nordic nations.
        There are quite a few competing answers to the question, who
    discovered America--and by the way, when, and exactly what America was--
    some would say, is. [Laughter] Now, Italian-Americans revere Columbus
    and point out the word ``America'' comes from the famed mapmaker Amerigo
    Vespucci. Anglo-Americans argue for the primacy of Jamestown and
    Plymouth as the first colonies in the original United States. Franco-
    Americans remind us to honor Champlain, Cartier, and La Salle alongside
    all others. And of course, our Native Americans consider all these
    people insignificant latecomers.
        With the opening of this important exhibit, we expand the debate and
    learn more about ourselves. The remarkable explorations across

    [[Page 787]]

    the North Atlantic at the turn of the last millennium constituted a
    crucial first step. These brave voyages under perilous conditions
    brought a dawning awareness on both sides of the Atlantic that our world
    is, in fact, many worlds.
        There was something profoundly heroic about their desire and their
    ability to make the crossing. To go across the Atlantic to Vinland was
    as earthshaking and expansive an achievement as the most expansive,
    ambitious space launch today. It is indeed fitting that our first
    expedition to Mars in 1976 consisted of two spacecraft called Viking 1
    and Viking 2.
        All Americans should know more about this fascinating early chapter
    of our history. The Viking voyages are an essential part of the long
    process by which all of us in our different ways came to be here. The
    legacy of the Vikings has always been with us, from scattered
    archaeological evidence to the legends that thrilled poets like
    Longfellow.
        These legends have been nurtured especially by the descendants of
    the Vikings. I don't suppose I can use the term ``Viking-Americans,''
    but I do mean people from Norway and Sweden and Finland and Denmark and
    Iceland, who showed the same courage when they immigrated here in the
    modern period to build new worlds for themselves. The settlers of places
    like New Sweden in Delaware; Oslo, Minnesota; Denmark, Iowa; or Holland,
    North Dakota, all brought a deep love of democracy and freedom stemming
    from their own egalitarian traditions. In fact, a new National
    Geographic cites a case where the Prince of the Franks sent an envoy to
    parlay with a group of invading Vikings and came back saying, ``I found
    no one to talk with. They said they were all chiefs.'' [Laughter]
        Now our awareness of our Nordic past will go far beyond legends and
    traditions. This exhibition will deepen our knowledge of the rich
    history we share. It will shape our future by strengthening the bonds
    between Americans and their kin in the Nordic nations.
        I am grateful for all that we have done together in the last decade,
    from our support for the peaceful expansion of democracy and freedom in
    Central and Eastern Europe to our concerted actions in Bosnia and
    Kosovo. Europe's future has never looked brighter, thanks in no small
    measure to your contributions.
        When we entered the new millennium a few months ago, it was
    reassuring to dramatize our progress by portraying the year 1000 as a
    dark time in human history, a time then dominated by fear and
    superstition. But this exhibition helps to tell a fuller story: that for
    all the challenges and superstitions men and women faced 1,000 years
    ago, they still had the daring and enterprise to look beyond the
    horizon, to begin to build a world that measured up to their
    imagination. This is an old lesson that always offers fresh inspiration.
        It is amazing to me to look at the Viking ships and imagine that
    they made it all this way 1,000 years ago. And I am so glad that, with
    the leaders of all these nations here today, you have clearly decided to
    make this a tradition. And you're welcome back in the year 3000.
    [Laughter] We are delighted to have you. Welcome. Thank you.
        I'd like to now invite His Majesty, the King of Norway, to come and make a few remarks on behalf of all the Nordic
    nations.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:40 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to an exhibit at the National
    Museum of Natural History entitled, ``Vikings: The North Atlantic
    Saga.'' The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary
    also included the remarks of King Harald V of Norway.