[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.