    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [September 20, 2001]
    [Pages 1140-1144]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1140]]

    Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the United States
    Response to the Terrorist Attacks of September 11
    September 20, 2001

        Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro
    Tempore, Members of Congress, and fellow
    Americans:
        In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this Chamber to
    report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It
    has already been delivered by the American people.
        We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists
    to save others on the ground, passengers like an exceptional man named
    Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife, Lisa
    Beamer, here tonight. [Applause]
        We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers,
    working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the
    lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in
    English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and
    giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.
        My fellow citizens, for the last 9 days, the entire world has seen
    for itself the state of our Union, and it is strong.
        Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend
    freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether
    we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice
    will be done.
        I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time.
    All of America was touched, on the evening of the tragedy, to see
    Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol,
    singing ``God Bless America.'' And you did more than sing; you acted, by
    delivering $40 billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of
    our military.
        Speaker Hastert, Minority Leader
    Gephardt, Majority Leader
    Daschle, and Senator Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for your leadership,
    and for your service to our country.
        And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its
    outpouring of support. America will never forget the sounds of our
    national anthem playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris,
    and at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. We will not forget South Korean
    children gathering to pray outside our Embassy in Seoul, or the prayers
    of sympathy offered at a mosque in Cairo. We will not forget moments of
    silence and days of mourning in Australia and Africa and Latin America.
        Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with
    our own: dozens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israelis; more than 250
    citizens of India; men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico, and
    Japan; and hundreds of British citizens. America has no truer friend
    than Great Britain. Once again, we are joined together in a great
    cause--so honored the British Prime Minister has
    crossed an ocean to show his unity with America. Thank you for coming,
    friend.
        On September 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war
    against our country. Americans have known wars, but for the past 136
    years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in
    1941. Americans have known the casualties of war, but not at the center
    of a great city on a peaceful morning. Americans have known surprise
    attacks, but never before on thousands of civilians. All of this was
    brought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a different world, a
    world where freedom itself is under attack.
        Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, who
    attacked our country? The evidence we have gathered all points to a
    collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as Al
    Qaida.

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    They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing American Embassies
    in Tanzania and Kenya and responsible for bombing the U.S.S. Cole. Al
    Qaida is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not
    making money. Its goal is remaking the world and imposing its radical
    beliefs on people everywhere.
        The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has
    been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim
    clerics, a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of
    Islam. The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and
    Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinctions among military and
    civilians, including women and children.
        This group and its leader, a person named Usama bin Laden, are linked to many other organizations in
    different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the
    Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. There are thousands of these terrorists
    in more than 60 countries. They are recruited from their own nations and
    neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan, where
    they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent back to their
    homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and
    destruction.
        The leadership of Al Qaida has great influence in Afghanistan and
    supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In
    Afghanistan, we see Al Qaida's vision for the world. Afghanistan's
    people have been brutalized. Many are starving, and many have fled.
    Women are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed for owning a
    television. Religion can be practiced only as their leaders dictate. A
    man can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard is not long enough.
        The United States respects the people of Afghanistan--after all, we
    are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid--but we condemn the
    Taliban regime. It is not only repressing its own people; it is
    threatening people everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering and supplying
    terrorists. By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is
    committing murder.
        And tonight the United States of America makes the following demands
    on the Taliban: Deliver to United States authorities all the leaders of
    Al Qaida who hide in your land. Release all foreign nationals, including
    American citizens, you have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign
    journalists, diplomats, and aid workers in your country. Close
    immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in
    Afghanistan, and hand over every terrorist and every person in their
    support structure to appropriate authorities. Give the United States
    full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are no
    longer operating.
        These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban
    must act and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or
    they will share in their fate.
        I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the
    world. We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of
    Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as
    friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil
    in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah. The terrorists are
    traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.
    The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many
    Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every
    government that supports them.
        Our war on terror begins with Al Qaida, but it does not end there.
    It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been
    found, stopped, and defeated.
        Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see
    right here in this Chamber, a democratically elected government. Their
    leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms--our freedom of

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    religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and
    disagree with each other.
        They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim
    countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. They want to drive
    Israel out of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians and Jews
    out of vast regions of Asia and Africa.
        These terrorists kill not merely to end lives but to disrupt and end
    a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows
    fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand
    against us, because we stand in their way.
        We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their
    kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the
    20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions,
    by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the
    path of fascism and nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow
    that path all the way, to where it ends, in history's unmarked grave of
    discarded lies.
        Americans are asking, how will we fight and win this war? We will
    direct every resource at our command--every means of diplomacy, every
    tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every
    financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war--to the
    disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network.
        This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a
    decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not
    look like the air war above Kosovo 2 years ago, where no ground troops
    were used and not a single American was lost in combat.
        Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated
    strikes. Americans should not expect one battle but a lengthy campaign,
    unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes,
    visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will
    starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them
    from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will
    pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every
    nation, in every region, now has a decision to make: Either you are with
    us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation
    that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the
    United States as a hostile regime.
        Our Nation has been put on notice: We are not immune from attack. We
    will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans.
    Today dozens of Federal departments and agencies, as well as State and
    local governments, have responsibilities affecting homeland security.
    These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level.
         So tonight I announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position
    reporting directly to me, the Office of Homeland Security. And tonight I
    also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort to strengthen
    American security, a military veteran, an effective Governor, a true
    patriot, a trusted friend, Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge. He will lead, oversee, and coordinate a comprehensive
    national strategy to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond
    to any attacks that may come.
        These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat terrorism
    as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and destroy
    it where it grows. Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents
    to intelligence operatives to the reservists we have called to active
    duty. All deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers. And tonight, a
    few miles from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message for our military:
    Be ready. I've called the Armed Forces to alert, and there is a reason.
    The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud.
        This is not, however, just America's fight, and what is at stake is
    not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is
    civilization's fight. This is the fight of all

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    who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.
        We ask every nation to join us. We will ask, and we will need, the
    help of police forces, intelligence services, and banking systems around
    the world. The United States is grateful that many nations and many
    international organizations have already responded with sympathy and
    with support, nations from Latin America to Asia, to Africa, to Europe,
    to the Islamic world. Perhaps the NATO Charter reflects best the
    attitude of the world: An attack on one is an attack on all.
        The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand
    that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own
    citizens may be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down
    buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments. And
    you know what? We're not going to allow it.
        Americans are asking, what is expected of us? I ask you to live your
    lives and hug your children. I know many citizens have fears tonight,
    and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing
    threat.
        I ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why so many
    have come here. We are in a fight for our principles, and our first
    responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for
    unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or
    religious faith.
        I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with
    your contributions. Those who want to give can go to a central source of
    information, libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups providing
    direct help in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
        The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this
    investigation may need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it.
        I ask for your patience with the delays and inconveniences that may
    accompany tighter security and for your patience in what will be a long
    struggle.
        I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American
    economy. Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity. They did
    not touch its source. America is successful because of the hard work and
    creativity and enterprise of our people. These were the true strengths
    of our economy before September 11th, and they are our strengths today.
        And finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and
    their families, for those in uniform, and for our great country. Prayer
    has comforted us in sorrow and will help strengthen us for the journey
    ahead.
        Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done
    and for what you will do. And ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I
    thank you, their representatives, for what you have already done and for
    what we will do together.
        Tonight we face new and sudden national challenges. We will come
    together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air
    marshals on domestic flights and take new measures to prevent hijacking.
    We will come together to promote stability and keep our airlines flying,
    with direct assistance during this emergency.
        We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools
    it needs to track down terror here at home. We will come together to
    strengthen our intelligence capabilities, to know the plans of
    terrorists before they act and find them before they strike. We will
    come together to take active steps that strengthen America's economy and
    put our people back to work.
        Tonight we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit
    of all New Yorkers, Governor George Pataki
    and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. As a symbol
    of America's resolve, my administration will work with Congress and
    these two leaders to show the world that we will rebuild New York City.

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        After all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all the
    possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is natural to wonder if
    America's future is one of fear. Some speak of an age of terror. I know
    there are struggles ahead and dangers to face. But this country will
    define our times, not be defined by them. As long as the United States
    of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror;
    this will be an age of liberty, here and across the world.
        Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in
    our grief and anger, we have found our mission and our moment. Freedom
    and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement
    of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us. Our
    Nation--this generation--will lift a dark threat of violence from our
    people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our
    efforts, by our courage. We will not tire; we will not falter; and we
    will not fail.
        It is my hope that in the months and years ahead, life will return
    almost to normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines, and that is
    good. Even grief recedes with time and grace. But our resolve must not
    pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day and to whom it
    happened. We'll remember the moment the news came, where we were, and
    what we were doing. Some will remember an image of a fire or a story of
    rescue. Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.
        And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George
    Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. It was
    given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud
    memorial to her son. It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task
    that does not end. I will not forget this wound to our country and those
    who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent
    in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American
    people.
        The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is
    certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty have always been at war,
    and we know that God is not neutral between them.
        Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice, assured
    of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come. In
    all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over
    the United States of America.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 9 p.m. in the House Chamber of the Capitol.
    In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United
    Kingdom.