[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 38 (Monday, September 22, 1997)]
[Pages 1339-1340]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7021--50th Anniversary of the National Security Act of 1947

September 15, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The United States emerged from the crucible of World War II to face 
a political and military landscape changed forever by the events of that 
conflict. The Soviet Union, a vital ally during the war, was fast 
becoming an actively hostile and dangerous opponent. And, as the most 
economically and militarily powerful nation on earth, the United States 
bore the awesome responsibility of preventing the onset of another and 
even more destructive world war.
    Recognizing these harsh new realities, and wise in the hard lessons 
of recent history, President Truman and America's other civilian and 
military leaders determined to create the structures and programs that 
would guarantee our national security and promote lasting world peace. 
The result of their efforts was the National Security Act of 1947. This 
single historic piece of legislation created four extraordinary 
institutions that continue to serve America superbly a half-century 
later: the Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, the 
Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Council.
    The complex task of coordinating the operations of ground, sea, and 
air forces during World War II demonstrated the need for unified 
direction of America's Armed Forces in the postwar world. The National 
Security Act answered that need by establishing the Department of 
Defense. Under the civilian control of the Secretary of Defense, and 
fortified by the collective experience, knowledge, and strategic 
guidance of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the three military departments 
within the Department of Defense--the Army, Navy, and Air Force--began 
to work together as a powerful team to integrate the operation and 
administration of all our Nation's Armed Forces.
    Today, the Department of Defense has realized in large measure the 
objectives stated in the National Security Act. The Armed Forces and the 
unified commands have achieved a remarkable degree of integration in 
organization and operations and remain the best-trained, best-equipped, 
and best-prepared fighting force in the world. Our men and women in 
uniform stand ready to preserve America's freedom and protect our 
national interests whenever and wherever they are threatened.
    The Second World War also proved the critical importance of air 
power to the defense of our Nation. With the creation of the United 
States Air Force as an independent armed service within the Department 
of Defense, the National Security Act helped to ensure America's mastery 
of the skies. In the subsequent 50 years, the courage and dedication of 
the men and women of the United States Air Force have been a constant 
source of pride and reassurance to the American people.
    With equal devotion, the men and women of the Central Intelligence 
Agency have enabled America to meet the challenges of global leadership 
for the past half-century. Providing ten Presidents and their 
administrations with the strategic intelligence to make informed 
decisions vital to the security of our Nation, these dedicated public 
servants helped America to fight and win the Cold War. Today, in a world 
no longer burdened by superpower confrontation, they remain vigilant in 
the face of more diffuse and complex dangers: from aggression by rogue 
states and terrorism to the spread of weapons of mass destruction and 
international drug trafficking.
    In creating the National Security Council, the National Security Act 
of 1947 provided the President with an invaluable forum for the 
consideration and coordination of domestic, foreign, and military 
policies related to America's security. Supporting the President, his 
Cabinet, and his other close advisors with sound judgment, analysis, and 
advice, the men and women of the National Security Council can reflect 
with pride on five decades of unparalleled service to our Nation. 
Through the East-West confrontations of the Cold War to the threshold of 
the 21st century, the National Security Council has played a vital role 
in protecting our Nation's

[[Page 1340]]

security and in preparing us for the challenges of the future.
    As we observe the 50th anniversary of the National Security Act of 
1947, we pay tribute to the vision and determination of a generation of 
American civilian and military leaders. Working together, they 
established the remarkable institutions we celebrate this week; 
institutions that have helped to secure the peace and prosperity that 
America enjoys today. The success of their efforts and of the historic 
legislation enacted half a century ago is reflected in an outstanding 
record of achievement: nuclear war averted, the Cold War won, and the 
nations of the world turning to democracy and free markets.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim September 14 through September 20, 
1997, as a time to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the National 
Security Act of 1947. I call upon all Americans to observe this 
anniversary with appropriate programs and activities celebrating the 
accomplishments of this legislation and honoring the service and 
sacrifice of the thousands of dedicated Americans who have strived to 
carry out its mandate for the past five decades.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-second.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:04 a.m., September 16, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 17.