[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 39 (Monday, September 29, 1997)]
[Page 1396]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the 50th Anniversary of the National Security Council

September 22, 1997

To Past and Present Members of the NSC Staff:

    I congratulate you on the 50th anniversary of the National Security 
Council.
    During the more than forty years of the Cold War, you guided our 
country's leaders through the brinksmanship of East-West confrontation. 
In the almost ten years since communism's collapse, the NSC Staff has 
helped identify the possibilities and protect against the perils of our 
new era.
    Indeed, at a time when the world's increasing interdependence 
challenges us all to new patterns of thought and action, the NSC's role 
is more important than ever. Your sound judgment, advice, and dedication 
are a key part of our ability to seize the opportunities of the 21st 
century. Because of your work, our lives are safer, our economy 
stronger, and our country more secure. On behalf of a grateful nation, 
congratulations and thank you.
                                            William J. Clinton

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