[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 45 (Monday, November 12, 2001)]
[Pages 1600-1601]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

November 3, 2001

    Good morning. As all Americans know, recent weeks have brought a 
second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country, deadly anthrax spores 
sent through the U.S. mail. There's no precedent for this type of 
biological attack, and I'm proud of the way our law enforcement 
officers, our health care and postal workers, and the American people 
are responding in the face of this new threat.
    At this point in our investigation, we have identified several 
different letters that contained anthrax spores. Among them were the 
letters mailed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on Capitol Hill, 
NBC News in New York, and the New York Post newspaper. Four Americans 
have died as a result of these acts of terrorism. At least 13 others 
have developed forms of anthrax disease, either in the lungs or, less 
severely, on the skin.
    Public health officials have acted quickly to distribute antibiotics 
to people who may have been exposed to anthrax. When anthrax exposure is 
caught early, preventative treatment is effective. Anthrax can be 
treated with many antibiotics, and several pharmaceutical companies have 
offered medicine at reduced prices. The Government is swiftly testing 
post offices and other sites for anthrax spores and is closing them 
where potential threats to health are detected. We are working to 
protect people based on the best information available.
    And as we deal with this new threat, we are learning new information 
every day.

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Originally, experts believed the anthrax spores could not escape from 
sealed envelopes. We now know differently, because of cases where postal 
workers were exposed even though the envelopes they processed were not 
open.
    Anthrax apparently can be transferred from one letter to another, or 
from a letter to mail sorting equipment. But anthrax is not contagious, 
so it does not spread from human to human the way a cold or a flu can. 
Anthrax can be killed by sterilization, and the Postal Service is 
purchasing sterilizing equipment to be installed across the country.
    More than 30 billion pieces of mail have moved through the Postal 
Service since September the 11th, so we believe the odds of any one 
piece of mail being tainted are very low. But still, people should take 
appropriate precautions: look carefully at your mail before opening it; 
tell your doctor if you believe you may have been exposed to anthrax. An 
excellent summary of the symptoms of this disease can be found on the 
web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov.
    Remember, doctors warn that you can put your health at risk by 
taking antibiotics when you don't need them, so use antibiotics only 
after consulting a health care professional. If you see anything 
suspicious or have useful information, please contact law enforcement 
authorities. The Postal Service and the FBI have offered a reward of up 
to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and the conviction 
of the anthrax terrorists.
    And those who believe this is an opportunity for a prank should know 
that sending false alarms is a serious criminal offense. At least 20 
individuals have already been arrested for anthrax hoaxes, and we will 
pursue anyone who tries to frighten their fellow Americans in this cruel 
way.
    We do not yet know who sent the anthrax, whether it was the same 
terrorists who committed the attacks on September the 11th or whether it 
was the--other international or domestic terrorists. We do know that 
anyone who would try to infect other people with anthrax is guilty of an 
act of terror. We will solve these crimes, and we will punish those 
responsible. As we learn more about these anthrax attacks, the 
Government will share the confirmed and credible information we have 
with you. I'm proud of our citizens' calm and reasoned response to this 
ongoing terrorist attack.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 1:07 p.m. on November 2 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on November 3. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
November 2 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
the address.