[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 47 (Monday, November 26, 2001)]
[Pages 1700-1701]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Dedication of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice 
Building

November 20, 2001

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Joe, thank you for those stirring 
words. There's nothing quite like the eloquence of a loyal son. I want 
to welcome you and all your brothers and sisters and your mom; Senator 
Kennedy. I want to thank the Attorneys General who are here. I want to 
thank our current Attorney General. Thank you for being here, Director. 
I want to thank the Members of the Congress who are here, the Senators 
and Members of the House of Representatives for coming, both Republicans 
and Democrats. I want to thank Administrator Perry; ladies and 
gentlemen.
    I'm so very pleased to be with you in giving this building a great 
American name. Seventy-nine Americans have held the title of Attorney 
General, and 25 of them worked in this building. But in the history of 
this Department and in the memory of our country we hold a special place 
for Robert Francis Kennedy.
    He first worked here 50 years ago, as Joe said. Just out of law 
school at the University of Virginia, he reported here every morning to 
the Criminal Division. He was 26, married, the father of one, a baby 
girl who is now the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland.
    Ahead of him were many more accomplishments and a lot more children. 
[Laughter] There's no doubt in my mind that he would look upon his sons 
and daughters and his grandkids with such incredible pride.
    America first saw him and heard his voice in the mid-fifties when he 
was minority counselor to the Senate committee investigating organized 
crime. There was something about him that no one could miss, an intense 
intelligence present, a voice that could quiet a room. As a friend has 
remembered him, Robert Kennedy was not a hard man, but he was a tough 
man. He valued bluntness and precision and truth. Those under 
investigation learned those qualities firsthand.
    In the eyes of John F. Kennedy, no man ever had a more faithful 
brother. During his Presidential campaign, he said, ``I don't know what 
Bobby does, but it always seems to turn out right.'' We are told that 
after the election the younger brother wasn't sure he wanted to join the 
Cabinet, and he said so to the President-elect. Robert tried to make the 
case explaining why he should not become Attorney General. There was no 
reply. The President-elect simply left the room and casually returned a 
few minutes later to say, ``So that's it, General. Let's go.'' 
[Laughter]
    To this day, visitors to the West Wing, seeing the Rose Garden and 
the Colonnade, instantly think of the pictures of the two brothers 
together. And from this day, his birthday, everyone who enters this 
building or passes by will think of Robert F. Kennedy and what he still 
means to this country.
    He was not our longest serving Attorney General, yet none is more 
fondly remembered. And few have filled their time here with so much 
energy or seen events of such consequence. He was at his brother's side 
during the 13 days in October 1962, where he was firm and discerning and 
calm.
    In this building, he set to work on what would become the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964. Here, he gave the orders sending 500 U.S. marshals 
to protect the Freedom Riders. He stood for racial desegregation. And to 
those on the other side of the issue, he said this: ``My belief doesn't 
matter. It's the law. Some of you may believe the decision was wrong. 
That doesn't matter. It is the law.''
    With us today are some of the people who worked for our 64th 
Attorney General, each of whom counts it as an experience of a lifetime. 
They still look up to him. Time has done nothing to weaken their loyalty 
to the valiant and idealistic man they knew and followed. Robert Kennedy 
was a serious man, concerned with serious things. And he loved his 
friends. He was a strong man who understood weakness, a man who knew 
privilege

[[Page 1701]]

but also suffering. He fought to gain power, chose to use it in the 
defense of the powerless.
    To millions who never knew him, he's still an example of kindness 
and courage. America today is passing through a time of incredible 
testing. And as we do so, we admire even more the spirit of Robert 
Kennedy, a spirit that tolerates no injustice and fears no evil. That's 
how this country sees him.
    But today and every November 20th, a large and loving family thinks 
of the dad they miss. Some of you know your way around this building 
because he brought you here. As Joe said, the Attorney General's 
conference room was then his office and a playroom. And as the photos 
displayed here make it clear, he also enjoyed one of my favorite perks 
of office--you get to bring your dog to work. [Laughter]
    Of all that he left behind, nothing brings Robert Kennedy more 
clearly to mind than his good wife. In the first year of their marriage, 
he recorded his feelings by quoting the Book of Ruth: ``Whither thou 
goest, I will go, and we will be together forever.''
    For 33 years, Ethel Kennedy has walked with grace and dignity, 
faithful to God and to the memory of her husband. Any tribute to Robert 
Kennedy must also be a tribute to Mrs. Robert Kennedy. She shares in all 
his achievements; she's added many of her own. Mrs. Kennedy, America 
honors you as well.
    This great building, and all who work here, serve the public in the 
cause of justice. It now bears the name of a good and decent man, truly 
devoted to justice. On behalf of the people of the United States, I 
proudly dedicate the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.

Note: The President spoke at 2:37 p.m. in the Great Hall of the newly 
designated Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. In his 
remarks, he referred to Joseph P. Kennedy III, who introduced the 
President, and Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend of Maryland.