For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 20, 2001
Address by the President
To the Joint Session of Congress and the American People United States Capitol
Washington, D.C.
9:00 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: 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 nine
days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Union --
and it is strong. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) Once again, we are joined
together in a great cause -- so honored the British Prime Minister has
crossed an ocean to show his unity of purpose with
America. Thank you for coming,
friend. (Applause.)
On September the 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
Qaeda. They are the same murderers indicted for bombing American
embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing the USS
Cole.
Al Qaeda 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 distinction among military and civilians, including women and
children.
This group and its leader -- a person
named Osama 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 Qaeda has great
influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in controlling
most of that country. In Afghanistan, we see al Qaeda'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. (Applause.) 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 Qaeda who hide in your
land. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda,
but it does not end there. It will not end until every
terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and
defeated. (Applause.)
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
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. (Applause.)
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
two 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
We will come together to give law
enforcement the additional tools it needs to track down terror here at
home. (Applause.) We will come together to
strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans of
terrorists before they act, and find them before they
strike. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. This is my
reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does not
end. (Applause.)
I will not forget this wound to our
country or 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
END 9:41
P.M. EDT
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