U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

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89–011 2001

107th Congress, 1st Session – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 107–122

AN ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

MESSAGE

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

TRANSMITTING

THE TEXT OF REMARKS IN AN ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION

OF CONGRESS

SEPTEMBER 21, 2001.—Message and accompanying papers referred to the

Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered

to be printed

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To the Congress of the United States:

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. Please help me to welcome his wife,

Lisa Beamer, here tonight.

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.

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.

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 forty billion dollars to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our military.

Speaker Hastert and Minority Leader Gephardt ...Majority

Leader Daschle and Senator Lott . . . I thank you for your friendship and your leadership and your service to our country.

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, and 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 eighty 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. Once again, we are joined together in a great cause. The British Prime Minister has crossed an

ocean to show his unity of purpose with America, and tonight we

welcome Tony Blair.

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On September the eleventh, 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 know 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-Qaida. They are the

same murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for the bombing of the U.S.S.

Cole.

Al-Qaida 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 distinctions among

military and civilians, including women and children.

This group and its leader—a person named Usama bin Ladin—

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 sixty 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-Qaida has great influence in Afghanistan,

and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan, we see al-Qaida’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. 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-Qaida

who hide in your land.

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Release all foreign nationals—including American citizens—you

have unjustly imprisoned, and 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.

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. 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 is 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. 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.

Our war on terror begins with al-Qaida, but it does not end

there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has

been found, stopped, and defeated.

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 twentieth 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.

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 defeat of the global terror network.

This war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with

its decisive liberation of territory and its 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.

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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 seen. It may include dramatic

strikes, visible on television, 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

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. 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 America’s security—a military veteran, an effective

Governor, a true patriot, and my trusted friend, Pennsylvania’s

Governor Tom Ridge. 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 life is to stop it, eliminate it, and

destroy it where it grows.

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 have 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.

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 we will not allow it.

Americans are asking: What is expected of us?

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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.

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 eleventh, and

they are our strengths today.

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.

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional

tools it needs to track down terror here at home. We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans

of terrorists before they act, and find them before they strike.

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America’s economy, and put our people back to work.

Tonight we welcome here two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of all New Yorkers: Governor George Pataki, and

Mayor Rudy Giuliani. As a symbol of America’s resolve, my Administration will work with the Congress, and these two leaders, to

show the world that we will rebuild New York City.

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

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not be an age of terror; this will be an age of liberty, here and

across the world.

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 and by our courage.

We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.

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 will remember the moment the

news came—where we were and what we were doing. Some will remember an image of 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.

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 the freedom and security of 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.

Fellow citizens, we will 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.

GEORGE W. BUSH.

THE WHITE HOUSE, September 20, 2001.

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