 I don't think it was really set up that way. That was done for media effect. Michael Andrews is very sensitive to that. Well, we've heard it on high authority. Yes. Well, congratulations on getting underway with the work of the U.S. Institute of Peace. This institute, we think, will be a valuable source of scholarly research and information on ways in which we can promote peace with freedom. As Abraham Lincoln reminded us in his second inaugural address, we must do all which may achieve a just and lasting peace with all nations. We should always remember that peace follows in freedoms path and conflicts erupt when the democratic will of the people is denied. History shows that democratic nations are naturally peaceful and non-aggressive. Democracies take up arms only in self-defense. I have always put it in the sense that people don't start wars and governments do. Fundamental conflicts between freedom and tyranny cannot be papered over by trees. True peace will always demand a clear-eyed, rock-hard realism and an enduring commitment to the values of political and economic freedom that have guided our nation for more than two centuries. Thus, the surest way to strengthen the foundation of peace is to support the growth of democracy and gain full respect for human rights. Supporting a spread of democracy means providing assistance to the brave men and women who today struggle to achieve a free and democratic society and rid their homelands of foreign-supported tyrannies. It also means fighting to help overcome the poverty in underdeveloped countries that breeds violence and radicalism. Free market economic policies. Policies that are proven effective in spurring growth and prosperity around the growth and play a vital role in building democracy. But above all, it means keeping America's defenses strong and ready, as I intend to tell the nation tonight. The strong national defense for the United States is not only indispensable to arms control, but for the security, freedom, and peace of the entire world. A real and secure peace depends on our courage to build it and guard it and pass it on to future generations. George Washington's words were in justice true today. To be prepared for war, he said, is one of the most effective means of preserving the peace. American strength is a sheltering an arm for peace and freedom and an often dangerous war. And strength is the most persuasive argument we have to convince our adversaries to give up their hostile intentions, to negotiate seriously and to stop bullying other nations. In the real world, peace through strength must be our life. As you begin your work for peace in the great American tradition, you have my best wishes and those of the American people. Thank you all. Mr. President, given your long friendship with Ferdinand Marcos, what are your thoughts about playing a role in his fall from power? Of course, I have to say, we're here for a different purpose today and I'm not going to take any questions on this. Could I ask you, sir, why do you oppose the creation of this body? Why do you oppose the creation of this body? You said no questions. No questions. Nothing you want to tell us about this? We've not heard from you since all of these events, sir. We've not heard from you since all of these events took place in the Philippines. The man said no questions. Mr. President, November of last year, in 1984, with John Fisher and Scott Thompson, we gave you a book called, A Strategy of Peace through Strength, and I'm glad to hear you endorsing it again. Yes, I did. There have been four wars in my lifetime, and not one of them was caused because we were too strong. Well, now... Mr. President, it is a great privilege and a pleasure for the members of the Board of Directors of the New United States Institute of Peace to meet with you. We are great supporters of your strong support for peace with freedom in the world. And the members of this Board strongly support that and endorse it. We are very aware that for many years the totalitarian countries of the world have stolen the word peace, and they have twisted it to their own propaganda ends. This Board is going to do everything in its power to convey to the American people and to the world the simple truth that it's the democracies that support peace. Indeed, the creation of this Board is yet another indication of the strong tradition of the democracies in seeking peace in every way that we can. I think you will also find that the members of this Board all understand the great importance of maintaining a strong defense and the understanding that deterrence is critical if we are to prevent totalitarian regimes that have been on aggression and violation of the Charter from starting serious conflicts. That is a point that is understood and endorsed very strongly by this Board and we are strong supporters of your commitment to a strong United States, a strong free world, and we will do our part in the United States Institute of Peace to particularly participate in this campaign of public education to let people know of the contrast between the work of the democracies for peace and the work of the totalitarian countries in many cases to seek deliberately to undo that. Mr. President, we are with you and it is a great honor and pleasure and privilege to be here. Thank you very much. Let me see. That's all there is to it. I know we can get your kid there. I just tell you that we have to smile and come on and talk to you. I'll get a picture of you. I'll give you a second. All right. Any questions? Yeah, sir. This is a long sleeve. So you are in the poverty. Morning, Mr. President. I am in the poverty. I'm looking over the room inside and we get cut out. As I noticed, the speaker has come to be here. I think you're ready to go to the last one. He's in jail, he's just representing the state, the Massachusetts delegation is representing in jail. My buddy. Oh, yeah. My lucky crew, yeah. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man, something doesn't quite go in the morning. Yeah. Yeah, man, thank you, sir. It's a very good thing that oughta be mentioned before we start and that is that I'm gonna thank Newamp Presence for all of this dumb bee, OKLAZ VI, because this will be the last last meeting he will be attending this party tomorrow. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Mr. President, even your Republican allies on the Hill say you're going to have to give on defense. How far can you give without date for enacting security? You're on me. Yeah. Tell us where you bought that suit. We do. Have you got a NASA administrator yet? I'd like to find that. NASA administrator? No, I don't. Have you? No. Have you liked it? Yeah. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. Yeah. Up there? With friendly presents. To make your comics re-shot to the gut. You're still. Yeah. Right. I'm still a fan of Thomas Jefferson, but I'm beginning to question that thing about a free press. Well, let me just say a few words here. First, we've had a number of balls in the air, several tense moments over the last few days, and I just thought it important that we get together to share some of the thinking that went into our Philippines policy and how that translates to the future. There's a real foundation of foreign policy in this country, a true bipartisan effort that led us to where we are today in the Philippines. Each of you gave us the encouragement that we needed to carry out our policy and also exercising restraint. That true bipartisan cooperation gave us the latitude to pursue the diplomacy that was necessary for a successful outcome. Often in the last few weeks, we all know there's a high risk, I should say, of violence in Manila that the result turned out to be a positive one for the Philippine people. And we couldn't have undertaken our effort in the face of such risk without your support. And our standing together is a clear signal, I think, of our intent to see the matter resolved successfully. Let me say that I'm very proud of the team that George and Cap and John put together on the Philippines, that team that led us to success. So, right now, I'm going to ask George to go into some detail on the situation. I have this opportunity to meet each one of you and also to express my thanks. These last ten months particularly have been very, very exceptionally helpful from the CEA. And I have heard some stories from him about all that went into the statistical report, or the economic report, I should say, of the statisticians who come around till three o'clock in the morning in the offices. And then those junior economists who stayed not long, they just spent the night in their offices. So I understand that they're looking at factoids. I think it's a great report, and I think it carried out, actually, what we hoped has been the description, the appearance of our administration. You see, I just feel a little kinship to you. You know, and any more, I can't tell ethnic stories. You know, my stories led to one thing I can tell are economic stories. Because that's what my degree was in. Of course, 25 years after I got that, my alma mater had me back and gave me an honorary degree. And that only added to a sense of guilt. I had nursed for 25 years because I figured the first one they gave me was honorary. But it is wonderful to see all of you and believe me. I thank you for what you've done and for that report. Mr. President. Yes, sir. What's that? Well, the story has the three gentlemen arrived in heaven all at the same time. If you haven't heard this, St. Peter said they were a little crowded, and they only had room for one. And therefore, they were going to take the one that probably was the practitioner of the oldest profession. Well, the doctor stepped forward and said, I think that's me. He said we know that God made Adam, and then he made Eve from a rib that took an operation, and I'm a surgeon. And before he could move, another one stepped forward and said just a minute. He said before God did all this, all was chaos. And God then worked for six days making the earth and eliminating the chaos, so he must have been an engineer. And that lets me in. And the third one says, whoops, both of you. I'm an economist. Where do you think you got all that chaos? I'm going to tell a brief true story. Yesterday I was in New York giving a speech on economics, and after it was one of the press people came up and said, well now, just what do you do, Mr. Spraykel? And I said, well, my essential job is to provide good economic advice to the president. But I said it's very easy, and it's very easy first because he is the first president in our history that has a degree in economics, but much more important, he understands it. And that's why we have enjoyed so much working for you, but you do understand the argument. Well, I appreciate it. Maybe it had something to do with the time I was learning. We had, it was in the very depths of the Great Depression. And we had a professor who had a department there, and he'd give us outside reading. And we'd go to the library, and we'd get that book, and we would read these pages that he had told us to read. And then he'd delight it after we would finish reporting and burn the midnight oil, as you did, but then read that book. And then in those depths of the depression, he would say, you might be interested to know that the author of that book, on such and such a date, and he would read it, predicted that he saw no reason why stocks should not continue to rise indefinitely. I am the proud possessor of a copy of the Economic Report that you signed for me, but I would like to give you one that all of the staff of the Council of Economic Advisers signed for you. Thank you all very much. I'm not very proud to have that. Very pleased to have that. And also, as you may know, there is a custom on the CEA to design a shirt model on the Economic Report. And we thought when you get out to the ranch and have a couple of months of time, you might be interested in wearing one that says Economic Report of the President. Hey. Thank you very much. Thank you. I'm very pleased to have that. Now I understand we're going to be able to have some pictures. You can't have a group picture. There are too many of them, so we're going to do it individually. I guess which way does the line come? I was told it would come this way. It would come to you. It's coming right there. We thought we were still in pictures. We'd print the first one.