 Thank you all for coming to see us off and a special thank you to the Marine Band for that great music. As you know, Nancy and I are leaving today for the Economic Summit in Venice. Many of you have helped me prepare for this meeting and I'm most grateful. Others of you will in the months ahead join with me in helping to chart the course not only for our economy but in large measure for the world entire world's economy. Of course I'm looking forward to continuing our common work but for a moment rather than address you the men and women who are my partners in shaping our nation's policies for the future I would like to direct my words to some very special guests to those of you here today who are the future you graduates of James Madison High School the man your school was named for James Madison has been called the father of our Constitution and he was also our fourth president and no I was not one of his staff or advisors but in the his first inaugural address Madison said these simple and profound words it has been the true glory of the United States he said to cultivate peace by observing justice well this is a particularly good moment for remembering that wisdom on this trip I will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Marshall plan yes 40 years ago the United States said that if Europe were ever to see an end the specter of war that had haunted the great continent for over two centuries all of its people would have to know freedom democracy and justice and so we extended both to allies and former enemies a helping hand a hand of compassion and a hand of hope the Soviet Union declined to take part in the Marshall plan as did the countries under its control but to the rest of Europe we gave help but we know now as Western Europe was rebuilt and today in part as a result of the Marshall plan those countries and the United States as well as Japan have known the longest period of general peace in this century and the greatest prosperity in the history of man at this economic summit I will look around the table and see thanks in part to the generosity and wisdom of our nation over the past 40 years not the leaders of broken desperate and despotic nations but the leaders of strong and stable democracies countries that today are our partners for peace on the world stage next week each leader at that table will be asking the same questions how can we help make the next 40 years as prosperous as the last 40 how can we help our people's live in a world of even greater opportunities in the next decade and the next century well some of the answers to these questions are clear our countries should move forward to end unsustainable trade imbalances to reform agricultural policies and restore stability to the international currency markets the major economic powers of the world must also work to eliminate inequities in the international trade environment to keep markets open and to keep commerce flowing economic growth and free markets are everybody's business at Venice we'll talk about how to improve east-west relations we will discuss arms reductions human rights problems regional conflicts and bilateral cooperation our discussion in Venice will help strengthen western solidarity which is indispensable to progress on issues of contention between the east and west we will also address various regional issues and other problems such as international terrorism where we can point to stepped up and increasingly effective western fronts or efforts I should say especially after last year's summit in Tokyo despite this long agenda we won't find all the answers to those questions about our future at this summit not by a long shot in fact many of the answers will come from where mankind's greatest energy and vision have always come from you from those like you throughout the world from the hope that lives in the hearts of free people everywhere but we will take steps we will continue the work of as Madison said cultivating peace by observing justice I'll out talking as I sit at that table and remember Madison's words I will see not just the faces of those other leaders but your faces as well so thanks again for coming here today and God bless you all well again thank you all flowers in the United States flag we've got to do all right when we get there thank you all