 Ambassador to El Salvador will be leading shortly and will take up his post there. Ambassador to victory. The President's will is on the right in El Salvador to make his progress. It's a photo opportunity. Thank you. What about the black points? They won't do more than that. Photo opportunity. Photo opportunity. Is that an invitation, sir? Yes, we're very pleased to have him here. It's President Abul Juf, the President of Senegal. Can you talk about the French response? The French done enough, Mr. President? Photo. Photo opportunity. Thank you. So, all the time, meetings and sneezing starts first on my commitment to open that door and try to walk right in on somebody's tagline. What did I interrupt? Do you want to continue? No, sir, I do not want to continue. Nothing will happen if you just said yes. Well, listen, I'm glad to see all of you here and I have a chance for a visit. And you can take a few minutes here. And as you know, I'm off to Florida and Texas this week to seek support within the Hispanic community for our Central American policy. Emphasize the benefits of our domestic policies with regard to the community of Americans of Hispanic descent. And in the last few days, I've been leading with some leaders. A few days ago, I met with 75 Hispanic supporters and leaders in the dining room. And just a couple of days ago, with several Hispanic leaders who were various professions, civil, legal, and educational. And this weekend, as a matter of fact, tomorrow, I'll be addressing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the next day, the GI Forum National Convention in El Paso. And I want to express my appreciation for all of you and for your dedicated service. I believe that communication is important and we must take our programs, make them, our efforts known to the community at the local level. That's not easy because no matter what we do here, somehow the press usually finds something else to write and talk about and what we're doing here. And the positive effect, I think, of our economic program, one of which for all Americans, it certainly has had an effect on some of the problems in the community. The effective tax rate cuts, the reduction of unemployment, and re-education, re-establishing the quality education idea with the changing the curriculum and doing something to inspire teachers to stay in the profession at all. And the central American policy, which I know, from the polls alone is the least understood of anything we're doing. The polls will come out with the majority as opposed to what we're doing and so forth. Then they ask a question and find that the greatest majority in the polls don't know which side we're on. And the Saturday morning on my radio program, I'm going to try and explain again if I can in five minutes whose side you're on. My special assistant here, public liaison, Kathy Villa Pondo, she needs your support and expertise and suggestions so that we can reach the community better. And recently, I've brought Joe Sargado from the Department of Justice to work in the presidential personnel so that we can have a better input in our recruiting people from the Hispanic communities. Now, one last thing I want to say before I turn to you is I'm a little frustrated by the tendency of the press to psychoanalyze and tell you why you're doing things in public print. And of course, you've seen that everything I'm doing is all aimed at there's an election year coming. Therefore, belatedly, I am grandstanding in trying to prevent things with political purposes. Well, it is frustrating because the truth of the matter is long before I ever thought I would have an opportunity such as this. I do what was on my mind. I long believed that this country of ours has never established the proper relationship that it should have with our neighbors here in the Americas. And that's why when I did have this opportunity and came to me before I was even inaugurated, I met the president then of Mexico with a border. Subsequently, here after I was in office and met with President Donald Dredd. I'm going to meet with him again, but met with him before he took office but after he'd been elected. And it's why early on I made a trip to South and Central America and met with leaders there. And the message had to do with that dream of mine. I told him I knew about the various things that the United States had proposed and the ideas for better relations. I don't think they were ever properly followed up, but also I think the thing that was wrong with it was we're the big colossus of the North. And for us to suddenly say to our neighbors here in the Western Hemisphere, look, here is a plan. Well, that's the big colossus, big brother speaking again. So in my trip to every leader, I met with, I said, what are your ideas? How can we bring ourselves together as equal partners and allies in the Western Hemisphere? And bring about the proper development of these two continents and pointed out that from South Pole to North Pole, there's no place in the world like it. We all have the same pioneer heritage. We all worship the same God. We are all Americans. And I was surprised when I said that in some of those countries to find the reaction. They thought that we kind of grabbed off the name. Well, I pointed out, you can't go around saying I'm the United States. But we are all different. Yes, we're different countries. Yes, we have our own diverse ways. And that's fine. Nothing wrong with these sovereign nations. But where else in the world can you cross the border into another nation and still find your among Americans? We are all Americans, North, Central, and South. And what a force for good we could be with more than 600 million people in this Western Hemisphere. Developing, helping each other improve in the economy. Erasing those areas where there is extreme wealth and extreme poverty and no man between. Opportunity for everybody. And that's what it's all about and I better quit talking now. Eric. Well, Mr. President, and carrying out our function at the VA, we also have... I never think I'm going to be serious. Mr. President, we are all concerned that the commission may turn into critics of your policy. Not at all. Why not? Because we wanted a completely independent commission to find out something on us. For a long-range policy, they're going to remain independent. Now, I thought that was very interesting. All right. I am gathered here today for the public signing of legislation which proclaims September 3, 1983, a national day of celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Paris. What the United States will observe on September 3, of course, is much more than the anniversary of a distant diplomatic agreement. In a real sense, the Treaty of Paris marked the moment when America became officially or wanted to officially join the family of nations. A long and grueling war for independence had already been fought, risking their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Our ancestors had earned their freedom in the grim privation of Valley Forge and on far-flung battlefields throughout the 13 colonies. It's been a hard struggle, fought against what was then the mightiest empire on earth, without the courage of our people and their dedication to freedom, and without the help of France, our oldest ally, we couldn't have prevailed. But on September 3, 1783, eight years of heroic sacrifice meant their just reward. The Treaty of Paris officially recognized the independence of those 13 infant states, born of pioneer strength and a vision of freedom, and opened a great new chapter in the history of the world. If July 4, 1776 is the day when the American people represented by the Continental Congress declared their independence, September 3, 1783 is the day when our independence became an accomplished, recognized fact. The true birth of a nation forged in freedom and dedicated to a noble ideal that still inspires men and women everywhere. It's a special tribute to the great venture that is America that in the past 200 years, as our country has grown from strength to strength, drawing on our native dynamism and the ancient ideals of Western civilization, democracy has taken root in so many other parts of the world. Just six years after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, France began writing its own proud chapter in the history of liberty. Our English cousins, too, continue to evolve and expand their free parliamentary institutions. Perhaps the greatest tribute of all is the fact that today all the signatory nations of the Paris Treaty are themselves democracies, staunch friends and allies of the United States sharing our dedication to peace and freedom. So this bicentennial is not just a great event for America. It's a time of celebration and rededication for all peoples who cherish our ideals and who've contributed them to them here and around the world. And I'm particularly glad that we can share this moment with the representatives of England and France. And I also want to add a special word of thanks to Congressman Herb Bateman who introduced this legislation and to Senator Mac Mathias who represented his Marjorie Holt, Bill Bromfield, and Clint Zablaki and other members, Clem Zablaki and other members who've done so much to make this celebration possible. And I thank you for sharing this memorable moment with us here at the White House. And now to borrow a phrase. Oh, I couldn't resist this. I am going to put my John Hancock. It's a historic piece of legislation. Thank you. God bless you all. I'm a Reagan on that John Hancock. Thank you very much. Well, thank you very much. I'm very proud to have you here. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you all.