For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 13, 2001
Radio Address of the President to the Nation
Listen to the President's Remarks
THE PRESIDENT: Good
morning. This week, we opened some important new fronts in
the war on terror. We're taking the war to the enemy and we
are strengthening our defenses here at home.
In last weeks' radio address, I warned
that time was running out for the Taliban to turn over the terrorists
they shelter. They did not listen, and they are paying a
price.
On Sunday, American and British forces
launched strikes at terrorist camps and Taliban military targets in
Afghanistan. Our men and women in uniform are performing as
they always do, with skill and courage. And they have
achieved the goals of the first phase of our campaign. We
have disrupted the terrorist network inside Afghanistan. We
have weakened the Taliban's military. And we have crippled
the Taliban's air defenses.
American forces
dominate the skies over Afghanistan and we will use that dominance to
make sure terrorists can no longer freely use Afghanistan as a base of
operations.
This campaign will not be completed in one
attack. Our enemy prefers to attack the
helpless. He hides from our soldiers. But we're
making a determined effort to take away his hiding
places. The best defense against terrorism is a strong
offensive against terrorists. That work
continues.
At the same time, we are taking further
action to strengthen our protections against terrorism here at
home. This week, I signed an executive order creating a new
Office of Homeland Security. The Office is headed by a
skilled and tested leader, former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.
Governor Ridge is a decorated Vietnam
combat veteran. He's an effective executive and he knows
what we're up against, because his own state was one of the three where
Americans died on September the 11th.
Governor Ridge is charged with
coordinating a comprehensive national effort to protect our country
against terrorism, to frustrate terrorists' plans, to help protect
vulnerable points, and to prepare our response to potential
threats. Tom Ridge will report directly to me, and he will
have the full support of our entire government.
I understand that many Americans are
feeling uneasy. But all Americans should be
assured: We are taking strong precautions, we are vigilant,
we are determined, the country is alert, and the great power of the
American nation will be felt.
Our nation is grateful to so many
Americans who are rallying to our cause and preparing for the struggle
ahead: FBI agents, intelligence officers, emergency response
workers, public health authorities, state and local officials, our
diplomats abroad, law enforcement teams who safeguard our security at
home, and soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who defend us so far
away.
Many others are asking: What
can I do? Americans already contribute to the war on terror
by their patience and patriotism, by their resolve and generosity.
Yet, I have one more task, one especially
for America's children. I urge you to show the best of
America, by directly helping the children of Afghanistan who are
suffering from the oppression and misrule of their own
government. Many are malnourished, many are starving.
Put a dollar in an
envelope. Mark it, "America's Fund for Afghan Children," and
send it here to the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington,
DC, 20509-1600. Working with the American Red Cross, we will
get that money to Afghan children in need.
This is something the children of America
can do for the children of Afghanistan, even as we oppose the brutal
Taliban regime. We will oppose their evil with firm justice,
and we will answer their hatred with compassion for the Afghan people.
Thank you for listening.
END
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