Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Monday, December 14, 1998 Volume 34ÐNumber 50 Pages 2431±2469 1 VerDate 14-DEC-98 09:00 Dec 17, 1998 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 1249 Sfmt 1249 M:\TERRI\P50DE4.PRE TXED01 PsN: TXED01 Contents Addresses and Remarks Executive OrdersÐContinued See also Meetings With Foreign Leaders Further amendment to Executive Order Arkansas, memorial service for William 13037, Commission To Study Capital Maurice Smith, Jr., in WynneÐ2433 BudgetingÐ2467 Dale and Betty Bumpers, gala honoringÐ Implementation of Human Rights TreatiesÐ 2444 2459 Death of Albert Gore, Sr.Ð2434 Interviews With the News Media Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, presentationÐ2454 Exchange with reporters aboard Air Force Former Secretary of Agriculture Michael OneÐ2434 Espy, portrait unveilingÐ2461 Letters and Messages General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., of the Tuskegee AirmenÐ2449 Hanukkah, messageÐ2453 House Judiciary Committee vote on the first Meetings With Foreign Leaders article of impeachment, remarks prior toÐ 2465 Costa Rica, President RodriguezÐ2463 Kennedy Center Honors receptionÐ2435 El Salvador, President CalderonÐ2463 Medicare fraud, efforts to combatÐ2438 Guatemala, Vice President FloresÐ2463 National Christmas tree lightingÐ2452 Honduras, President FloresÐ2463 Radio addressÐ2432 Nicaragua, President AlemanÐ2463 W. Averell Harriman Democracy AwardÐ Proclamations 2446 White House Conference on Social SecurityÐ Death of Albert Gore, Sr.Ð2440 2441 Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights WeekÐ2457 Communications to Congress National Children's Memorial DayÐ2466 Major illicit drug-producing and drug-transit National Pearl Harbor Remembrance DayÐ countries, letterÐ2437 2431 Statements by the President Communications to Federal Agencies National Education Goals ReportÐ2463 Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, Northern right whale, International Maritime memorandumÐ2453 Organization action to protectÐ2440 New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, memorandum on assistanceÐ2444 Supplementary Materials Executive Orders Acts approved by the PresidentÐ2469 Checklist of White House press releasesÐ Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay and 2468 Delegation of a Federal Pay Administration Digest of other White House AuthorityÐ2440 announcementsÐ2467 Nominations submitted to the SenateÐ2468 WEEKLY COMPILATION OF regulations prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10). PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Reg- The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be ister, National Archives and Records Administration, Washing- furnished by mail to domestic subscribers for $80.00 per year ton, DC 20408, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign subscribers for ments contains statements, messages, and other Presidential $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of Documents, materials released by the White House during the preceding Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The week. charge for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing). The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- There are no restrictions on the republication of material lished pursuant to the authority contained in the Federal Reg- appearing in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ister Act (49 Stat. 500, as amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under ments. 2 VerDate 14-DEC-98 09:00 Dec 17, 1998 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 1249 Sfmt 1249 M:\TERRI\P50DE4.PRE TXED01 PsN: TXED01 Week Ending Friday, December 11, 1998 Proclamation 7156ÐNational Pearl have only to remember the indomitable spirit Harbor Remembrance Day, 1998 of the American forces there who, despite December 4, 1998 the death and destruction engulfing them, in- dividually and collectively responded with By the President of the United States courage and selflessness. We remember the of America sailors who raced to their battle stations and opened fire on the attacking Japanese planes A Proclamation even as their ships were ablaze and sinking. Fifty-seven years ago, at 7:55 on Sunday We remember the small, valiant band of morning, December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan Army pilots who managed to take off during launched a surprise attack on American the second wave of bombing and, though forces at Pearl Harbor, thrusting the United hopelessly outnumbered, shot down several States into the crucible of World War II. enemy aircraft. We remember the crew of From the vantage point of history, we now the crippled OKLAHOMA cheering their know that the events of that day would trans- comrades on the NEVADA as she made a form our Nation and the course of world his- desperate dash down the harbor channel to tory. safety. These heroes of Pearl Harbor were Attacking in two waves, Japanese aircraft an inspiration to our entire countryÐand killed or wounded almost 3,600 AmericansÐ they remain so today. It is fitting that each over 1,000 of them aboard the battleship AR- year, on this day, we remember them and IZONAÐsank or badly damaged most of our give thanks for their courage, their sacrifice, Pacific Fleet, and destroyed or damaged al- and their refusal to be defeated. Because of most all U.S. aircraft in the area. In his his- them, and the millions of other Americans toric speech to the Congress on the following like them who have served our Nation in uni- day, President Franklin Roosevelt requested form, America is free, strong, and at peace. and the Congress approved a declaration of To pay tribute to these heroes and to war against Japan. With characteristic opti- mism and confidence in the spirit of the honor our solemn obligation to those who American people, he predicted that ``No mat- sacrificed their lives to defend our freedom ter how long it may take us . the Amer- that fateful Sunday morning, the Congress, ican people in their righteous might will win by Public Law 103±308, has designated De- through to absolute victory.'' cember 7, 1998, as ``National Pearl Harbor President Roosevelt proved to be right, al- Remembrance Day.'' though he would not live to see the ultimate Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, triumph of freedom. After almost 4 long President of the United States of America, years of struggle and sacrifice by the men do hereby proclaim December 7, 1998, as and women of our Armed Forces, sustained National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. by the prayers of their families and the efforts I urge all Americans to observe this day with of determined working men and women appropriate programs, ceremonies, and ac- throughout our land who built our Nation tivities in honor of the Americans who served into the ``Arsenal of Democracy,'' the United at Pearl Harbor. I also ask all Federal depart- States and our allies prevailed over the forces ments and agencies, organizations, and indi- of fascism and oppression. viduals to fly the flag of the United States To understand and appreciate the mag- at half-staff on this day in honor of those nitude of our victory in World War II, we Americans who died as a result of the attack have only to remember Pearl Harbor. We on Pearl Harbor. 2431 VerDate 14-DEC-98 08:54 Dec 17, 1998 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 M:\TERRI\P50DE4.TXT TXED01 PsN: TXED01 2432 Dec. 4 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set blocked each day. Who knows how many my hand this fourth day of December, in the lives were saved. year of our Lord nineteen hundred and nine- But within just 24 hours after the instant ty-eight, and of the Independence of the checks went into effect, the National Rifle United States of America the two hundred Association went to court to stop the new and twenty-third. system. The gun lobby's goal is plain. As the William J. Clinton NRA's executive director himself put it this week, they want to ``scale back'' the Brady [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, law. 8:45 a.m., December 8, 1998] Five years ago, as the Brady bill was near- ing passage in Congress, the gun lobby spent NOTE: This proclamation was published in the more than a million dollars in a desperate Federal Register on December 9. This item was not received in time for publication in the appro- effort to kill it. Fortunately, the good sense priate issue. of Congress and the will of the American people prevailed. The gun lobby lost. But the American people won. Unfortunately, as we The President's Radio Address saw this week, they'll stop at nothing to gut December 5, 1998 the Brady law and undermine our efforts to keep more guns from falling into the wrong Good morning. In 1993 I took office deter- hands, even though we now have 5 years of mined to get our country moving again, to evidence that it works. provide opportunity for all responsible, hard- We can't turn back. In these last 5 years, working citizens, and to create the conditions Brady background checks have stopped near- of a genuine community in our country. ly a quarter of a million illegal handgun sales. First, we had to get the economy going. We can't go back to the days when dangerous Yesterday we got the good news that unem- criminals walked away from stores with new ployment is down to 4.4 percent, the lowest guns, no questions asked. in 28 years, with 17.3 million new jobs. But Police, prosecutors, and the American America needs more than jobs to really work. people they protect have made it clear they Our country also has to be safer. And we've want to strengthen, not weaken, the Brady worked very hard to make our streets, our law.