"Power of Freedom"
Prevailed in World War II, Bush Says in Margraten

President commemorates 60th anniversary of end of war in Europe

Speaking at a cemetery in the Netherlands where thousands of U.S. war dead are interred, President Bush commemorated the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe on May 8 by proclaiming that by that day in 1945 "the world tyrants learned a lesson: There is no power like the like the power of freedom, and no soldier as strong as a soldier who fights for that freedom."

Bush praised the Netherlands, calling the gravesite in Margraten a "fitting home" for the fallen, since it was "from a Dutch port that many of our pilgrim fathers first sailed for America." He added that the Dutch were one of the first to recognize the independence of the new United States of America and noted that "when American soldiers returned to this continent to fight for freedom, they were led by a President who owed his family name to this great land -- Roosevelt."

The president recalled that at the outset of World War II "there were those who believed that democracy was too soft to survive, especially against a Nazi Germany, that boasted the most professional, well-equipped and highly-trained military forces in the world. Yet, this military would be brought down by a coalition of armies from our democratic allies and freedom fighters from occupied lands and underground resistance leaders."

Bush urged those in attendance to "recommit ourselves to the great truth that they defended, that freedom is the birthright of all mankind. Because of their sacrifice and the help of brave allies, that truth prevailed at the close of the 20th century."

Noting that today, when Americans and Europeans are continuing to work together in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and across the broader Middle East to bring "freedom and hope to places where it has long been denied," the president predicted that "when that hope is made real for all people, it will be because of the sacrifices of a new generation of men and women as selfless and dedicated to liberty as those we honor today."

Remarks by President Bush
at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial
Margraten, The Netherlands

11:09 A.M.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Your Majesty; Mr. Prime Minister; Mr. Mayor; distinguished officials of The Netherlands; veterans and their families, including the 104th Infantry Division, known as the Timberwolves; the unit of Harold B. Welch -- my father-in-law, the father of First Lady Laura Bush -- Congressman Hoekstra; General Jones, General Franks; Superintendent Schwind; fellow Americans and friends:

On this peaceful May morning we commemorate a great victory for liberty, and the thousands of white marble crosses and Stars of David underscore the terrible price we pay for that victory. For the Americans who rest here, Dutch soil provides a fitting home. It was from a Dutch port that many of our pilgrim fathers first sailed for America. It was a Dutch port that gave the American flag its first gun salute. It was the Dutch who became one of the first foreign nations to recognize the independence of the new United States of America. And when American soldiers returned to this continent to fight for freedom, they were led by a President who owed his family name to this great land -- Roosevelt.

Some of those brave troops are here with us today, and we welcome you and we honor you. And they're here with their Dutch comrades. They share a love of liberty. In the war that came to an end 60 years ago this day, all those who fought for freedom made sacrifice, and many gave their lives.

In the Voice of America's radio broadcast from London on the first V-E Day, the announcer asked Europe to "think of these Americans as your dead, too." In Dutch hearts, they already were. The Americans saw the Dutch spirit in action within weeks of liberation, when this new cemetery marked its first Memorial Day. It was still a time of hardship and want and depravation; yet Dutch citizens from 60 local villages collected 20 truckloads of flowers so that every American grave here would be decorated when the sun came up on Memorial Day.

And in the six decades since, the Dutch have continued this wonderful tradition by adopting and attending to the graves of the people they never met. Your kindness has brought comfort to thousands of American families separated from their loved ones here by an ocean. And on behalf of a grateful America, I thank you for treating our men and women as your sons and daughters.

Today we join them at this hallowed ground. We come first to remember the young Americans who did not live to comb gray hair. Each man or woman buried here is more than a headstone and a serial number; each person here has a name that is precious to some family. And in faded black and white photographs, each one here looks back at us in the full glow of youth: the fresh-faced American in uniform; the newly minted officer with a smiling sweetheart on his or her arm; or the young dad traveling, holding a baby son or daughter on his knee. Every one of these Americans added his own unique contribution to the story of freedom.

In this cemetery lies Willy F. James, Jr., one of seven African American soldiers from the second world war to win the Medal of Honor. On this memorial wall is inscribed the name, Raymond Kelly, a young man studying to be a priest in Detroit, who could have sat out the war, but gave up his exemption to serve his country. And in this ground rests Maurice Rose, the brilliant division commander who led the first Allied troops into Germany. Here they rest in honored glory with thousands of their comrades in arms, and here we come to affirm the great debt we owe them.

We come to this ground to recall the evil these Americans fought against. For Holland, the war began with the bombing of Rotterdam. The destruction of Rotterdam would be a signpost to the terror and humanity that the Nazi lie would impose on this continent. Like so much of Europe, over the next years of occupation, Holland would come to know curfews, and oppression, and armed bands with yellow stars, and deportation for its Jewish citizens.

The winter just before liberation was the worst. When Dutch railway workers went on strike to make it harder for the German army to reinforce their troops, the Nazis responded with a blockade that made fuel and food even more scarce. Amsterdam would wait for liberation longer than almost any other city in Europe. Before it came, more than 20,000 Dutch men and women and children would perish in what was called the "hongerwinter," and many others were reduced to eating tulip bulbs to stay alive.

For some, V-E Day brought hope for normalcy, after almost five long years of occupation. For many others, including a Jewish girl named Anne Frank, hiding in an attic, V-E Day would come too late, two months after the institutionalized evil of Bergen-Belsen took her young life. And for still others, V-E Day would bring a lasting sense of solidarity with those who fought. One resistance leader put it well: "We are one because, together, we believed in something."

And so we come to this ground to remember the cause for which these soldiers fought and triumphed. At the outset of the war, there were those who believed that democracy was too soft to survive, especially against a Nazi Germany, that boasted the most professional, well-equipped and highly-trained military forces in the world. Yet, this military would be brought down by a coalition of armies from our democratic allies and freedom fighters from occupied lands and underground resistance leaders. They fought side-by-side with American GIs, who, only months before, had been farmers and bank clerks and factory hands. And the world's tyrants learned a lesson: There is no power like the power of freedom, and no soldier as strong as a soldier who fights for that freedom.

Private Robert Lee Rutledge was one of those soldiers. He gave his life fighting against a brutal attack by two Nazi divisions. Weeks before he died, he wrote a letter to his daughter on her fifth birthday. The letter was addressed to little Ginger Rutledge in Lumpkin, Georgia. Private Rutledge told his daughter, "You're too young to understand it now, but you will later. It's all for your benefit. You came into a free world, and I want you to finish in one."

Sixty years later, Ginger is still free, and she does understand. And so do her three children and eight grandchildren. Private Rutledge did his job well, and the men who fought and bled and died here with him accomplished what they came for. The free America that Ginger grew up in was saved by their courage. The free Europe where many of them lie buried was built on their sacrifice. And the free and peaceful world that we hope to leave to our own children is inspired by their example.

On this day, we celebrate the victory they won, and we recommit ourselves to the great truth that they defended, that freedom is the birthright of all mankind. Because of their sacrifice and the help of brave allies, that truth prevailed at the close of the 20th century.

As the 21st century unfolds before us, Americans and Europeans are continuing to work together and are bringing freedom and hope to places where it has long been denied: in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Lebanon, and across the broader Middle East. Freedom is a permanent hope of mankind; and when that hope is made real for all people, it will be because of the sacrifices of a new generation of men and women as selfless and dedicated to liberty as those we honor today.

May God bless you all.

Free Societies Must Balance Security,
Civil Liberties, Says Bush

Free societies much balance national security needs with their citizens' civil liberties, President Bush says.

In remarks during a youth roundtable in Maastricht, the Netherlands, May 8 just prior to a ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Bush responded to questions about laws created in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The president stressed that "every law we passed ... has been scrutinized and, of course, balanced by our Constitution."  He noted that even now the U.S. Congress is reviewing aspects of legislation passed in the wake of the attacks.

"[W]e're constantly reevaluating law," he said.  This constant review is "what happens in democracies, and stands in stark contrast … to societies that are closed and non-transparent, where people don't get to determine the course of action."

Bush explained that the September 11 attacks brought about "a change of attitude" for him and other Americans in how they looked at the world.  He added however, that this change has not caused the country to "begin to take away certain civil liberties."

Responding to a question on how to bolster the U.S. economy while providing for the well-being of the less fortunate, the president said that a "vibrant, growing economy is one which we collect more revenues, and therefore, we're more capable of helping and doing our duty to those who can't help themselves."

"[G]overnment has a role to help those who cannot help themselves, and then encourage people who can help themselves to realize dreams to good education and good policy," he said.

"Abroad, we have a responsibility, as well," Bush elaborated.  Referring to VE Day, he asserted that the lesson of World War II is that "one way you spread peace is [to] spread democracy."

"By spreading democracy throughout Europe, that Europe at last became … free, whole and at peace.  That's the lesson that people at least ought to take away from the experience of the last 60 years.  I believe it applies to the next 60, as well," he said.

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Following is the partial White House transcript of the youth roundtable

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Maastricht, The Netherlands)
May 8, 2005

 

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT BEGINNING OF YOUTH ROUNDTABLE
Selys de Fanson Zaal-Schatkaner Building
Maastricht, The Netherlands
 

PRIME MINISTER BALKENENDE:  Well, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.  It's very good that you're here.  But in the first place, I would like to say to the President of the United States, be welcome in The Netherlands.  We really enjoy that you're here.  It's an important day that you're in The Netherlands today, because on the 6th of May -- that's what we call our Liberation Day -- and we always think about our freedom.  And at your last event, you said a lot about importance of freedom and democracy, and you realize what Americans meant for the European countries after the second world war.  During the second world war, your people were here, but after, you helped us.

And it's very important that you're here today and that you'll have the meeting in Margraten.  It's so important to be there, and also for us to show our respect and to say thanks for what all the Americans have done for The Netherlands.

We already had a breakfast meeting.  We talked about some very important issues.  We talked about the Middle East peace process.  We talked about the struggle against terrorism because we are -- we have the same position.  It's a threat to world society.  We have to work together.  We talked about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We talked about China and some other issues.  We talked about political situation in The Netherlands and the United States.  It was a very fruitful and interesting meeting.

Mr. President, it's great that you're in The Netherlands.  We appreciate very much that you're here today and that we have the meeting in Margraten.  But also today, we have a meeting with students and we thank you for being here and be willing to have a discussion with these young people.  It's very important, always challenging and encouraging if you have the meeting with the students.

 And now, Mr. President, I give you the floor.

PRESIDENT BUSH:  Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.  It's an honor to be in The Netherlands.  Laura and I have been really looking forward to coming to your beautiful country.  I want to thank you for the meeting we just had.  It was a fruitful discussion.  I appreciate your leadership, appreciate your friendship.

You know, I will be honoring a generation that made enormous sacrifices so that my generation could grow up in a free world.  I'm really looking forward to going to the cemetery and paying homage to those who fought for freedom.  It will be a solemn occasion, but an important moment to reflect upon.  And I look forward to talking to the next generation about the responsibilities that you'll have to make sure the communities in which you grow up are hopeful communities and this country in which you love is a free country.

I want to thank you all for coming.  I'm honored that you took time out of your life to come and have a visit with me.  There's nothing like a young generation of Americans to keep an old guy -- I mean, young generation of citizens to keep an old guy like me feeling young.

But, Mr. Prime Minister, again, thanks for your hospitality.  I want to thank Her Majesty, as well, for joining Laura and me today.  It's awfully -- awfully kind of her to do so.  Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER BALKENENDE:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Now the time is for the students.  Looking to the relationship between the United States and The Netherlands, it's good to say that many things are uniting us, but also sometimes you have some decisions that's also possible and that's also good for the debate.  And maybe it's good now to give the floor to you, and maybe it's good to start with Miss Madeline Hoffmeister (phonetic).

Q    Thank you, very much.  Mr. President, I have a question relating of concerning the terrorism.  And you made many laws after 9/11, many -- many laws and many measures.  And I'm wondering, will there be a time when you drop those laws and when you decrease the measures?

PRESIDENT BUSH:  No, I appreciate that question.  Look, a free society such as ours, obviously, must balance the government's most important duty, which is to protect the American people from harm, with the civil liberties of our citizens.  And every law we passed that was aimed to protect us in this new era of threats from abroad and the willingness for people to kill without mercy has been scrutinized and, of course, balanced by our Constitution.  But the question really is, can a transparent society openly deal with a debate about civil liberty versus the tension of protecting ourselves.  And I believe we have done so in good balance in America.  But we're constantly reevaluating law.

The Patriot Act was passed.  It was a very important measure to enable our law enforcement officials to share information which they weren't able to do at times, to be able to protect ourselves.  And yet, Congress is now evaluating certain aspects of that law.  That's what happens in democracies, and stands in stark contrast, by the way, to societies that are closed and non-transparent, where people don't get to determine the course of action.

And so, to answer your question, it depends upon what Congress says and whether or not I agree with it, because I have the right to veto any law, as well.  Of course, they have the right to override my veto.  But I feel comfortable in telling you that we've been able to successfully balance the civil liberties of our citizens with the necessary -- the necessity to protect ourselves.

Listen, one of the interesting things about September the 11th that I want you to understand as we have this discussion is that I fully understand that for some, September the 11th was an important moment and a terrible moment -- and we appreciate the condolences of the people of The Netherlands -- but for us it was a change of attitude.  I mean, it changed a lot about how I looked at the world, and a lot of Americans, it changed how they looked at the world.  I mean, it was more than just an attack; it was a whole mind-set.  And that's why your question is really relevant -- did that mind-set, did that change of attitude cause us to then begin to take away certain civil liberties, and I would argue, it did not.

PRIME MINISTER BALKENENDE:  You're convinced by the President?  (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BUSH:  Don't put her on the spot.  (Laughter.)  That's a little rough question, Mr. Prime Minister.

Q    I've a question about the reason you are here.  We are honoring the soldiers who died in the second world war.  In the years later, America was involved in a lot of conflicts, in a lot of wars.  What's the benefit when you can ask to your people -- you are, in the first place, President of America, you're responsible for your own people --

PRESIDENT BUSH:  Right --

Q    -- what can you ask from your people, not only the dead and the wounded, but also economic consequences?  Last week I received a brochure about raise funding for U.S. aid for poor people.  So what --

PRESIDENT BUSH:  You received -- I beg your pardon -- received a brochure for?

Q    -- raise funding for poor people --

PRESIDENT BUSH:  Oh, to raise funding, yes.

Q    -- the economic consequences of all this involvement in conflicts, what's the balance between the responsibility to the world and the responsibility to your own people?

PRESIDENT BUSH:  I think we have a responsibility to both.  And at home, of course, economic vitality is really important, and to make sure the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.  Seventy percent of new jobs in America are created by small business owners, which is -- it speaks to our -- the environment of encouraging entrepreneurship, which means less lawsuits and good tax policy and less regulations.  A vibrant, growing economy is one which we collect more revenues, and therefore, we're more capable of helping and doing our duty to those who can't help themselves.

And that's the interesting balance of a free society, by the way, is the extent to which the welfare state is prevalent.  And I believe we -- government has a role to help those who cannot help themselves, and then encourage people who can help themselves to realize dreams to good education and good policy.

Abroad, we have a responsibility, as well.  First, let me just tell you, the hardest decision a President makes is war.  Nobody wants to be at war.  Nobody.  Now the question is, how do we spread peace.  And one way you spread peace is spread democracy.  That's the lesson of World War II.  If that thought troubles you we can discuss this a little more.  But the lesson of World War II, at least, was that by spreading democracy throughout Europe, that Europe at last became whole, peace -- free, whole and at peace.  That's the lesson that people at least ought to take away from the experience of the last 60 years.  I believe it applies to the next 60, as well.

But we have other duties, as well -- HIV/AIDS, for example, in the continent of Africa is a pandemic that has got to be appalling to the free world.  And my government is spending $15 billion as part of a global effort to help -- help defeat HIV/AIDS.  We feed more of the hungry than any nation, and it's an obligation we readily accept.  But, as well, as we work to help those who hurt, we also have got to put practical policies in place.

And that's why I'm such a believer in free trade, because trade ultimately -- the benefits of trade, the benefits of economy, the benefits of growing businesses far exceed the capacity of governments to hand out aid to people.  And so, in Africa, for example, we've got a policy of feeding the hungry and providing money for help, but we've also got a free trade policy with Africa, which is helping these economies grow, which provides opportunity and hope for people that are living in those countries.  So we have a balanced obligation at home and abroad.

Thank you, sir.

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