For Immediate Release November 2, 1993

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO NAFTA DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN ENDORSEMENT EVENT

The East Room

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, President Carter, Mr. Vice President, all the distinguished people who have spoken here today.

I would like to begin by making two observations. First of all, after hearing what has been said I'm pretty proud to be an American today. And I think all of you should be, too. (Applause.) Secondly, I have been sent an extraterrestrial telegram stating that "I, too, am for NAFTA", signed Otto von Bismarck. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release April 10, 1997

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT

AT TOP OF CABINET MEETING

Q -- just a little while ago, Mrs. Clinton was asked about questions that keep coming up about efforts -- whether the White House knew of or was behind or whether there were any efforts to pay hush money to Webster Hubbell. And she called it part of the continuing saga of Whitewater, the never-ending fictional conspiracy that honest-to-goodness reminds me of some people's obsession with UFOs and the Hale-Bopp comet. (Laughter.) And I was wondering --

THE PRESIDENT: Did she say that? (Laughter.) That's pretty good. (Laughter.)

Q I was wondering if you share that sentiment? And also, we haven't had a chance to -- (laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, if I didn't, I wouldn't disagree with her in public. (Laughter.)

Q We haven't had a chance to hear what your comment is to the apology that Webb Hubbell and his claim that he was a con artist who fooled people here at the White House. Are you angry at him now? He seems to have caused you a whole lot of trouble, and he seems to be causing it.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, no, I'm not angry at him anymore because he's paid a very high price for the mistake he made. And if he hadn't come up here and he'd stayed home and tried to work it through, he would have paid a price, but it would have been a smaller one.

But let me remind you that everybody pays in life. There's -- somehow we all wind up paying for whatever we do, and he paid a very high price. And he's apologized and I accept his apology. He's got four wonderful children and a fine wife. And he's done a lot of wonderful things in his life, and I hope he'll be able to go on and do some more wonderful things.

And as far as I'm concerned, that's why we have a criminal justice system: people get punished, they pay their price, and they're supposed to be able to go on. He got punished and paid quite a high price, and I hope he'll be able to go on with his life now.

For Immediate Release November 26, 1997

PRESS BRIEFING

BY MIKE MCCURRY

The Briefing Room

Q Did the President ask Webb Hubbell to find out about UFOs and the JFK assassination?

MR. MCCURRY: No. We have a regular briefing in the Oval Office with this space alien that some tabloids report. (Laughter.) Maybe The New York Post hasn't reported that, but we asked the space creature to look into that story.

Q Did he ask Hubbell to find out about those two issues?

MR. MCCURRY: I have no idea and I'm not going to respond to specific things in books that are written.

For Immediate Release January 28, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO THE PEOPLE OF CHAMPAIGN-URBANA

University of Illinois

Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

There are polls that say that young people in their 20s think it's more likely that they will see UFOs than that they will ever collect Social Security. (Applause.) And all of you know that the Social Security system is supposed to be in trouble.

For Immediate Release January 28, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO THE PEOPLE OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN

La Crosse Convention Center

La Crosse, Wisconsin

I saw a survey the other day that said young people in their 20s thought it was more likely that they would see UFOs than that they'd ever get to collect Social Security. (Laughter.) Now, here's what I have to say about that. I don't want to stop people from watching the X-Files, go on and do that.

(Laughter.)

For Immediate Release February 9, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

ON SOCIAL SECURITY

Gaston Hall

Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

You know, there was a recent poll which said that young people in the generation of the students here felt it was far more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would draw Social Security. (Laughter.) And others may think that it's a long way off, as Mannone said, and the Vice President said he thought it was a long way off.

A couple of days ago I went to New Mexico to visit our national labs -- you may have seen the story. And our national labs at Los Alamos and Sandia and Lawrence Livermore, where we do a lot of the research that not only helps us to preserve the security of our smaller and smaller nuclear arsenal, but helps us to deal with our environmental questions and a lot of other fascinating challenges of the future...It's very important you understand this. Once you understand this, you realize this is not an episode from the X Files, and you're

not more likely to see a UFO if you do certain specific things.

For Immediate Release February 9, 1998

PRESS BRIEFING BY

GENE SPERLING

The Briefing Room

Sperling:... somebody who is 33 today will turn 65 in 2029 and that they should care very deeply about this, and that they should not feel that Social Security is as likely to occur for them as seeing a UFO.

For Immediate Release February 19, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO DNC DINNER

Private Residence

West Orange, New Jersey

And everybody knows -- there are surveys which show that young people believe it is more likely that they will see a UFO than that they'll every draw Social Security. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release February 25, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT DCCC DINNER

Private Residence

San Francisco, California

But as I said in the State of the Union address, it's literally true, there was a public opinion survey done last year which showed that most people under 25 thought it was more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would ever draw a penny of Social Security. I don't want to discourage young people from watching the X-Files -- (laughter) -- but I think we have to somehow reverse that perception. So that's the first thing I want to say.

For Immediate Release March 21, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

IN SATELLITE ADDRESS TO PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS'

"AMERICANS DISCUSS SOCIAL SECURITY"

The one think I think is very important is that young people understand especially what the realities are. I mean, I saw a survey the other day that said that some people -- a lot of people in their 20s thought it was more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would ever draw Social Security. Now, that's not accurate.

For Immediate Release April 7, 1998

ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO A NATIONAL FORUM ON SOCIAL SECURITY

Penn Valley Community College

Kansas City, Missouri

To the younger people here today who may believe that you will never see a Social Security check -- indeed, I saw a poll which purported to be serious that said that Americans in their twenties thought it was more likely they would see a UFO than that they would every draw Social Security. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release June 12, 2000

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE FIRST LADY

AT MILLENNIUM MATINEE "UNDER THE SEA, BEYOND THE STARS"

The East Room 2:37 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't know what to say. (Laughter.) You know, if they're all out there, I hope they have the best of what we have and fewer headaches. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release November 30, 1995

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AND THE FIRST LADY

AT THE LIGHTING OF THE CITY CHRISTMAS TREE

Belfast City Hall

Belfast, Northern Ireland

And to all of you who have not lost your sense of humor, I say thank you. I got a letter from 13-year-old Ryan from Belfast. Now, Ryan, if you're out in the crowd tonight, here's the answer to your question. No, as far as I know, an alien spacecraft did not crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. (Laughter.) And, Ryan, if the United States Air Force did recover alien bodies, they didn't tell me about it, either, and I want to know. (Applause.)

For Immediate Release November 30, 1995

PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY

Europa Hotel Belfast, Northern Ireland

Okay, Mark, one last one.

Q Yes, the last one; this will probably end the briefing. Did the President actually inquire of the Air Force in gathering the information for the answer he provided the 13-year-old Ryan from Belfast -- (laughter) -- was holding extraterrestrials?

MR. MCCURRY: You're right, Mark, that ended the briefing. (Laughter.) Okay, I'll be back.

For Immediate Release January 29, 1998

PRESS BRIEFING BY

MIKE MCCURRY

The Briefing Room

Q Right. But where is he going on Monday or Tuesday?

MR. MCCURRY: It's always good to let a little rabbit out that people can chase. You will be especially happy at where he's going.

Q Tucumcari, New Mexico? Roswell?

MR. MCCURRY: I didn't say a thing. No, we don't need to go there because we were there in the flying saucer yesterday. (Laughter.)

X-file References in the Clinton Administration

For Immediate Release January 28, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO THE PEOPLE OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN

La Crosse Convention Center

La Crosse, Wisconsin

I saw a survey the other day that said young people in their 20s thought it was more likely that they would see UFOs than that they'd ever get to collect Social Security. (Laughter.)

Now, here's what I have to say about that. I don't want to stop people from watching the X-Files, go on and do that. (Laughter.)

I saw a survey the other day that said young people in their 20s thought it was more likely that they would see UFOs than that they'd ever get to collect Social Security. (Laughter.)

Now, here's what I have to say about that. I don't want to stop people from watching the X-Files, go on and do that. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release February 9, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

ON SOCIAL SECURITY

Gaston Hall

Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

You know, there was a recent poll which said that young people in the generation of the students here felt it was far more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would draw Social Security. (Laughter.) And others may think that it's a long way off, as Mannone said, and the Vice President said he thought it was a long way off.

A couple of days ago I went to New Mexico to visit our national labs -- you may have seen the story. And our national labs at Los Alamos and Sandia and Lawrence Livermore, where we do a lot of the research that not only helps us to preserve the security of our smaller and smaller nuclear arsenal, but helps us to deal with our environmental questions and a lot of other fascinating challenges of the future...It's very important you understand this. Once you understand this, you realize this is not an episode from the X Files, and you're not more likely to see a UFO if you do certain specific things.

For Immediate Release February 25, 1998

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT DCCC DINNER

Private Residence

San Francisco, California

But as I said in the State of the Union address, it's literally true, there was a public opinion survey done last year which showed that most people under 25 thought it was more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would ever draw a penny of Social Security. I don't want to discourage young people from watching the X-Files -- (laughter) -- but I think we have to

somehow reverse that perception. So that's the first thing I want to say.

For Immediate Release September 16, 1998

PRESS BRIEFING BY

THE VICE PRESIDENT,

DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN PODESTA,

PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROBERT LITT,

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE FBI CAROLYN MORRIS,

UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE WILLIAM REINSCH,

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE JOHN HAMRE,

AND DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JIM STEINBERG

MR. PODESTA: Guess what? I'm here to talk about encryption. Okay. I can see the front row leaving here. (Laughter.) As the Vice President noted, Jim Steinberg and I have co-chaired our process in this matter. I volunteered for that duty because of my well-known fascination with The X Files, which most of you know about.

For Immediate Release June 26, 2000

PRESS BRIEFING BY TREASURY SECRETARY LARRY SUMMERS,

CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN PODESTA, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL GENE SPERLING AND OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR JACK LEW

MR. PODESTA: First, the very notion of a budget surplus would have been considered a bizarre "X-Files" plot when President Clinton took office, let alone a $1 trillion mid-session re-estimate.

For Immediate Release June 27, 2000

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT UNVEILING OF PORTRAIT OF

TREASURY SECRETARY ROBERT RUBIN

I thought it was kind of cruel the way Larry made fun of Bob not knowing about "The X Files." (Laughter. ) "The X Files" – Bob Rubin didn't know who B.B. King was. (Laughter.)

November 7, 1999

"If we were being attached by space aliens we wouldn’t be playing these kinds of games."

For Immediate Release April 1, 2000

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT FUNDRAISER FOR MRS. CLINTON

Hyatt Regency

Washington. D.C.

They believe you have to drive people apart in order to win elections. And since they're wrong on the issues, they're right. In other words, people won't agree with them on the issues, so

the only way they could win is to convince them that we're the first cousins of space aliens. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release October 28, 1999

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT AWARDS CEREMONY FOR BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

Washington Hilton Hotel

Washington, D.C.

I told somebody the other day -- I got a big laugh -- I said, you know, I get so angry at all these conflicts around the world, and these expressions of hatred here at home based on race or religion or sexual orientation. If we were being attacked by space aliens, like in that movie, "Independence Day," we'd all be looking for a foxhole to get in together and a gun to pick up together. The absence of a threat sometimes causes us to lose our sense of focus, our center, our concentration. . .And what I'm saying is -- you all laughed when I said this before, I referenced that movie, "Independence Day" -- but, you know, if we were being attacked by space aliens, we wouldn't be playing these kind of games. These kind of games are only possible because the economy is strong and the American people are self-confident. . .

For Immediate Release August 29, 1995

PRESS BRIEFING

BY

MIKE MCCURRY

The Press Filing Center, Sheraton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

MR. MCCURRY: I certainly didn't know about it until Dick told me yesterday afternoon. And the President certainly didn't know anything about it until yesterday. And I'm not aware that anyone had any specific information about it. But all we're talking about here is a story that we would not have tended to put a lot of stock in to begin with. A publication in a tabloid like this -- or a story in a publication like this is not something that routinely we worry about. It kind of falls in space alien category

For Immediate Release October 3, 1994

9:20 P.M. EDT

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT SENATOR ROBB VICTORY DINNER

The Sheraton Premiere

Vienna, Virginia

And here in Virginia, you have this stark, graphic example of how really good they are at making down, up; up, down; square, round, and turning us into aliens. . . So they try to turn the President or the Senator from Virginia into an alien in the minds of ordinary voters, and hope they can clog the information channels enough so that will guarantee that in the scales inside us all, fear will outweigh hope on election day. . .You have to decide -- what do you believe in? And here in Virginia, you have this stark, graphic example of how really good they are at making down, up; up, down; square, round, and turning us into aliens. . .They have turned me into an alien with a lot of voters in Virginia so I can be in the ad. . .And the idea that they could be trying to turn him into some sort of space alien who is from the far left, when he has done something that they talked about but never did . . .

October 3, 1994

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT SENATOR ROBB VIRGINIA VICTORY RALLY

McLean Hilton Hotel

McLean, Virginia

7:53 P.M. EDT

But the other thing that both of us had to do, even to make a career in public life, was to fight against what has been the brilliant strength of the Republicans, particularly the Republicans on the right, for many years now. And that is, that they are better talkers than we are, and -- and listen to me now -- and they raise more money than we do to turn their opponents into aliens. Right? (Laughter.). . .And they are brilliant at it. They sort of try to turn you into a space alien . . . And now the Republicans are saying, well, if your problems aren't all solved, it's just because the aliens have taken over Washington. (Laughter.). . . And while we have been working, they have been talking, blaming, dividing, turning us into aliens. . .

"Globalization into the Next Millennium" June 17, 1999

Remarks at The Sorbonne

by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

Paris, France

In my own country, many of the movies in recent years express our innate fears about what awaits us. They are apocalyptic visions that leave only a few people on earth—whole cities surviving under domes because we have depleted our natural resources. And often in these movies, for reasons that I question, we have space aliens who are always blowing up Washington, D.C., and the White House.

For Immediate Release March 3, 2000

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT DINNER FOR THE

DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Private Residence

San Francisco, California

I mean, see, that's what senators are supposed to do. Not scream at people at nine decibels and -- it's like a version of space aliens, some of these talk shows here. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release July 26, 1996

PRESS BRIEFING

BY MIKE MCCURRY

NOTE: This reference is made in connection to the Clintons returning to Jackson Hole Wyoming for their summer holidays. The Clintons had been in Jackson Hole for their 1995 summer vacation, where they stayed at the Rockefeller cabin - and where Lawrance Rockefeller briefed both Hillary and Bill Clinton on the subject of UFOs. During the 1996 visit the Clintons stayed at the home Max Chapman, a good friend of theirs and also a good friend of Erskine Bowles.

MR. MCCURRY: He will hold to that tradition. The only thing that would compel a high public profile is if space aliens came to the Washington and destroyed the White House. (Laughter.) That would probably compel him to come out of his blissful vacation mode.

For Immediate Release July 4, 1996

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT 200TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, AND

150TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OF

MAHONING COUNTY, OHIO

The Riverfront

Youngstown, Ohio

Somebody joked with me -- I don't know if any of you have seen this new movie "Independence Day" -- (applause) -- but somebody said I was coming to Youngstown because this is the day the White House got blown away by space aliens.(Laughter.) I hope it's there when I get back. (Laughter.) Anyway, I recommend the movie. I got a chance to see it the other night.

Q Mike, on another issue, since Fabiani isn't talking about it, are you reacting to or characterizing in any way the Aldridge

book?

MR. MCCURRY: No, except that space aliens had probably landed on the South Lawn of the White House, too, and we're

cavorting with them as well. It's absolutely ridiculous.

MR. MCCURRY: He's talking about a Washington Times story that, frankly, is not worth taking the time to read. I just don't

have any comment on it because it's ridiculous.

Q What about the appropriateness of an FBI agent assigned to the White House leaving a service and then writing a book like

this?

MR. MCCURRY: It borders on fiction. I guess people are entitled to write fiction.

Q Mike, is the official White House position that it denies all these allegations?

MR. MCCURRY: Nobody has taken the time to read it because it's a ridiculous book.

Q So you have no position on the --

MR. MCCURRY: It's fiction, that's our position.

For Immediate Release July 15, 1996

INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT

BY TOM BROKAW OF MSNBC

MR. BROKAW: Here's a question from the Internet, one more -- Independence Day, the movie -- could we really fight these guys off, or what, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: I loved it. I loved it and --

MR. BROKAW: A lot of people did, apparently.

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Pullman came and showed it. I thought he made a good president. And we watched the movie together, and I told him after it was over he was a good president, and I was glad we won. And it made me wonder if I should take flying lessons.

But, yes, I think we'd fight them off. We find a way to win. That's what America does -- we'd find a way to win if it happened.

The good thing about Independence Day is there's an ultimate lesson for that -- for the problems right here on Earth. We whipped that problem by working together with all these countries. And all of a sudden the differences we had with them seemed so small once we realized there were threats that went beyond our borders. And I wish that we could think about that when we deal with terrorism and when we deal with weapons proliferation -- the difference between all these others problems. That's the lesson I wish people would take away from Independence Day.

For Immediate Release July 18, 1996

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT CEREMONY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS NATION

Very interesting, don't you think, that this movie, Independence Day, is becoming the most successful movie ever? Some say it's because they blew up the White House and the Congress -- (laughter) -- and that may be. But, you know, you see story after story after story about how the movie audiences leap up and cheer at the end of the movie when we vanquish the alien invaders, right? I mean, what happened? The country was flat on its back, the rest of the world was threatened, and you see all over the world all these people have all of a sudden put aside the differences that seem so trivial once their existence was threatened, and they're working together all over the world to defeat a common adversary.

Why can't we work together to achieve common dreams? What is it about people that they need to adopt creeds that will enable them to demean other people and look on them as subhuman and take their lives away? We have to fight that. You're living in a time where, literally, you're going to be able to do things that have not been invented yet. A lot of you will be in jobs within a decade that have not been invented yet. The patterns of work and life, of travel and learning will be unbelievable. And no nation is as well-positioned as the United States if we seize our opportunities, meet our challenges and protect our values.

For Immediate Release Januray 14, 1999

Mars Millennium Project Kick-Off

Remarks by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

National Air & Space Museum

January 14, 1999

When you look at popular culture today, positive images of the future are often hard to come by. You look at the movies that have tried to predict what will happen in the future, and we often see a lot of death and destruction and environmental degradation. It’s not just that people might live under domes on Mars, but they would have to live under domes here on this planet because of what we will have done to our environment. Or whether we will have to join together as human beings to stave off attacks from aliens in outer space, and then we’ll have to put aside our really petty differences—differences in our own country and differences among people around the world—to stand up for our common humanity. . . The logo of the Mars Project challenges us to picture a different kind of future. Not the one that is portrayed in the movies of our popular culture or in our worst nightmares, but instead one that really is filled with hope and possibility.

For Immediate Release October 12, 1999

MILLENNIUM EVENING AT THE WHITE HOUSE

INFORMATICS MEETS GENOMICS

East Room

President: Won’t it be sad to have an Internet connection with Mars if there are no Martians to write to or e-mail us?

For Immediate Release January 4, 1999

PRESS BRIEFING BY JOE LOCKHART

Q Joe, is the administration committed to releasing that report in some form or another after it's been vetted for national security

--

MR. LOCKHART: Which report?

Q The report of Cox.

MR. LOCKHART: I would have to check on that.

Q You're not willing to commit to releasing it in some form?

MR. LOCKHART: I'm not willing to commit to releasing a congressional report, absolutely not.

Q But wait --

MR. LOCKHART: I think there will probably be a declassification process on that, and then I'm sure we will talk with

Congressman Cox and Congressman Dicks. But I'm not going to commit from here whether that's going to be released -- it's

their report.

Q Joe, I'm not here to defend the Star tabloid, but it seems to me they broke the story of Gennifer Flowers and the Dick

Morris sex scandal. Now, when both of those stories broke, defenders of the President said, oh, it's just the Star, it's just a

tabloid, we're not going to dignify that with a response. And that was sort of the way to discredit the story.

It seems to me that both those stories turned out to be true -- the Dick Morris story certainly turned out to be true; the Gennifer

Flowers story, at least a portion of it, the President has admitted that he had at least one sexual liaison with Gennifer Flowers.

And my question is, how can you use that same defense to just dismiss out of hand the story? I'm not asking whether the story

is true, but wouldn't it be more instructive to just deny or acknowledge the facts that are in question here, rather than try to

smear that tabloid?

MR. LOCKHART: I'm not trying to smear, I'm just telling you that unless you have some independent reporting that you want

to bring to this room and ask me about, I'm just not going to comment.

Q The picture on the Internet he looks exactly like the President.

MR. LOCKHART: That's good. And I'm an alien space baby, Lester. (Laughter.) And we're probably related -- so, next.

Q Do we have some of your DNA?

MR. LOCKHART: Sam, that's personal and we'll talk afterwards. (Laughter.)

For Immediate Release December 3, 2000

December 3, 2000

NASA even sent Chuck Berry's music on a space probe searching for intelligent life in outer space. (Laughter.) Well, now, if they're out there, they're duck walking.

July 14, 1997

PRESS BRIEFING

BY CHRIS JENNINGS, PRESIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE POLICY ADVISOR,

AND MIKE MCCURRY

Q Mike, could you speak to the concerns about the President's digitized role in "Contact" this weekend and taking certain past

statements and manipulating them into the script?

MR. MCCURRY: I think the White House Counsel set forth some of the concerns we have. I don't know that the President

himself has seen the film. I have not heard the President express any real concern, but as a general practice, the White House

Legal Counsel raises concerns when we have them about the use of the President's image, and this was a case obviously where

the Counsel thought it was appropriate to remind the makers of the film that there are some legitimate restrictions on those uses.

Q The letter didn't go out and suggest -- or request any specific remedy?

MR. MCCURRY: That's correct.

Q Do you know why that is?

MR. MCCURRY: Because the movie was ready to debut in movie theaters across the nation and there wasn't much he could

do about it at that point.

Q Well, what specifically did the White House Counsel say that they had a problem with in the film?

MR. MCCURRY: I mean, in the letter, it's just the use of the President's image and words to make a fictional point in a plot

unrelated to the context in which the President made real remarks was disturbing and had some elements that were of real

concern to the Legal Counsel.

Q But you didn't need to give them permission, they didn't ask your permission, there was nothing that happened in advance?

MR. MCCURRY: There was no -- to my knowledge, no formal granting of approval by the White House to the project.

Q Are you going to sue?

Q When they saw it, were they particularly dismayed? Did they feel that he would definitely be misconstrued in this -- in that

particular context of the film?

MR. MCCURRY: Do you have the letter? I think the letter speaks for itself, is pretty clear, and we released it over the

weekend.

Q Mike, you've had a lot of this recently. I mean, Jerry's Subs and magazines all kind of using Clinton as their --

MR. MCCURRY: Look, there is a difference between legitimate parody, freedom of expression when it comes to satire,

parody, political commentary. That's different and that's all within the First Amendment and freedom of speech. But there is a

difference in which the President's image, which is his alone to control, is used in a way that would lead a viewer to imagine that

he had said something that he didn't really say.

Q I understand there was another movie that used the President's image, "The First Son," where he was talking on the phone to

his -- where a real picture of President Clinton talking on the phone, was talking on the phone to his successor. Did this arouse

the same concerns, or was that somehow --

MR. MCCURRY: I never heard of the movie. (Laughter.) I don't even know. Anything else?

Siskel and Ebert day at the White House. (Laughter.) All right, what else?

Q The letter -- do you hope that the letter is read by those in Hollywood, that, you know, let's cut it out and don't do it

anymore?

MR. MCCURRY: Obviously, we hope that -- the purpose of the President's letter and having publicized it is to remind people

that there are certain restrictions on the use of the President's image, the image of the White House for commercial purposes.

Q Will that letter be released?

Q Well, what recourse have you got?

MR. MCCURRY: We released it last week, did we not? We released it last week.

Q But what recourse do you have if those restrictions aren't honored?

MR. MCCURRY: The Counsel's Office can tell you. I think there is some, but I think the principal benefit is to just advise

those in the creative community that there are some restrictions so that as they are doing their own creative work, they can

understand better what those restrictions are.

Q So that's all you're going to do on this one?

MR. MCCURRY: I'm not aware of anything else beyond the Counsel's letter contemplating.

Q Mike, the President's going to --

Q These are restrictions in law or --

MR. MCCURRY: I think they're intellectual property, just copyright and intellectual property concerns.

SPEECH BY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON AT FORUM 2000

Spanish Hall, Prague Castle

Prague, Czech Republic

In one of those popular movies I referred to that swept my country and apparently made a lot of money around the world, called Independence Day—these movies always seem to start with an attack on Washington D.C.,

which I don’t really know how to take, the blowing up of the White House and Capitol to begin with—the ending of it required all of us to cooperate to fend off an alien attack. And certainly in the theater in which I saw it, there were great cheers as people of all different races and backgrounds and societies around the globe came together as human beings to save ourselves. We certainly don’t expect it to come to that,

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT,

THE FIRST LADY,

PROFESSOR NATALIE DAVIS AND PROFESSOR MARTIN MARTY

AT FIFTH MILLENNIUM EVENING AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Mrs Clinton: Most of the movies about the future show aliens descending from outer space determined to blow up the world, and somehow they always begin or end with Washington, D.C. (Laughter.)