109. Editorial Note
On July 13 and 14, 1982, George Shultz testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of his nomination as Secretary of State. In his July 13 opening remarks, Shultz highlighted his professional background, including his government service during previous administrations, including his tenure as Secretary of Labor, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Secretary of the Treasury, before describing some of the current realities of U.S. foreign policy: “Today most Americans recognize that the nature and strength of our diplomacy and our strategic posture are linked to and heavily dependent on our performance at home. Our economy, despite current rough water, is fundamentally strong and will strengthen further as economic policies now in place and in prospect take hold. A strong and productive America makes us a strong trading partner and a resourceful ally, giving to our friends a confidence that strengthens their will to resist those who would deprive us of our freedoms.
“Today most Americans are uncomfortable with the fact that we spend so much of our substance on defense, and rightly so, and yet most Americans also recognize that we must deal with reality as we find it, and that reality in its simplest terms is an uncertain world in which peace and security can be assured only if we have the strength and will to preserve them.
“We have passed through a decade during which the Soviet Union expanded its military capability at a steady and rapid rate while we stood still. President Reagan has given us the leadership to turn that situation around, and just in time.
[Page 404]“The past decade taught us once again an important lesson about United States-Soviet relations. In brief, it is that diminished American strength and resolve are an open invitation for Soviet expansion into areas of critical interest to the West and provide no incentive for moderation in the Soviet military buildup. Thus it is critical to the overall success of our foreign policy that we persevere in the restoration of our strength; but it is also true that the willingness to negotiate from that strength is a fundamental element of strength itself.
The President has put forward arms control proposals in the strategic theater and conventional arms areas that are genuinely bold and that will, if accepted, reduce the burdens and the dangers of armaments. Let no one doubt the seriousness of our purpose, but let no one believe that we will seek agreement for its own sake without a balanced and constructive outcome.
“We recognize that an approach to the Soviet Union limited to the military dimension will not satisfy the American people. Our efforts in the area of arms reduction are inevitably linked to restraint in many dimensions of Soviet behavior, and as we enter a potentially critical period of transition in Soviet leadership, we must also make it clear that we are prepared to establish mutually beneficial and safer relationships on the basis of reciprocity.
“Today most Americans recognize that a steady and coherent involvement by the United States in the affairs of the world is a necessary condition for peace and prosperity. Over and over again since the close of the World War, the United States has been the global power to whom others have turned for help, whether it be to assist in the process of economic development or in finding peaceful solutions to conflict.”
After highlighting the Caribbean Basin Initiative as emblematic of this assistance, Shultz asserted: “In our international endeavors we are strengthened by a structure of alliances that is of central importance. Ours is not a hegemonic world but a diverse and pluralistic one, reflecting the complexity of the free, independent, and democratic societies with which we are associated.
“Just as we expect others to work in partnership with us, so we must conduct ourselves as a responsible partner. Frictions and differences are inevitable among allies, and we can never assume complacently that they will automatically disappear. Tolerance of the needs and perspectives of others. So is candid recognition of our difficulties and challenges.
“Above all, there has to be a commitment to the common values and interests on which the truly unique multilateral institutions of the last three and a half decades have been based. Our commitment is firm, as President Reagan made clear during his recent European trip. I am confident that the same is true of our allies.
[Page 405]“Mr. Chairman, if we are strong, we buttress our allies and friends and leave our adversaries in no doubt about the consequences of aggression. If we provide assistance to help others to be strong, our own strength can be husbanded and brought to bear more effectively. If we are confident, we give confidence to those who seek to resolve disputes peacefully. If we are engaged, we give hope to those who otherwise would have no hope. If we live by our ideals, we can argue their merit to others with confidence and conviction.” (Nomination of George P. Shultz: Hearings Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, Ninety-Seventh Congress, Second Session on Nomination of George P. Shultz, of California, to be Secretary of State, July 13 and 14, 1982, pages 6–12)
The Senate unanimously confirmed Shultz on July 15. Attorney General William French Smith administered the oath of office to Shultz during a July 16 ceremony held in the Rose Garden at the White House at 10 a.m. For the President’s and Shultz’s remarks at the ceremony, see Public Papers: Reagan, 1982, Book II, pages 929–930. Shultz also provided details about his selection, nomination, and appointment in his memoir entitled Turmoil and Triumph, pages 3–22.