50. Editorial Note
On May 29, 1981, in remarks made at the St. Louis, Missouri Town Hall Forum, sponsored by the St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association, Secretary of State Alexander Haig outlined the objectives established by the Ronald Reagan administration in pursuit of its foreign policy. Haig had referenced some of these objectives during his April 24 address before the American Society of Newspaper Editors (see Document 45) and he expanded upon them to the St. Louis audience: “The essence of President Reagan’s foreign policy is a policy which some describe as being less than clear at the moment. I will accept the charge that we have not set out some grand design, some conceptual framework which from day-to-day provides a scorecard for contemporary critics.
[Page 173]“We have, however, established a fundamental bedrock of national objectives, and that is to recreate a world structure hospitable to the values and ideals of the American people—the freedom and dignity of the individual—and to recognize that necessary and desirable historic change must occur through the accepted rules of international law and the mores of Western civilization rather than through bloodshed, terrorism, and resort to so-called wars of national liberation.
“These objectives are structured over what I call ‘four pillars,’ the first pillar of which is the attempt to establish a relationship with the Soviet Union built on restraint and reciprocity and a clear recognition that such a goal and such a pillar cannot be structured until the United States reverses the worsening trends in military balances between East and West.
“Secondly, we have recognized the imperative of refurbishing traditional alliances and bilateral relationships with those nations in the world which share our values. This can only be done with a new spirit of consultation, built on reliability in the American approach to our relationships with our friends abroad, built on a recognition of traditional friendships, and a need for consistency in manifesting our recognition of those friendships.
“Thirdly, to recognize that we have to construct in this changing world a just and responsible relationship with the developing world and to do so with full cognizance that there are changing attitudes in this developing world today. Increasingly, developing leaders in black Africa, this hemisphere, and in Asia are recognizing that a close alignment with Marxist-Leninism in the Soviet model brings with it bayonets and bullets, pervasive presence, and frequently a client-state relationship. Whereas relationships with the Western industrialized world bring economic growth, development, technology, medicine, human development, and participation in a world market community where performance and work dictate rewards.
“And, finally, this new foreign policy structured by President Reagan recognizes first and foremost that America cannot once again lead abroad until it cleans up its own economic situation here at home.
“I’ve witnessed the American dollar decline in value over an extended period in Europe and with it American prestige and influence. And the impact of ill-disciplined, runaway double-digit inflation here at home on foreign perceptions of America’s ability to carry out its international tasks is sometimes staggering.
“So all of these things together represent what I call a four-tiered structure to achieve these objectives I touched upon.
“Where do we stand in the task? The jury, of course, is still out. But I think it’s a remarkable period in American history, one unique in my 20 years of public service at a relatively high level, where I see a [Page 174] remarkable consensus of the American people, the American Congress, and the American executive branch to roll up our sleeves and to put America back in action again.
“It’s a source of great comfort and pride to me. It’s also a source of certain caution that those of us in Washington who today carry out your tasks have a great responsibility not to abuse this wonderful consensus that has been so hard fought and so long in coming. I’m optimistic that will not happen.” (Department of State Bulletin, July 1981, page 13)
The text of the question and answer session following Haig’s remarks is ibid, pages 13–18.