Statement by President Bill Clinton on the Passing of Secretary of State Warren Christopher

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Secretary of State Warren Christopher. Chris had the lowest ratio of ego to accomplishment of any public servant I’ve ever worked with. That made him easy to underestimate, but all Americans should be grateful that, along with great ability, he possessed the stamina and the steel to accomplish things that were truly extraordinary.

He headed my Vice-Presidential search committee and recommended Al Gore. As the leader of my presidential transition team, he oversaw the creation of the talented, dedicated, and diverse team who, along with Vice President Gore, were crucial to the prosperity and peace America enjoyed in the nineties. As our first post-Cold War Secretary of State, he faithfully and effectively advanced America’s interests and values: ending the war in Bosnia and making the Dayton Agreement a reality; moving the Middle East peace process forward; improving security and reducing the nuclear threat on the Korean Peninsula; supporting democracy and development in and security cooperation with Russia; expanding NATO; building new networks of cooperation with the leaders of the Americas and those of the Asia-Pacific region; increasing our support for African development and working to unify our diplomatic, military and economic strategies to seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of the post-Cold War world, from terrorism to proliferation of dangerous weapons, to economic despair and environmental destruction.

My thoughts and prayers are with Marie, his children and grandchildren. I was honored by his service, and enriched by his friendship. I will miss him.”

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