For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 3, 2001
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
The Oval Office
Listen to the President's Remarks
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. As all Americans
know, recent weeks have brought a second wave of terrorist attacks upon
our country: deadly anthrax spores sent through the U.S.
Mail. There's no precedent for this type of biological
attack, and I'm proud of the way our law enforcement officers, our
health care and postal workers and the American people are responding
in the face of this new threat.
At this point in our investigation, we have identified several
different letters that contained anthrax spores. Among them
were the letters mailed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on
Capitol Hill, NBC News in New York and the New York Post
newspaper. Four Americans have died as a result of these
acts of terrorism. At least 13 others have developed forms
of anthrax disease, either in the lungs, or less severely, on the
skin.
Public health officials have acted quickly to distribute
antibiotics to people who may have been exposed to
anthrax. When anthrax exposure is caught early, preventative
treatment is effective. Anthrax can be treated with many
antibiotics, and several pharmaceutical companies have offered medicine
at reduced prices. The government is swiftly testing post
offices and other sites for anthrax spores, and is closing them where
potential threats to health are detected. We are working to
protect people based on the best information available.
And as we deal with this new threat, we are learning new
information every day. Originally, experts believed the
anthrax spores could not escape from sealed envelopes. We
now know differently, because of cases where postal workers were
exposed even though the envelopes they processed were not opened.
Anthrax apparently can be transferred from one letter to another,
or from a letter to mail sorting equipment. But anthrax is
not contagious, so it does not spread from human to human, the way a
cold or a flu can. Anthrax can be killed by sterilization,
and the Postal Service is purchasing sterilizing equipment to be
installed across the country.
More than 30 billion pieces of mail have moved through the Postal
Service since September the 11th, so we believe the odds of any one
piece of mail being tainted are very low. But still, people
should take appropriate precautions: look carefully at your
mail before opening it, tell your doctor if you believe you may have
been exposed to anthrax. An excellent summary of the
symptoms of this disease can be found on the web site of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov.
Remember, doctors warn that you can put your health at risk by
taking antibiotics when you don't need them, so use antibiotics only
after consulting a health care professional. If you see
anything suspicious, or have useful information, please contact law
enforcement authorities. The Postal Service and the FBI have
offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the
arrest and the conviction of the anthrax terrorists.
And those who believe this is an opportunity for a prank should
know that sending false alarms is a serious criminal
offense. At least 20 individuals have already been arrested
for anthrax hoaxes, and we will pursue anyone who tries to frighten
their fellow Americans in this cruel way.
We do not yet know who sent the anthrax -- whether it was the same
terrorists who committed the attacks on September the 11th, or whether
it was the -- other international or domestic terrorists. We
do know that anyone who would try to infect other people with anthrax
is guilty of an act of terror. We will solve these crimes,
and we will punish those responsible. As we learn more about
these anthrax attacks, the government will share the confirmed and
credible information we have with you. I'm proud of our
citizens' calm and reasoned response to this ongoing terrorist attack.
Thank you for listening.
END
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