Ambassador Joseph M. DeThomas' Speech
at the Reception for the Radio Free Europe and
Voice of America

Occupations Museum
March 18, 2004

Daamid ja härrad! Oleme täna siin, et tähistada Raadio Vaba Euroopa ja Ameerika Hääle eestikeelsete toimetuste saavutusi. Loodan siiski, et Te ei pahanda, kui ma jätkan oma sõnavõttu inglise keeles.

While tonight's event is indeed a bittersweet one, as it marks the end of an era, I believe it is more fitting that we celebrate the accomplishments of a talented and dedicated group whose work had far-reaching results and whose achievements continue on today. Tonight, we are gathered to honor you and to recognize the enduring legacy that you created through the combination of a lot of hard work, a commitment to good journalism, and a firm belief in the power of freedom of information.

I think it is very fitting that we are gathered in such a location as the Museum of Occupations tonight to remember those times. This museum demonstrates the horrific events that occurred when a nation was robbed of freedom. Indeed, the stories of the people suffered at the hands of a repressive state -- for what they did, what they said, or simply who they were -- are stories that must be told in a free society, if it is to remain free. This is particularly poignant as we approach the 55th anniversary of the deportations of March 25, 1949. Many of those deported, repressed, or arrested never returned to tell their stories.

Voice of America and Radio Free Europe were founded to provide a source of reliable news and information to parts of the world where the truth was a rationed commodity. Americans believed we could promote democratic values through the dissemination of information. The VOA charter set a rigorous standard for reporting, and became quickly known for quality journalism that was accurate, reliable, objective, and balanced. As Dwight Eisenhower told Radio Free Europe, "The simplest and clearest charter in the world is what you have, which is to tell the truth."

The Estonian-language broadcasts of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America performed an essential role not only during the Soviet era but also in a newly re-independent Estonia. The services continued to provide information about the United States and about the world, and the principles on which these services were founded served as a model for good journalism. Over the past decade, the broadcasts played a fundamental role in building up an informed relationship between Estonia and the United States. There are many people here tonight who know much more about the Estonian-language services of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America than I do. I am not here to tell your story, but to honor you for your service to truth and to freedom.

There is one item of business that I would like to take care of. Recently, the Embassy received a letter from a former political prisoner, who wrote to express his thanks to Voice of America and to the American government for this service. In this letter, he recounts the experience of listening to Voice of America as a newly released political prisoner of one of Stalin's camps; he wrote, "Every word that was brought to us from the free world was like a message from another planet." "The Estonian-language Voice of America," he wrote, "was for decades the best ear and eye, so to say, for many of our thinking people. To those of us in that big land of slavery and terror, the free world's Voice of America gave us the strength to live on."

To the editors, contributors, and friends of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe gathered here tonight, on behalf of the United States government, and a world that still thirsts for freedom, I would like to express once more our sincere gratitude for your service.