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An
open letter to President George W. Bush on behalf of the American Hellenic
Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA September
20, 2001 President
George W. Bush The
White House 1600
Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington,
DC 20500 Re:
Greek-American Community Offers Support to The United States On
behalf of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA),
and the Greek-American community, I humbly extend our deepest condolences
to the families of the innocent victims of the horrific and tragic events
that befell our great nation on September 11, 2001. Our international
headquarters, located in Washington, has been overwhelmed by statements of
support from members of our organization and our community. I
write to you today to offer the unwavering support of Americans of Greek
descent and all philhellenes in your pursuit to find, capture, and bring
to justice the perpetrators of these heinous and barbaric acts against
humanity. The principles of democracy and freedom gifted to Western
Civilization by our ancient Greek ancestors over 2,000 years ago will not
be vanquished from this earth by the evil hand of terrorism. As
Greek-Americans, we condemn these despicable crimes against humanity
whether they occur on American or foreign soil. As
you are aware, Greece has been allied with the United States in every
major conflict of the 20th century. As Greek-Americans, we expect the
Government of the Hellenic Republic, as a member of NATO and the European
Union, to wholeheartedly support and cooperate with the United States
government in its effort to combat and eliminate terrorism in this the
first "war of the 21st century" as you described. This will have
far reaching effects, including heightened security measures to deter
similar deplorable acts when Greece will proudly host another one of its
great contributions to Western Civilization--the 2004 Olympic Games. Over
its 80-year history, AHEPA has answered the United States' call to civic
responsibility, philanthropy, and patriotism at times of need. As the
largest Greek-American organization of its kind, AHEPA led the way in U.S.
War Bond sales during World War II, selling $162 million. This
accomplishment earned AHEPA the honor of being named an official Issuing
Agent for U.S. War Bonds by the U.S. Department of Treasury. In 1943, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., said of AHEPA's war bond effort, "May I extend to you...sincere congratulations...Your chapters and members ought to be proud of having oversubscribed your $50 million goal...Your government appreciates your patriotic services and your contribution to the war effort..." Mr.
President, AHEPA stands ready to serve our country once again should the
United States call upon us to aid with war or unity bond sales. The
Greek-American community awaits your call and will respond accordingly. Already,
our AHEPA family chapters have mobilized, setting a goal to fund raise for
disaster relief. As we did during our War Bond Drive, I am confident we
will shatter this goal. We have started our outreach within the
Greek-American community to help the healing process among our families
affected by this tragedy. AHEPA
looks to assist St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, a little church built
in 1922 that before September 11 stood amid the skyscrapers of the city
before it was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center
buildings. Next
week, I will meet with officials from the U.S. Department of State to
reinforce our position as Americans of Greek descent. No doubt we will
have the same opportunity to do so with newly confirmed U.S. Ambassador
Thomas Miller at a dinner AHEPA will host for him, also to be held next
week. Mr.
President, AHEPA's patriotic
and civic deeds are many, including the donation of a statue of the late
Secretary of State and author of the Marshall Plan, George C. Marshall in
the chancery of the U.S. Embassy in Athens in October 2000. A great
philhellene, Secretary Marshall fought tyranny and evil as a General and
as a Statesman. Moreover, AHEPA raised over $400,000 toward the
restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, both of which are
constant reminders of our immigrant forefathers who courageously came to
our country with a vision to seek a better life, relish in democracy and
escape the evil of tyranny. Obviously, terrorists do not have the same
vision. AHEPA
is strongly committed to protect our American way of life that is rooted
in a foundation that strikes at the heart of Hellenism--the basis for
man's humanity to his fellow man--and democracy. Respectfully
submitted, Andrew
T. Banis President Cc:
Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell U.S.
Secretary of the Treasury Paul H. O'Neill President
of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos Prime
Minister of the Hellenic Republic Costas Simitis Foreign
Minister of the Hellenic Republic George Papandreou Senate
Majority Leader Thomas Daschle Senate
Minority Leader Trent Lott Speaker
of the House of Representatives J. Dennis Hastert House
of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey House
of Representatives Minority Leader Richard Gephardt U.S.
Senator Joseph Biden, Jr., Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee U.S.
Representative Henry Hyde, Chairman, International Relations Committee U.S.
Senator Paul S. Sarbanes U.S.
Senator Olympia J. Snowe U.S.
Representative Michael Bilirakis, Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on
Hellenic Issues U.S.
Representative Carolyn Maloney, Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on Hellenic
Issues U.S.
Representative George Gekas U.S.
Ambassador to Greece Thomas Miller U.S.
Ambassador to NATO R. Nicholas Burns |