U.S. House Speaker Congratulates RFE/RL

(Washington, DC–June 4, 2001) J. Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, congratulated Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on “50 years of dedicated service” during an official visit to the radio’s broadcast operations center in Prague over the weekend.

Hastert said that RFE/RL “has been and continues to be an integral part of the promotion of America’s democratic values and ideals throughout the world. Adhering to its mission statement that ‘the first requirement of democracy is a well-informed citizenry,’ RFE/RL has been paramount in making that axiom become a reality throughout Europe and beyond.”

The Speaker and his House colleagues — Rep. William Thomas (R-CA), Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Michael Collins (R-GA), Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY), Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) and Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) — presented to RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine a U.S. flag which has flown over the House of Representatives Chamber at the U.S. Capitol.