Good afternoon, respected colleagues from around the world, including all of you from Tiempos del Mundo. I believe that, after listening to our editor in chief, Wes Pruden, you know why everyone in Washington, especially the politicians in this town, fear The Washington Times!

I would like to take a few minutes today to give you a sense of the heart of The Washington Times, the vision behind its founding and a brief history of its more than 20 year history. Some have said that this newspaper has had more impact on America and the world in 20 years than many other newspapers have in many more decades. Why has this been said?

An underpinning principle that drives us here at The Washington Times is the idea that journalism should assist the cause of building a peaceful world with human dignity based on eternal true values. Let me explain a few examples of The Washington Times’ impact over the years based on this core principle.

As you know from watching the video, The Washington Times celebrated its 20th anniversary with the slogan, "Two Decades of Dedication and Distinction." The first decade of The Washington Times, 1982 to 1992, is already defined as the last part of the Cold War. During the four years of the Carter administration, nine nations throughout the world fell under a communist regime. With this trend, it was no longer predictable when or where the next nation would fall to communism.

To deal with this world crisis, and with the Founder's original motivation to create The Washington Times, our paper has been dedicated to the fight against totalitarian communist regimes around the world. As stated by Harvard history Professor Richard Pipes in Our Times: The Washington Times 1982 to 2002, “The Washington Times arrived in Washington during the height of global expansionist power; North Korea, El Salvador, Chile, Cuba, Cambodia and the USSR were all looking to expand.” And, according to political scientist and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Arnold Beichman, writing in the same volume, "By influencing U.S. foreign policy, The Washington Times ... affected the course of American history. The Washington Times has had a history-making role." Many, such as Dr. Beichman, credit The Washington Times with being a major force to stop the spread of communism during the 1980s and, ultimately, as a major force behind the USSR's decline and fall.

It’s a well-known story that The Washington Times’ initiative to support the freedom fighters in Nicaragua had a strong effect on Latin American prevention of communist expansion for decades to follow.

On May 6, 1985, with the Founder's inspiration, editor in chief Arnaud de Borchgrave ran a front-page, signed editorial announcing a nonprofit fund to help the freedom fighters, and that The Times would donate the first $100,000. A month later, the U.S. Congress reversed its original decision to turn down a proposed $14 million aid package and voted in a $27 million package for aid to the freedom fighters. In the end, the freedom fighters, the Reagan administration, and The Washington Times won the day, and Nicaragua was liberated. You can imagine the fearful outcome if Nicaragua had remained socialist—like another Cuba on the Central American mainland!

The Washington Times also had similar impact all over the world, including Angola and Afghanistan, where our reporting had a definite role in preventing Soviet expansion in Africa and West Asia. While most American newspapers were seeking to become more “values-neutral,” The Washington Times continued its founding spirit of the importance of identifying the right and wrong in any issue. In this case, communist expansionism was clearly wrong and needed to be clearly identified and exposed.

As you might recall, the USSR tried to expand with troops further into southern Africa, but the issue eventually went to the UN Security Council. The Washington Times, as always, was clearly contributing to all of this as the issue unfolded, drawing needed attention to the Soviets’ intentions in Africa.

And our correspondent, Lee Shapiro, was killed by Soviet troops in Afghanistan while making a detailed documentary film about the USSR’ incursion into Afghanistan and the situation of the Mujahideen (freedom fighters). His film was completed after his death and helped a lot to bring decisive attention to the issue, including from the U.S. State Department.

Domestically, The Washington Times constantly warned and enlightened U.S. leaders in Washington, D.C., about Soviet and communist expansion plans worldwide, including some very revealing scoops concerning plans to infiltrate even the United States itself. Again, The Washington Times was virtually the only newspaper giving honest coverage and positive editorial support to Reaganomics and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). We still see the effects of those policies today, and The Washington Times is proud to have been a part of making history during that era.

In May 1991, even before we could celebrate the victorious end to the Cold War, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, Founder of The Washington Times, came to our headquarters in Washington and declared that, even though the Cold War would soon be over, he would not close the doors. He stated that there would be another challenge facing America and the world in the future, the “Cultural War,” as it is called, the crisis breaking down America’s families and creating unprecedented moral decline. Where did the United States find itself culturally as the '90s began?

Over 20 years, the liberalization of America's traditional family and Christian culture, from 1970 to 1992, had deteriorated things to the point that there was a 50 percent divorce rate. Youth drug use had steadily increased to the point that teens were using hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin, and teenage sexual experimentation had reached shocking levels of rampant teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and, of course, the ever-growing threat of AIDS was upon us.

The Founder encouraged The Times’ staff to become a beacon of light to show clearly to America this emerging crisis. As a result, as Midge Decter, a most noted cultural critic and board member of the prestigious Heritage Foundation, said recently in Our Times, “The Washington Times reported on cultural issues as did no other newspaper in America.” The Washington Times is the only newspaper where the moral issues of family and faith are proudly reported on the front page on a regular basis. From 1992 to 2002, The Washington Times’ focus was on keeping the moral standard in America and on reviving the American family. The Times was a leading initiator of the term family values, and I am proud that The Washington Times can share credit for its eventual wide use.

Late in 2002, Miss America 2003 Erica Harold, who had been admitted to Harvard Law School, contacted The Washington Times. She was concerned that the Miss America organization was pressuring her to drop her youth abstinence campaign that she was planning to lead during her Miss America reign of one year. She had a press conference at the National Press Club to protest the organization's policy, and The Times was the only paper to carry the story the next day, on the front page. Miss Harold called The Washington Times to tell us that the organization changed its decision and allowed her to continue her program!

To begin our third decade, The Washington Times held a 20th Anniversary Celebration Banquet in May of 2002 where over 3,000 leaders from Washington, D.C., gathered. At that time, the Founder stated that The Washington Times’ forthcoming third decade should promote the eventual crisis of human beings’ losing our individual dignity, and he emphasized the importance of faith values and spirituality. He clarified that the cause of this lies in individual human qualities as well as our divine nature. As Reverend Moon put it that night, all great national and community leaders need to keep their personal life healthy and valuable with the highest spirituality in addition to their social or national success.

Our editors and writers have never been shy about reporting on faith issues and matters of morality. The former president of Costa Rica recently sent us a beautiful personal message that said, “The Washington Times is the only newspaper that put ‘Thank God’ on its front page in such a serious time when the sniper shooters were caught in Washington, D.C!”

The Washington Times has been unique among newspapers for its clarity, insight, and values in dealing with world crises.

In its first 20 years, The Washington Times has consistently been willing to challenge and clearly respond to its readers, with factual reporting and distinctions between right and wrong on issues, which other media have been hesitant or unable to do. As noted British journalist and historian Paul Johnson said recently, “The Washington Times in its first twenty years has never had any doubt about America’s duty to carry such burdens and about her will and capacity to discharge them with honor. That is a record to be proud of.”

The Washington Times stands strong to uplift the principle of democracy worldwide, and also the original value of the human being with God, including spiritual value. In such challenging times as these, I wanted you to know that our worldwide media group, centering on The Washington Times, is committed to being a more responsible media for world peace. This is, and has been, our attitude in all the media enterprises we are engaged in. I understand from your schedule you will next visit the Washington Television Center, which houses Atlantic Video and, most notably, the GoodLife TV Network (GLTV).

GLTV is also focused on building a world of peace with human dignity by promoting freedom, family and faith through its three original series, “Volunteers —Above and Beyond,” “American Family,” and “Homefront.” The latter is a show devoted to helping families and communities be prepared for and understand what’s needed to stay secure during the war on terror.

With all these important media projects, we are committed to making a difference toward building the world of peace with human dignity. We stand ready to work with all of you in any way we can toward that end.

Thank you very much for your kind attention, and for visiting us at The Washington Times.