Bill Clinton: “Well, I guess there are two concerns that you might have. One is that any aid itself might not be well spent. The other…”

“Well, I guess there are two concerns that you might have. One is that any aid itself might not be well spent. The other is that future political events might undermine the impact of the aid. As far as the second risk is concerned, that is there, it is clear. But you could say that about any effort we might make anywhere, including in our own country, that future events might undermine the impact of present action. We are proposing to take action to support democracy and to support economic reform. Now, in terms of making sure the money is spent properly, that it's the right kind of aid, I have spent a significant amount of time on this. We have put together a very good team. I will be consulting in significant detail with President Yeltsin about this. I think that the kinds of things we propose to do are likely to have lasting and tangible impact, and the way we propose to do it will minimize the chance that the money will be squandered.”