Good morning.

This is an important day for both America's fight against terrorism and the protection of our nation's economy. Today we are officially announcing a new program - an industry partnership we call the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or C-TPAT I would like to recognize several distinguished guests who are joining us today --

Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neill

Director of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge

Michigan Governor John Engler

Congressman Joe Knollenberg

Lt. Governor Dick Posthumus (Pronounced PAHST-Humus)

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

Michigan Secretary of State Candice Miller

Jack Smith, Chairman of the Board of General Motors

John Rintamaki, Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Board of Ford Motor Company

Dave Hodgson, Vice President Worldwide Supply, Daimler Chrysler Company

Ross Pillari, President of BP America

Robert Barnett, Executive Vice President of Motorola, Inc.

Charles Nesbit, Vice President of Sara Lee Corporation

Unfortunately, Target Stores could not be with us because of a Board conflict, but I want to mention that Target has been one of the true leaders in this effort.

Thank you all for being here.

The terrorist attacks of September 11th personally touched every American. None of us will easily forget the images of that horrible day. On that day our country was forever changed.

The events of September 11th also forever changed the relationship between the international trade community and the U.S. Customs Service. Customs officers immediately went to a Level One state of alert at all 301 ports of entry in the United States, and more cargo was searched, more often. We are still at Level One Alert today, and will be for the foreseeable future.

I don't have to remind anyone here that during the initial days of Level One Alert, movement across our border - and across this great bridge here - slowed to a crawl. Trucks and cars waited for up to twelve hours to cross. The delays threatened to shut down the critical flow of inventory between parts suppliers in Canada and manufacturers in the United States. The economy of Michigan - the economy of our nation - hung in the balance. But through quick action by the federal government, the Canadian government, Governor Engler, and industry, we solved the problem. Wait times are now similar to those seen before September 11.

But the solutions we reached in the days after 9/11 were only temporary.

We knew that it would take more people to solidify these gains. Fortunately the President has approved and Congress has funded additional Customs inspectors all over the nation. Just in the state of Michigan, Customs is hiring an additional 160 Customs officers, 125 of whom will be assigned to Detroit. We are currently recruiting and hiring these people, and we expect to have all of them on board by the end of the year.

But additional inspectors are only one part of the equation. We need to revolutionize the way Customs does business with the trade. We need additional partners to achieve a higher degree of confidence in the supply chain. We need U.S. businesses as a partner. It is time for a lasting partnership between Customs and industry to ensure both security for our Nation, and the smooth flow of commerce across our border. This is the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.

Under C-TPAT, companies have committed to improving the security of their shipments and the supply chain. In return, Customs give them faster processing at the border. The message should be clear - if a business takes steps to secure its cargo against terrorism, we will give it the fast lane through the border. C-TPAT is a program through which businesses win and most importantly, the American people win.

It is important to note, that while the concept for C-TPAT was born in Detroit, and is unveiled here today, it is a program that applies to all commercial shipments - at all ports of entry - whether the shipments arrive by land, sea or air.

The people with me today are the leaders of government and industry who have made C-TPAT a reality.

Before introducing Governor Engler, I want to thank Mayor Kilpatrick for being here. I want to thank the City of Detroit of providing resources to Customs at the bridge and tunnel after September 11, as well as the Wayne County Sheriff and many suburban police departments.

I want to quickly thank Congressman Joe Knollenberg for joining us today. The Congressman has long been a supporter of the Customs mission and was very instrumental in last year's emergency supplemental funding process, working closely with the Administration and his colleagues in Congress to provide an additional $400 million for the Customs mission. Thank you very much for attending today.

One of the government leaders who stepped forward to help the Customs Service is the Governor of Michigan, John Engler. I am very appreciative to the State of Michigan, and for his leadership and the leadership of Lt. Governor Dick Posthumous (PAHST-hume-us). We appreciate your continued support. As I mentioned, Governor Engler worked closely with the Customs Service right after September 11th, and has been instrumental in assisting our efforts to secure the borders in the State of Michigan ever since.

I am delighted he has joined us today and I present to you, the Honorable John Engler, Governor of the State of Michigan.

Thank you Governor Engler.

I am honored to introduce a person who is arguably one of the busiest men in America. In the past few months I have come to know Director of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge, as a man of boundless energy and laser-like focus.

In December he signed an agreement - the 30-point "Smart Border Accord" with Canada's Deputy Prime Minister John Manley - dedicated to finding ways not only to increase Security, but also that in doing so, we do not stifle commerce.

I want to thank Governor Ridge for his attendance today and his continued support for this critical effort. The Director of the Office of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge.

When the concept of C-TPAT was first discussed with the trade community last November, several companies immediately stepped forward to help. The U.S. Customs Service worked hand in hand with industry to develop a program that we believed would build a more secure supply chain, yet not impede the critical flow of cargo across the border and through our ports. Seven companies in particular helped formulate plans for C-TPAT and became the nucleus of the program -- its charter members. They are General Motors, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler, Target Corporation, Motorola, BP America and Sara Lee.

In just the last few weeks 60 more companies have signed up to be part of C-TPAT and we are now processing applications for over 100 more.

I applaud GM's leadership on C-TPAT and other Customs initiatives.

At this time I would like to ask Jack Smith, the Chairman of the Board of General Motors to say a few words on behalf of all companies represented here in the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.

Immediately after September 11th, when we were implementing our plans to deal with the delays here at the Ambassador Bridge, I briefed Secretary O'Neill about the situation and how we planned to address it.

His response was not surprising. I don't recall the exact words, but it was something to the effect: "Don't stop at Detroit. Let's try to build partnerships everywhere." As a former CEO himself, and now the steward of our nation's economy, he immediately saw beyond the moment. He saw that partnerships between industry and government had the potential not to just improve security, but to build a border processing system that was more effective and efficient than before September 11th.

Within days we'd drafted the first outlines of a plan. That plan became C-TPAT.

Secretary of the Treasury (and my boss), Paul O'Neill