International Campaign for Tibet

Laura Bush recalls meeting the Dalai Lama in new memoir

First Lady Laura Bush (left) met with the Dalai Lama along with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Bush in October 2007 (Photo: ICT/Sonam Zoksang)

Following is the full text of Mrs. Laura Bush's reference to the Dalai Lama in her new memoir, "Spoken from the Heart." The meeting mentioned below took place in 2005. President Bush also subsequently met the Dalai Lama in October 2007 and both the President and First Lady attended the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, where the Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.

"On November 9, the Dalai Lama visited George and me for the second time at the White House. The Dalai Lama is a dear and gentle man whose example is an inspiration, he eloquently embodies the hopes for freedom in Tibet. Once, at the White House, he tickled a ramrod-straight, stoic Marine guard under his chin, saying, "Smile." The Marine did. But underneath his soft nature is a man who has been denied his rights and his homeland since he was a boy. He told us that he genuinely feared for Tibet, feared that its culture would be erased from memory as China settled vast numbers of its citizens inside Tibet's mountainous, landlocked region. George believes that acknowledging the Dalai Lama is a special American responsibility. The world looks to the United States for leadership, and if we do not stand up for freedom, who will."

From "Spoken From the Heart," by Laura Bush