Here in Washington. She was known as just Madeline.
Most everyone in politics, statecraft and journalism instantly know
who that was from the very heights of government and diplomacy to
fierce advocacy for democracy and refugees.
Madeleine Albright said a new and trail blazing standard, the first
woman to become secretary of state, died this afternoon in Washington
and leaves quite a legacy. Here's Nick Schifrin.
From her childhood fleeing Nazis to in the nineties, becoming the
highest ranking woman in U. S History. Madeleine Albright was guided
by one principle. I so believed that we are all the same, and we
want to be able to make decisions about our own lives and the only
way to do that is through democracy. She was born Marie Jonah Korbel
Ova 1937 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Her family lived under Nazi occupation and then communism before
fleeing first for London and then Colorado. Marie became Madeline
and at age 20, a U. S citizen in the 19 seventies, she entered Democratic
politics and work on President Carter's National Security Council
staff. She then became a professor of international affairs at Georgetown
University, focused on the Soviet Union, Also with us tonight, is
the Soviet expert from Georgetown University in Washington. She's
Madeleine Albright keeps the pressure up. It is possible that they
will make further concessions.
And further admissions.
But we are not awfully good at predicting Soviet behavior in 1993
President Bill Clinton named her ambassador to the United Nations,
I'm Madeleine Korbel Albright and then in 1997, the country's first
female secretary of state, she was confirmed unanimously, Madeleine
Albright has the strength and wisdom to help ensure
That America remains the indispensable nation and that rule she pushed
for NATO's expansion East. The new expanded NATO is a not contrary
to Russia.
But in fact is being designed in order to help provide security and
stability in central and eastern Europe in response to Serbia's ethnic
cleansing of Kosovar Albanians in the former Yugoslavia.
She led the charge for NATO intervention. The bombing campaign last
78 days. Why did you feel so passionately about Kosovo?
Because it wasn't just Kosovo. Jim, it is what was going on in the
region. When we were fighting Hitler. It wasn't just Hitler. It was
fighting against fascism.
When we were fighting against Stalin. It wasn't just the cruelty
of totalitarian dictator Like Stalin. It was against communism that
extinguished people's ability to be free.
And when we're dealing with a now indicted war criminals such as
Milosevic, it isn't just him. It is struggling against a concept,
which is that it is not appropriate possible or permissible.
For one
man to uncork ethnic nationalism as a weapon. In a visit to Kosovo.
Following the campaign, Albright was greeted as a hero and expressed
a hope for Europe that is still unrealized. Never again. Well. Houses
and villages be burned.
And never again Will there be massacres and mass brain when she used
those words, she hadn't yet learned her own family's history. Her
parents were born Jewish but converted to Catholicism and invented
a Christian history to protect their family.
26 family members died in the Holocaust. I had no idea and it's one
thing to find out your Jewish, which is does add to interest to an
already complex background.
But another to find out that relatives had died in concentration
camps, and that was a stunning shock.
In 2000 and one she left public office. But it consulting group remained
influential, and she continued to advocate for democracy, including
in Ukraine.
Do not speak for my country anymore. But I do speak as chairman of
the National Democratic Institute. We want very much to be in Ukraine
to be supported.
Not only of the elections, but of all the work that is going to have
to take place. Afterwards, she endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton in
2000 and eight and again in 2016 after Clinton had served in her
old job. Remember, there's a special place in hell for women who
don't help each other
in 2012 President Barack Obama awarded her the presidential Medal
of Freedom is one of my favorite stories once at a naturalization
ceremony and Ethiopian man came up to her and said
Only in America can refugee meet the secretary of state, and she
replied, only in America can a refugee become the secretary of statement?
Her personality always larger than her four FT. 11 stature. Always
humble, always funny. Albright's family today called her a loving
mother, grandmother, sister, aunt.
And friend Madeleine Albright was 84 years old for the PBS news hour.
I'm Nick Schifrin.
And just moments ago I spoke with former President Bill Clinton by
phone from his home in New York.
President Clinton. Thank you so much for joining us. We're so sorry
for your loss. We know that you and Secretary Clinton were very close
to Madeleine Albright. What are you remembering tonight?
I'm remembering.
First of all how proud I was over two.
And the way she conducted herself at the United Nations and at the
State Department and
Secondly,
I've been thinking about all the meals we had with baklava, Harbel
and
How honored I was to go to his funeral.
And have Madeline speak, not me because she could stand up in Prague
and very cold Cathedral.
And give a passionate
But speech about her friend.
In check.
And they love the fact that an American
Secretary of state
Was a refugee from their country.
And she was so wonderful. I've been thinking about that I was thinking
about
Two years ago when we took our last trip to Kosovo
When they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of
Their victory and ours.
In ending the ethnic cleansing and the threat to Kosovo's very existence.
And we walked
On the sunny day down the main street of town and a parade with all
Kosovar officials.
And when we ended, we were down in a little park like area where
they dedicated
A beautiful bus to meddle in and contribute to the work she had done
there.
Want
You know, I'm really proud of the life she lived and I'm so grateful
that
Hillary and I became friends with her. I met her in 1988 when she
was working.
And governor do caucuses Presidential campaign and
Hillary became quite close with her and
She was a strong supporter of her.
Appointment as secretary of state and I'm
so glad I did it. She did a great job. You named her UN ambassador
shortly after you were elected president in 1992. And as you said,
Four years later, you named her
Secretary of state. What were the qualities you saw in her? Then
you were. She was the first woman to serve in that job.
I first of all
I thought she represented America's best possible future. She was
An immigrant.
A refugee.
On American citizen.
I knew she was a great teacher because she taught at my alma mater.
It's Georgetown and
Public times was voted the best teacher and the
On the faculty, but the students
And I thought she would be a clear voice.
In the United Nations for the world we were trying to build
After the bar. One wall fell.
You know, keep in mind that by first term was the first full term
any president had served since the end of the Cold War.
Although President Bush had more than half of his time there, too.
And
I thought it was really important.
That we build a lots is
And stand up for freedom because
Just because the
Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union broke apart. It didn't mean
that
There were no more
Enemies of democracy and the rule of law and freedom. And so
I thought she was important.
And she was
Great and handling the issues around Bosnia.
And
Later as secretary of state Great
With
Kosovo and many other things that we did, and
Asia and Latin American around the world to promote
Peace and
Freedom and security, of course, being from Czechoslovakia. Born
in Czechoslovakia shoe she was part of Eastern Europe
woman a woman for that era with so much change in that part of the
world.
Oh, yes, She wasn't You know, she and her
Family were basically
Had to leave Czechoslovakia twice.
First they were running from Hitler and second
and they were running from Stalin.
And
She developed a keen appreciation.
Of the importance of
Liberty and
The rule of law, and she
Live the rest of her life trying to bring it to everybody else.
And of course, that part of the world right now President Clinton
is in turmoil again. With the crisis in Ukraine. I have to ask you
what more at this moment, do you believe the United States and NATO?
Could be doing to help the Ukrainian people and what is it going
to take to stop Vladimir Putin?
Well, first of all, let's give credit where credit to do The
First to the Ukrainians.
They have fought and fought and fought.
And in Russia can drop more bombs and fire more missiles from ships.
Odessa, but
Ukrainians have fought like the devil and
They have put the lot of the whole world.
Of Putin's argument that they really want to be part of Russia. It's
just home to mother Russia.
It's not true.
And so
I think that
President Biden has done a good job of helping to unite the Europeans
and United NATO.
And I say this with all respective Switzerland, but it's been a rare
occurrence in the last 50 years when the swears
Walked away from the
Promising of their banks and their politics.
President Clinton. We thank you so much for joining us and again
our condolences on the loss of your and Secretary Clinton's good
friend, Madeleine Albright. Thank you. Thank you.