THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release                                       May 27, 1994
Contact:                                                    David Lytel

Office of Science and Technology Policy 202-456-6037

Miller Crouch
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
US Embassy in Paris
42-96-12-02, x-2234

            FRENCH CITIZENS MAY SEND THEIR D-DAY MEMORIES TO 
                      PRESIDENT CLINTON VIA MINITEL

     The White House will be using new communications technologies and

the global information infrastructure to support the President's trip to France to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of D-Day.

Starting today, French citizens will be able to share their memories of the arrival of the Americans on D-Day with President Clinton via their Minitel computer terminals. There are six million Minitels in France, or about one in every five households and the vast majority of businesses, and a third of the French public reports using one at least once a month. The services are being offered by the top two French television networks, TF-1 and France 2.

The messages will be read and translated by American volunteers in Paris and sent back to the White House via fax. The volunteers will work in office space made available by the Mona Bismarck Foundation.

Both Minitel services will be available in France on the Minitel network access number 3615. The service offered by television network TF-1 will be accessible by the Minitel access code ete44 ("summer 44"), while the service offered by the France 2 television network will be accessible by the code Juin44 ("June 44").

This is an extension of the capabilities offered to American citizens over the Internet and commercial online service providers in the U.S. More than 200,000 electronic mail messages have been received by the President and Vice President since this service was opened in June 1993.