BOSTON--On the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, a presidential candidate and veteran of the Vietnam War outlined his agenda for shaping American foreign policy in a world that has changed dramatically from the time of that Cold War struggle.

Vice President Al Gore '69, the presumptive Democratic nominee, explained his policy of "forward engagement" that would direct him if he was "entrusted with the presidency" while also lancing his opponent, Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

He detailed his positions on questions involving China, Africa, free trade and other key foreign policy issues.

Gore gave the speech in the Old South Meeting Place in Boston's Back Bay, one of the gathering points of patriots during the American Revolution, in an address to the 50th anniversary meeting of the International Press Institute, a journalists' organization.

While in Vietnam after his Harvard graduation, Gore served as a reporter for Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper.

Gore press secretary Chris Lehane said the campaign chose the Meeting Place for the speech because "Boston is symbolic; it's the place our democracy grew out of, and the vice president's policy of forward engagement is about the spreading of American values across the world.

Gore's speech, the latest in a series on different issues, was designed both to lay out the philosophy behind his foreign policy and to show significant ways in which he differs from Bush.

Many analysts have said the contest between Gore and Bush has been marked by a public perception that the candidates are similar in both policy and personal history.