It was a day President Clinton must have dreaded as the much anticipated videotape of his grand jury testimony was played to the world, but he was able to take heart as delegates at the United Nations General Assembly sprang to their feet to applaud him at length before his address on combating international terrorism.
Reactions to the tape of his four-hour testimony on August 17th about his relationship with the former White House intern, Ms Monica Lewinsky, were cautious, but there was a sense that it was not as damaging as his supporters had feared. While the President at times looked tense and nervous under questioning from the legal team of the independent counsel, Mr Kenneth Starr, he did not storm out of the room or use strong language as some leaks had suggested.
It was too early to assess reaction to the simultaneous release of 3,183 pages of testimony by Ms Lewinsky and other written material gathered by Mr Starr in his investigation. The White House had described the release of extremely explicit sexual material as a "garbage dump".
But presidential aides appeared relieved that the videotape of the President's testimony seemed an anti-climax after all the hype from Republican opponents.
The White House press secretary, Mr Mike McCurry, said that the testimony showed that Mr Clinton's conduct "does not rise to the level of an impeachable offence". He said that "the rank partisanship that led to the wholesale release of these materials, most of which are irrelevant, is regrettable".
The White House statement accused prosecutors of trying to "browbeat" and "badger" Mr Clinton into discussing intimate details of his relationship with Ms Lewinsky.
"Now that the President's testimony has been made available for all to see and hear, the real question for the American people and for the Congress of the United States is whether the President's conduct - however it may be judged - should result in the President's impeachment. That the President's conduct does not rise to the level of impeachable offence should now be clear to everyone."
President Clinton himself was described as "quite moved" by the prolonged applause which greeted his appearance in the General Assembly. It was "the warmest and most enthusiastic reception" he has ever received in six UN speeches, according to the deputy White House spokesman, Mr Joe Lockhart. Among the heads of state and prime ministers who applauded were President Nelson Mandela and Mr Tony Blair.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, was also in the assembly for Mr Clinton's speech, which made several references to the peace accord in Northern Ireland as an example of how terrorism could be overcome by political action.
The stock market reacted favourably. New York stocks bounced back in mid-afternoon trading in a relief rally that the video was less damaging than had been feared.
While President Clinton's testimony to the grand jury may not be as damaging in the eyes of the public as had been feared, it is still in contradiction with that of Ms Lewinsky over the controversial definition of "sexual relations". It is this contradiction which is the basis for Mr Starr's claim that the President can be impeached for perjury to the grand jury.
A Republican Congressman, Mr Bob Barr, said yesterday: "This is a classic case of perjury." Mr Barr said that "after viewing this videotape, no reasonable person could conclude that the President did not knowingly lie to the grand jury and to the court in his underlying lawsuit."
But the House Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, was more restrained, when asked while campaigning yesterday what should the President do now? "I don't want to get into that," he replied.
The reaction of the Senate minority leader, Mr Tom Daschle, who is a key figure among Democrats, was also cautious. While deploring the "very harsh partisan basis" for the release of the videotape, Mr Daschle also said: "How damaging is not something anybody can assess right now."
The videotape showed the President retreating to his prepared statement admitting to "inappropriate intimate contact" whenever he was pressed for specific details.
President Clinton has come through a very difficult day but others lie ahead.