SALEM - Speaking before a Salem State College Series crowd at the O'Keefe Center Thursday, May 1, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Americans have to be prepared for another terrorist attack.

" Preparation is key," he said. "We can't afford to be complacent."

In describing the qualities of leadership in times of crisis, Giuliani said preparation helped get him through the events of September 11, 2001. "I felt shock when the first plane hit," he admitted. "But then I realized we were actually prepared. Our firefighters and rescue teams were well-trained and they led the way to recovery."

The former New York City went on to express his support for President Bush and the U.S. war effort in Iraq. "You can't negotiate with terrorists," he told the crowd.

" If we had paid more attention to Hitler in the 1930s, a lot of lives would have been saved in the long run."

On his way to Salem State, Giuliani paid a visit to the main fire station in Salem. He greeted all the firefighters and expressed his gratitude to Lt. Dennis Levasseur and Capt. Gerry Giunta for their part in Massachusetts Task Force I which was among the first rescue teams to arrive in New York City.

View some photos of this event