[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 13 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S1351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CIA DIRECTOR

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition this afternoon 
to speak briefly about the pending appointment of a new Director of the 
Central Intelligence Agency and how we ought to structure a new term to 
really strengthen that position and, in effect, professionalize the 
position of Director of Central Intelligence.
  I have talked to a number of my colleagues about the idea of 
legislation which would create a 10-year term for the Director of 
Central Intelligence, just as the Director of the FBI has a 10-year 
term. That legislation for the FBI was enacted relatively recently to 
strengthen the hand of the Director and to give independence and 
strength to that position.
  It is my view, based on the experience that I have had on the 
Intelligence Committee--and I now serve as chairman of the Senate 
Intelligence Committee--that there is a real need for additional 
strength in the position of the Director, as we have seen what has 
happened to the CIA with the Aldrich Ames case, and as we take a look 
at the role of the Central Intelligence Agency and the national 
security interests of the United States into the foreseeable future.
  The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, I believe, has to 
come to that position in the Central Intelligence Agency, in that 
unique culture there, and say to the establishment: Look, I am going to 
be here longer than anybody else who was here, and it is my 
responsibility to do what is necessary to correct the problems of the 
agency and to do what is necessary to reorder the priorities and set 
the agency on a course which will protect the security interests of the 
United States.
  We had the threat assessment hearings the week before last where the 
Director, James Woolsey, testified about the threats to the United 
States and responded, to some extent, about the Aldrich Ames case. 
There is no doubt that the unique culture of the CIA--I prefer to call 
it their ``unique culture,'' rather than the slang expression the ``old 
boy's network''--was at work in allowing Aldrich Ames to stay in a 
position where he could abuse the trust of the CIA and really do great 
damage to the United States' national security interest, even though 
there were many signs which should have led to his ouster. He failed a 
lie detector test, he was living beyond his means, he was drunk on 
duty, he had classified documents, he visited foreign agencies and 
foreign embassies without any justifiable reason.
 Many of the CIA contacts were killed as a result of what he had done. 
Many were placed in jeopardy. And that should have been corrected long 
before it finally came to light.

  I believe that if we had a Director who had tenure, 10 years, in 
effect, being able to say, ``I am going to be here longer than the 
people I am confronting with,'' that kind of strength would do a great 
deal to enhance our national security.
  We are facing some very perilous times. People ask, is there a real 
role for the Central Intelligence Agency? Based on the experience I 
have had on the Intelligence Oversight Committee, and now as chairman 
of that committee, I say, absolutely ``yes.''
  We are looking at some very critical intelligence operations in 
assessing, for example, what is happening with North Korea with their 
development of nuclear weapons. I, frankly, have grave reservations 
about the agreement which exempts the North Koreans from inspection on 
the fuel rods for some 5 years, which is the best way to tell what they 
are doing with nuclear weapons. And as the hearing the week before last 
with Director Woolsey showed, the North Koreans now have the capacity 
to hit Alaska. The North Koreans are working with Iran on ballistic 
missile tests. When asked what is the potential for reaching the 
continental United States, nobody could give assurances that that is 
not an imminent problem.
  When you take a look at the dismantling of nuclear weapons in the old 
Soviet Union, there are real problems to see to it that organized crime 
in Russia does not take over and place those weapons at the disposal of 
rogue nations. When you take a look at the role of CIA in terrorism or 
drugs or economy issue, where many intelligence agencies of government 
help the trade deficit, there is a vital role in the intelligence 
agency.
  There has to be reform, first, of not having a repeat of the Aldrich 
Ames case and doing the job of the future.
  I intended to introduce this legislation and to comment on it this 
afternoon and not to unduly interrupt the flow of this legislation.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.

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