    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [February 15, 1991]
    [Pages 148-150]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Raytheon Missile Systems Plant Employees in Andover,
    Massachusetts
    February 15, 1991

        Listen, I came up here to thank you guys, but thank you for that
    warm welcome. And Reverend Gomes, thank you, sir, for that lovely
    prayer, so fitting tribute to those who are serving overseas and those
    serving at home here. And thank you, Tom, my old friend Tom Phillips,
    the chairman, for that warm welcome and making these arrangements. Let
    me pay my respects to another old friend, the Governor of the
    Commonwealth, Bill Weld, and his able Lieutenant Governor, Paul
    Cellucci, over here. I'm glad that they're here with us today.
        And look, I view it as an honor to be here, to come to Raytheon, the
    home of the men and women who built the Scudbusters. We're very, very
    grateful.
        Earlier today, maybe your hopes were lifted, maybe mine--mine were--
    and I think some hopes were lifted in downtown Baghdad with the
    statement. And I expressed, earlier on, regret that that Iraqi statement
    that first gave rise to hope in fact turned out to be a cruel hoax. Not
    only was the Iraqi statement full of unacceptable old conditions, Saddam
    Hussein has added several new conditions.
        Let me state once again: Iraq must with-

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    draw without condition. There must be full implementation of all the
    Security Council resolutions. And there will be no linkage to other
    problems in the area. And the legitimate rulers, the legitimate
    government, must be returned to Kuwait. And until a credible withdrawal
    begins, with those Iraqi troops visibly leaving Kuwait, the coalition
    forces in compliance with United Nations Resolution 678 will continue
    their efforts to force compliance with all those resolutions, every
    single one of them.
        Compliance with the resolutions will instantly stop the bloodshed.
    And there's another way for the bloodshed to stop, and that is for the
    Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands
    and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside, and then comply
    with the United Nations resolutions and rejoin the family of peace-
    loving nations. We have no argument with the people of Iraq. Our
    differences are with that brutal dictator in Baghdad.
        Everyone here has a friend or a neighbor, a son or daughter, or
    somebody he knows in the Gulf. And to you, let me say this, and to the
    American people: The war is going on schedule. Of course, all of us--all
    of us--want to see this war ended, the limited loss of life. And it can
    if Saddam Hussein would simply comply unconditionally with all the
    resolutions of the United Nations. But let me say this to you: I am
    going to stay with it, we are going to prevail, and our soldiers are
    going to come home with their heads high.
        Now, I just had the thrill of sitting in the command post of an
    Engagement Control System--ECS to you. [Laughter] And I've heard about
    the years of painstaking work that produced the split-second accuracy of
    the Patriot missile defense system. Let me tell you, I'm impressed with
    the technology. But especially after today, even more I'm impressed with
    the people behind the machines.
        Just days after Saddam Hussein took the offense against an
    undefended Kuwait, the people of this plant went into overdrive and took
    the offense. And since mid-August, it's been an around-the-clock effort,
    three shifts a day, 7 days a week. And I know many of you gave up your
    own Thanksgiving and Christmas even to be right here, to keep these
    lines moving.
        In the last month, the world has learned why. Patriot works, and not
    just because of the high-tech wizardry. It's because of all the hours,
    all the attention to detail, all the pride, and all the professionalism
    that every one of you brings to the job. Patriot works because of
    patriots like you. And I came again to say thank you to each and every
    one of you.
        You see, what has taken place here is a triumph of American
    technology. It's a triumph taking place every day, not just here at
    Raytheon but in the factories and firms all across America, wherever
    American workers are pushing forward the bound of progress, keeping this
    country strong, firing the engines of economic growth. What happens
    right here is critical, absolutely critical, to our competitiveness now
    and then into the next century.
        Let me focus for a moment not simply on high-tech workers like
    yourselves who build these Patriots but on the highly skilled service
    men and women who operate Patriot in the field. We hear so often how our
    kids, our children, our schools fall short. I think it's about time that
    we took note of some of the success stories, of the way the brave young
    men and women who man the Patriot stations perform such complex tasks
    with unerring accuracy. They, along with the children in our schools
    today, are part of a generation that will put unparalleled American
    technology to use as a tool for change.
        As I was touring the plant a few minutes ago, I saw a sign out there
    that said: ``Patriot--a Revolution in Air Defense.'' Well, we are
    witnessing a revolution in modern warfare, a revolution that will shape
    the way that we defend ourselves for decades to come. For years, we've
    heard that antimissile defenses won't work, that shooting down a
    ballistic missile is impossible--like trying to ``hit a bullet with a
    bullet.'' Some people called it impossible; you called it your job.
        They were wrong, and you were right. Thank God you were right.
        The critics said that this system was plagued with problems, that
    results from the test range wouldn't stand up under bat-

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    tlefield conditions. You knew they were wrong, those critics, all along.
    And now the world knows it, too. Beginning with the first Scud launched
    in Saudi Arabia, right onto Saudi Arabia--and the Patriot that struck it
    down--and with the arrival of Patriot battalions in Israel, all told,
    Patriot is 41 for 42: 42 Scuds engaged, 41 intercepted. And given the
    fact that this Scud missile has no military value, simply designed to
    devastate cities and wipe out population, imagine what course this war
    would have taken without the Patriot.
        No, I'm sure that some experts here would say Patriot's not perfect.
    No system is; no system ever will be. Not every intercept results in
    total destruction. But Patriot is proof positive that missile defense
    works. I've said many times that missile defense threatens no one, that
    there is no purer defensive weapon than one that targets and destroys
    missiles launched against us.
        We know that this is a dangerous world. Today, our cold war concern
    about a large-scale nuclear exchange--thank God it is more remote than
    at any point in the postwar era. At the same time, the number of nations
    acquiring the capability to build and deliver missiles of mass
    destruction--chemical, even nuclear weapons--is on the increase. In many
    cases, these missiles will be superior to Scuds, smaller, capable of
    flying farther and faster--in short, more difficult targets. Between now
    and the year 2000, in spite of our best efforts to control
    proliferation, additional nations may acquire this deadly technology.
    And as we've been taught by Saddam Hussein, all it takes is one renegade
    regime, one ruler without regard for human decency, one brutal dictator
    who willfully targets innocent civilians.
        Well, we now know that some of the adversaries we face today--and
    Saddam Hussein is a prime example--are more rash than rational, less
    impressed by theories than by a nation with the means and will to defend
    itself. And thank God that when those Scuds came in, the people of Saudi
    Arabia and Israel and the brave forces of our coalition had more to
    protect their lives than some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God
    for the Patriot missile. Thank God for that missile.
        And so, when you all go home at night, you can say with pride that
    the success of Patriot is one important reason why Operation Desert
    Storm is on course and on schedule. And we're going to continue to fight
    this war on our terms, on our timetable, until our objectives are met.
    We will control the timing of this engagement, not Saddam Hussein.
        Make no mistake about it: Kuwait will be liberated. The people who
    build Patriot have every reason to be proud. Because of you, the world
    now knows that we can count on missile defenses. And because of you, a
    tyrant's threat to rain terror from the skies has been blunted; it's
    been cut short. And because of you--and this one is special--innocent
    civilians, priceless human lives, have been spared.
        When we think of war, we think first, of course, of the soldiers in
    the field, the brave men and women now serving half the world away. But
    Woodrow Wilson once said that in war there are ``a thousand forms of
    duty.'' In this room today stand thousands of reasons why our cause
    shall succeed. You and people like you all across the country have given
    our brave men and women in the Gulf the fighting edge that they need to
    prevail and, what's more, to protect precious lives.
        And so, once again, thank you for this warm welcome, for the
    invaluable contribution that you have made to the defense of America and
    its allies. And may God bless our troops and their families and the
    United States of America. Thank you very, very much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 1:45 p.m. in the
                            fabrications building. In his remarks, he
                            referred to Rev. Peter Gomes of Harvard
                            University; Thomas Phillips, chairman of
                            Raytheon Co.; Gov. Bill Weld and Lt. Gov. Paul
                            Cellucci of Massachusetts; and President Saddam
                            Hussein of Iraq. Following his remarks,
                            President Bush traveled to his home in
                            Kennebunkport, ME.