    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [May 8, 1991]
    [Pages 484-489]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Announcing the Resignation of William H. Webster as Director of
    the Central Intelligence Agency and a News Conference
    May 8, 1991

        The President. Well, it is with a great sense of pride, genuine
    pride in his accomplishments and long years of dedicated service to his
    country, that I announce that Bill Webster has informed me of his
    intention to retire as the Director of Central Intelligence. Bill will
    be leaving Federal service after 26 years on the Federal Bench, as
    Director of the FBI, and as Director of the CIA. And as a former DCI, I
    know the complex organizations and interrelationships that comprise our
    intelligence

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    community. Bill has brought an integrity and effectiveness and a insight
    to the many intelligence-gathering operations of this nation. He has
    done a superb job.
        A strong nation requires a strong intelligence organization. And
    Bill Webster has directed our efforts according to the guidelines that I
    set down at the beginning of this administration, that the CIA would
    have the single mission of providing intelligence to the policymakers of
    this government. And he's performed admirably. And that is a very
    important point--intelligence, not trying to shape policy. There are
    those who think CIA should have a different role, but I believe Bill
    Webster has demonstrated the value of an intelligence organization that
    is professionally directed and purposely committed. It is invaluable in
    defending the security of America. I noticed what one of our coalition
    partners said--the dependence on United States intelligence in the
    recent war.
        In so many ways, he has performed with great distinction and the
    best--the best in the sense of service to his country. And I hate to see
    him go. This was his choice, but I offer him my thanks and I offer him
    the thanks of a very grateful nation as he finishes this distinguished
    career in government and considers other avenues.
        And he can say a few words now, and then I'll be glad to take just a
    few questions.
        Director, we're going to miss you, pal. But you're not leaving right
    now. We're not going to let him go.
        The Director. Thank you, Mr. President. I have many mixed feelings
    about this morning. There's never an easy time to go, especially when
    you are working for an organization that you believe in and for people
    that you believe in. It's been an extraordinary experience to have
    worked with you, Mr. President. I have worked with you and for you for
    the last 10 years, and I want to say before I comment further that I
    know a good thyroid when I see one. [Laughter]
        The President. Swallow gently.
        The Director. I think I'm leaving you--I know I'm leaving you a
    healthy organization, one that has had during the last 4 years, I think,
    a good track record for its accountability.
        The President. Absolutely.
        The Director. So far as it's possible to be accountable. We have
    positioned ourselves for the challenges of the nineties, which are
    different than the challenges of the eighties. And I'm very proud of the
    performance that the entire community rendered during the Persian Gulf.
        I realized a couple of months ago that I had finished 20 years of
    consecutive service and that I was approaching the end of a 4-year
    term--not term but 4-year period. My commission says to serve at the
    pleasure of the President for the time being. And this has been a 4-year
    ``time being'' that I've been very proud of and privileged to have
    served, not only with the President but with his national security
    advisers. But it seemed to me that this was a good window. You hate to
    leave, but something tells you that it's a good time to leave. I still
    have my roots in the law, and this gives me an opportunity to pursue
    other avenues in the private sector.
        So, there you are.
        The President. When is the 4 years up?
        The Director. May 26th.
        The President. May 26th, but we've got to be flexible on all of
    that. Now, either the Director or I will be glad to take questions.

    Central Intelligence Agency

        Q. Did this come as a surprise? Do you have a successor in mind?
        The President. We haven't talked successor. Haven't gotten anyone in
    mind. But it did come as a surprise when Bill brought this up to me. He
    told me this several days ago, and it was his decision. I told him
    that--what I've said, essentially said here publicly. And he called in
    yesterday evening and said he thought we ought to go with announcement.
        Q. Bob Gates had been nominated once before; would he be a
    candidate?
        The President. Well, as I said, I haven't considered successors yet,
    but a worthy man, Gates. We all have great respect for him.
        Q. Mr. President, speaking of--early on during the war with Iran,
    the CIA came under some criticism for not being as informative, not
    being as informed, perhaps, as it should have been. Was that a factor in

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    this at all?
        The President. We all came under criticism early on, and all I say
    is, look at the results. And in my view, the intelligence was superb. I
    would call your attention to what the French commander--who was it
    yesterday--commenting on the intelligence that they had to depend on.
    So, we all got criticism. CIA got a little; Defense Department got a
    little; we took on some water over here. But the result was superb, and
    the intelligence was outstanding, and the community performed
    fantastically. I had a chance to mention that out at NSA, which is a
    part of the intelligence community. I hope I'll have a chance to go out
    to CIA again and say this. But I have no complaints whatsoever about the
    quality of our intelligence.

    President's Health

        Q. Mr. President, you were described yesterday as elated when you
    got the news that it was your thyroid, not your heart, that was out of
    kilter. Do you have any plans to adjust your schedule--which we all know
    is rather grueling for anyone, let alone a 66-year-old?
        The President. Almost 67. [Laughter] No. They've said that with the
    thyroid thing that I might not get into as active an athletic regime as
    I'd like to. And they told me that this morning when I did this test.
    But they're elated that they know what caused this fibrillation and
    that's it's curable and will be cured very soon. But they've asked me
    just for the next few days to check it a little bit in terms of
    athletics, not in terms of my schedule here.
        Q. But beyond the next few days, will you be scaling back?
        The President. No, I don't think so. That's the good news, is that
    once the thyroid is corrected, that means there's no problem on the
    heart--thyroid connected to the heart bone, you know. And I think it's
    going to be all right, and they've assured me that it can be okay, yes.

    Handgun Legislation

        Q. Mr. President, the House will begin voting today on the Brady
    bill or the Staggers bill. Is there any scenario under which you would
    find yourself being able to support the Brady bill if in fact it is
    attached to your comprehensive crime legislation?
        The President. What we've said is we will consider it if it is
    attached to the comprehensive crime bill. The important legislation, the
    priority legislation, should be the comprehensive crime bill. And I'm a
    little discouraged that it has not moved faster. And so, I will just
    stay with that position that we're opposed to them alone, we'll consider
    them as part of the comprehensive crime bill.
        Q. What is wrong with waiting 7 days, Mr. President?
        The President. Our position on this is so well-known I don't want to
    take up your time going into any more.

    Baltic States

        Q. Mr. President, you've got the Baltic leaders coming in later this
    morning. What are you going to tell them about your leanings on
    providing aid to the Soviet Union?
        The President. I'm going to tell them that we haven't made a
    decision on that. I'm going to tell them I must comply with the law as
    it's written, but I will also tell them that we have a strong and, I
    think, good relationship with President Gorbachev. And I will tell them
    that I will be interested in hearing what their problems are. I will
    tell them that we have never and will never recognize the incorporation
    of the Baltics into the Soviet Union. But I will encourage peaceful
    resolution of these very difficult questions.

    Soviet-U.S. Relations

        Q. Your comment about Gorbachev today and a similar one yesterday
    seemed to indicate that you'd like to help him out, that you might want
    to work around the edges of that creditworthiness provision in the law
    to provide some kind of assistance.
        The President. Look, when you look at the accomplishments of Mikhail
    Gorbachev, they are enormous. And yes, the Soviet Union is fighting
    difficult economic times. But I am not about to forget history; and what
    he did in terms of Eastern Europe, what he's done in terms of
    perestroika and glasnost has my respect. So, we will deal with the facts
    as they come to us. But I

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    don't want to see a breach in a relationship that is very strong, that's
    served us extraordinarily well in recent times during the war itself
    where, for the first time, the Soviet Union and the United States worked
    in sync on those matters. And I gave President Gorbachev great credit
    for that because he was under some pressures at home.
        Q. Well, that sounds like you're not going to turn down his request
    for help.
        The President. Well, as I said the other day, we have to be sure
    that we abide by the rules as established--I think the Agricultural
    Department has to make certain representations. But look, I've always
    felt that when people are hungry or need support as it relates to food
    and nourishment, that we ought to try to help.

    Administration Travel Policy

        Q. Mr. President, could you give us an update on your review of the
    White House travel policy, and are you still absolutely, firmly
    convinced that Governor Sununu did not abuse it in any way?
        The President. Yes, I am convinced of that, and I'm going to have
    some changes, and I'll announce some soon, perhaps the next 48 hours.
        Q. Were the travels that were made that he took--be permitted under
    the revisions?
        The President. Well, why don't you wait and see because I don't want
    to preview it. We pulled one off here with Bill Webster, and it's so
    much more exciting when you get it when the time is right. So, we'll
    approach it in that open manner.

    Vice President

        Q. Mr. President, what do you say to the pundits who have suggested
    that as a result of your health scare over the weekend you might
    reconsider keeping Dan Quayle on the ticket next year?
        The President. You want that by hand, or do you want it by word?
    [Laughter]
        Q. Hand.
        Q. Hand.
        The President. No, no. I'm no Nelson Rockefeller. [Laughter] No,
    I've expressed my support for Dan Quayle. I think he's getting a bum rap
    in the press--pounding on him when he's doing a first-class job. And I
    don't know how many times I have to say it, but I'm not about to change
    my mind when I see his performance and know what he does. I think it's
    probably been quite hurtful to him, but he's a man--strong one and--in
    fact, we talked about it a little bit yesterday and I said, look, keep
    your head up; you're talking to a guy who went through something like
    this for about 8 years--maybe not quite as intense, but that goes with
    the territory. And it's unfair, and it is piling on, and it is beneath
    the critics to do that at this time, I think. But anyway, it's a
    question I can't lay to rest.
        Q. Some Republicans----
        The President. Sure, the critics, any critics. But I'm just telling
    you how I feel.

    Hostage Agreement Reports

        Q. Mr. President, lately we've been hearing a resurgence of
    questions and increasing credence to these allegations that the Reagan-
    Bush campaign in 1980 was involved in a political deal to hold off on
    hostage releases until after the election. And even President Carter,
    who hadn't said this before, thinks that there should be at least some
    investigation. Don't you think that with all of these allegations coming
    from so many different continents and so many questions being raised
    that at least an investigation would be warranted to lay some of these
    issues to rest?
        The President. I think the Congress--some Democratic Members are
    looking at it right now, and that's fine. I can only say categorically
    that the allegations about me are grossly untrue, factually incorrect,
    bald-faced lies. And I have my schedule out there--I think it was in--
    put in the days in question was in detail in the paper. And those
    critics--those who continue to pass this little word-of-mouth ugly rumor
    ought to have the decency and the honor to say this takes care of this
    question. I'm talking about myself. And I can categorically deny any
    contact with the Iranians or anything having to do with it. And to
    assign--let me give you a little more lecture on this, Rita [Rita
    Beamish, Associated Press]--to assign a motive to a person
    that he'd want to keep an American in
    prison one day longer I think is vicious.
    And I really am turned off by this,
    and I am disappointed in this Mr.

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    Sick, whoever he is.
        Q. But, Mr. President, you wouldn't object then to Congress to--if
    there wasn't----
        The President. They can do whatever they want. It's been looked at
    exhaustively. But all I'm talking about--all I can speak for is my own
    participation or lack thereof. And I think the people that are making
    these insidious insinuations ought to have the honor to say this takes
    care of it. But that's not the way the rumor mill works.

    Vice President

        Q. Mr. President, I just wanted to follow up on the question about
    the Vice President. The confidence you've expressed in him is buttressed
    by those around the White House here who say that he's very much a
    player. There is strong evidence, apart from what the media may or may
    not write, that that confidence is not widely shared among people in the
    general public. And I wonder, sir, if you have contemplated altering his
    role, giving him more of a chance to be seen, or anything that might
    allow him to shake this image that he seems to have acquired.
        The President. I'd love to be helpful to him in any way I could in
    that regard. In my view, he is doing his assignments very well:
    Competitive Council, Space Council. He's done a lot of very important
    foreign travel for me, particularly as it relates to South America. And
    so, I can think of a lot of things that maybe I could emphasize more
    because I want to help. I don't like to see somebody unfairly
    criticized. To me, it's a question of--again, a question of honor. I
    just don't--I don't like it. I see him in action; I know what he's
    doing. He's been extraordinarily helpful. And I can't ask any more of
    him. But, Brit [Brit Hume, ABC News], if there was something I could do
    to help, I'd want very much to do it, because I have great respect for
    him.
        Mr. Fitzwater. Final question.

    Iraq

        Q. The Iraqis this morning tried to shoot down an American plane.
    What will be the United States reaction?
        The President. Well, we're looking into that. Fortunately it didn't
    hit anybody. And I gathered from the Pentagon they're not particularly
    concerned. But we have to look into that.
        Q. It seems that, more and more, the U.S. is going deeper in
    northern Iraq. Aren't you entering the quagmire that you tried so hard
    to avoid?
        The President. Well, as you know, I expressed my concern early on
    that I did not want to get bogged down. But what we're doing is
    humanitarian. We're getting enormous credit, finally--not that we're in
    there for credit--for saving lives and helping innocent victims of
    Saddam Hussein's brutality. And so, you raise a very good question
    because I don't want to see us get into a quagmire or get further
    militarily involved with some permanent presence required. I will be
    talking to the Secretary-General of the U.N., I think it's tomorrow, and
    I would hope that the U.N. could do in the north that which they're
    doing in the south.
        This is the last one, then I really do have to go.

    Middle East

        Q. Mr. President, can you tell us your feelings now toward the
    Middle East? You've got Secretary Baker heading back for yet another
    trip. The Soviet Foreign Minister, Bessmertnykh, is going to be there at
    the same time. Does this signal some sort of breakthrough in the offing?
    Is there something that gives you cause for optimism?
        The President. I wouldn't say breakthrough; I wouldn't say
    breakthrough. But cause for optimism? I think there's reason to be
    optimistic. I won't go into the details right now because when you're
    dealing with a situation of this complexity and of this endurance, you
    have to use some quiet diplomacy, which Secretary Baker is very
    effectively using. But I saw after his last trip some very, quite
    negative reports. And I don't think it's negative. I think there's still
    a real opportunity here. And I don't say that just wishfully; I say it
    after talking to him and talking to some leaders around the world. So,
    I'd like to say optimism, but I don't want to go overboard on it because
    there's still a complex problem.
        Q. But there are some who think that you

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    may be being misled, and they cite for proof of that that action such as
    the Israelis continuing to establish settlements--that people may be
    telling the Secretary one thing but either unable to deliver or actually
    not telling the truth about their intentions.
        The President. As we know, these differences have gone on for a
    long, long time. And I don't think that's the case, that somebody's
    saying one thing and then going off and just doing something behind his
    back. But, no, it's complex. But I don't accept that criticism. There's
    plenty of room to critique this and to wish for more progress from one
    country or another. But there's a lot going on. And I want to stay
    involved myself. I want to be a part of this because I think we have an
    opportunity now. And I think countries that the United States have
    helped recognize that. And I think Israel understands that. I think the
    Saudis understand that. I think the Egyptians understand that. And so, I
    want to use that good will to further peace in the Middle East. And so
    I'm--put it this way--moderately optimistic.
        Thank you all very much.

                        Note: President Bush's 81st news conference began at
                            8:35 a.m. in the Briefing Room at the White
                            House. In the news conference, the following
                            persons were referred to: Robert M. Gates,
                            Assistant to the President for National Security
                            Affairs; President Mikhail Gorbachev of the
                            Soviet Union; John H. Sununu, Chief of Staff to
                            the President; former President Jimmy Carter;
                            Gary Sick, former National Security Council
                            official during the Carter administration;
                            President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; United Nations
                            Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar de la
                            Guerra; Secretary of State James A. Baker III;
                            and Soviet Foreign Minister Aleksandr
                            Bessmertnykh.