[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-

[[Page 149]]

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-

[[Page 150]]

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.