    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [December 15, 1993]
    [Pages 2178-2179]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2178]]

    Letter Accepting the Resignation of Les Aspin as Secretary of Defense
    December 15, 1993

    Dear Les:
        It is with deep sadness that I accept your request that, for
    personal reasons, you be relieved of your duties after your years of
    intense, unselfish and extraordinarily effective service to our nation
    and its security. I am grateful that you are prepared to remain at your
    post through January 20, or beyond if necessary, as we work through the
    immediate issues before us and as we manage a smooth transition to your
    successor.
        I hope that after you have taken the break you have requested, you
    will consider other important assignments that you would find
    challenging and personally rewarding.
        I am proud of your accomplishments over the past year, and you
    should be, as well. In the Congress, in the campaign and as Secretary of
    Defense, you have been an effective leader in efforts to harness
    together our defense strategy and defense resources, culminating in this
    year's Bottom Up Review. Together with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, you
    skillfully managed difficult issues--such as the military service of
    homosexuals and women in combat--that could have proved both deeply
    divisive and damaging to our military effectiveness and readiness. You
    helped conduct the first review of our nuclear posture since the end of
    the Cold War and advanced a new counter proliferation strategy. And you
    helped in the distinguished appointment of a new Chairman of the Joint
    Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili.
        All of this took skill and hard work, and all Americans are in your
    debt for it.
        I look forward to urging you once again to bring your great skills
    and deep devotion to your country's service.
        With admiration,

                                                                Bill Clinton

    Dear Mr. President,
        It has been one year since you asked me to serve as your Secretary
    of Defense. It has been an honor for me to work with you as we have
    reshaped our country's military to protect Americans in a vastly changed
    world.
        I am proud of the progress we have made in dealing with these
    changes. We now have a clear strategic sense of the new dangers we now
    face. After a year's work we will be able to secure our country against
    these new dangers with a Bottom Up Force. By strategically defining the
    strengths we need and honestly projecting how much this force will cost,
    we have also built a new consensus to invest what is necessary to
    underwrite this Bottom Up Force. As a result we have moved for the first
    time in fifteen years away from the polarizing debates about how much we
    should spend on defense and worked together to build the military
    strengths we know we need. This has helped end the gridlock that for
    years kept us from governing and from concentrating on our agenda at
    home.
        We have also worked together with our uniformed military leadership
    to find common ground on some difficult social issues that were avoided
    in the past and which could have divided our military. So we can now
    ensure that we will have a ready to fight force without the continuing
    distractions of these controversies.
        As you know, dealing with these changes have made it a tough year
    for us all--tough issues, tough calls.
        I share your pride in the progress we have made. But now, as we have
    discussed on previous occasions, I ask you to relieve me of the duty as
    your Secretary of Defense on January 20. I ask this for quite personal
    reasons. I have been working continually for over two decades to help
    build a strong American military. It's time now for me to take a break
    and undertake a new kind of work.
        Of course, I pledge my every effort to support you and my successor
    in a smooth and orderly transition. You can continue to draw on one of
    the strongest and most talented senior management teams the Department
    of Defense has ever seen. Bill Perry and General Shali will give you a
    continuity of leadership as my successor works with the Senate to assume
    office.
        Finally, I want to thank you for the honor of serving you and our
    country. You are a great Commander-In-Chief. I know that while you are
    our President our country will grow in all of its strengths, Americans
    will continue to be se-

    [[Page 2179]]

    cure, our men and women in uniform will always be honored, and we will
    be true to our best values as a people.
        Sincerely,

                                                                   Les Aspin

    Note: These letters were made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on December 15 but were not issued as White House press
    releases.