[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
[March 11, 1995]
[Pages 332-333]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Withdrawal of Michael Carns and the Nomination of
John Deutch To Be Director of Central Intelligence
March 11, 1995

    It is with profound regret that I accept General Michael Carns' 
decision to withdraw his name from consideration for the position of 
Director of Central Intelligence.
    I understand General Carns' concern that allegations made against 
him in the course of his background investigation could be misconstrued 
and complicate his confirmation. The sad truth is that we live in a time 
when even the most exemplary individuals, like General Carns, who 
already has given so much to his country, are deterred from serving by 
the fear that their records will be distorted, their achievements 
ignored, and their families maligned during the confirmation process.
    General Carns' decision to withdraw is our country's loss. This man, 
who flew more than 200 combat missions over Southeast Asia and 
distinguished himself as a military commander and an innovative manager, 
was prepared to come out of retirement to serve America one more time in 
a vital mission. I deeply regret that he will not have that opportunity 
and that our intelligence community and the American people will not 
have the benefit of his broad experience, his intelligence, and his 
dedication.
    Finding another individual with the exceptional skills and qualities 
needed to lead the intelligence community was no easy task. But in 
Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch, who I am pleased to announce my 
intent to nominate as the next Director of Central Intelligence, we have 
found such a man.
    Deputy Secretary Deutch has served at the highest levels of academia 
and Government in a wide variety of positions, from assistant professor 
of chemistry at Princeton to provost at MIT, from Under Secretary of 
Energy under President Carter to member of the President's Foreign 
Intelligence Advisory Board under President Bush, from Under Secretary 
of Defense to Deputy Secretary of Defense in my administration.
    Over the past 2 years, I've enjoyed an increasingly close personal 
and professional relationship with Deputy Secretary Deutch. Together 
with former Defense Secretary Aspin and Secretary Perry, I have asked 
Deputy Secretary Deutch to take on some of the toughest, most important 
assignments at the Pentagon.
    Deputy Secretary Deutch has played a lead role in reviewing our 
nuclear force posture. He's overseen the modernizing of our weapons sys-


[[Page 333]]

tems. And he has become intimately familiar with the workings of the 
intelligence community, especially its support for the military. The 
blueprint Deputy Secretary Deutch worked out to eliminate redundancies 
and duplication between our civilian and military intelligence 
demonstrates the kind of innovative thinking we need to meet the new 
challenges of the post-cold-war world.
    Strengthening U.S. intelligence is an effort to which I attach the 
highest personal priority. To make that commitment absolutely clear and 
to underscore that he will be a full member of my national security 
team, I have decided to appoint Deputy Secretary Deutch to my Cabinet if 
he is confirmed as Director of Central Intelligence.
    In John Deutch, we have a dynamic, brilliant leader with all the 
necessary skills for this critical assignment and my highest trust and 
confidence. I look forward to working with him, the Aspin commission, 
and Congress in building an intelligence community that will meet our 
national security challenges well into the next century.

Note: A statement by Michael Carns was also made available by the Office 
of the Press Secretary.