    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [October 17, 1995]
    [Pages 1611-1612]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the Initial Base Adjustment Strategy
    Committee in San Antonio, Texas
    October 17, 1995

        Well, I'd like to begin by making an opening statement and to say
    how very pleased I am to have a chance to come here to San Antonio and
    to Kelly Air Force Base to follow up on the meeting that I had with the
    fine committee in Washington 2 months ago.
        I know that officials from the Defense Department, John White and
    Rudy de Leon, were here in August, and they're back here with me today.
    And we have done a lot of work with this community. I have been very,
    very impressed with their Kelly 21 project, the vision of it, the energy
    of it. I hope that you have seen the commitment of the administration to
    try to maintain employment at appropriate levels, to try to have a
    reasonable period of transition, and to try to make sure that in the end
    you are as successful as you possibly can be.

    [[Page 1612]]

    We believe that if we do this right, we can generate even more
    employment in this area as we go through this transition period.
        I want to say a special word of thanks to your former mayor,
    Secretary Cisneros, who has worked with me very closely on this and
    advised me. General Viccellio, I want to say I know that this community
    is very encouraged by the fact that you're going to be overseeing this
    process. And I want to say a word of appreciation, too, to Congressman
    Henry B. Gonzalez, who can't be here today--he's in Washington--and of
    course, to Congressman Frank Tejeda, our prayers go out to him. I had a
    quick conversation with him just a few days ago.
        The most important thing, I think, to announce today for the San
    Antonio community is that we have reached an agreement on joint use of
    the base which will, obviously, permit you to do precisely what you
    proposed to do. We are committed to implementing that agreement on joint
    use in good faith. And as I said, my goal is to do this in such a way
    that the strengths of this community and the strengths of this great
    resource will generate even more employment and more stability for you
    at the end of this 5-year process--really an 8-year process--than you
    had when we began it and than you would have had given the fact that we
    have to lower our presence all across the country in the aftermath of
    the cold war. Mr. Mayor, that's my commitment, and I think we're going
    to deliver on it.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 1 p.m. in the Pilots Lounge in the Base
    Operations Building. In his remarks, he referred to Deputy Secretary of
    Defense John White; Under Secretary of the Air Force Rudy de Leon; Gen.
    Henry Viccellio, Jr., USAF, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command; and
    Mayor William E. Thornton of San Antonio. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.