    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [July 27, 1996]
    [Pages 1204-1206]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address and an Exchange With Reporters
    July 27, 1996

    Centennial Olympic Park Bombing

        The President. Good morning. The bombing at Centennial Olympic Park
    this morning was an evil act of terror. It was aimed at the innocent
    people who were participating in the Olympic games and in the spirit of
    the Olympics, an act of cowardice that stands in sharp contrast to the
    courage of the Olympic athletes.
        On behalf of all Americans, let me extend my condolences to the
    families of those who lost their lives and our prayers to those who were
    injured. I want to thank the brave security personnel who were on the
    scene. They saw the package; they alerted the bomb squad; they cleared
    the crowd. They prevented a much greater loss of life.
        I also want to compliment the medical personnel of all the
    hospitals, those who were operating the ambulances, they and the
    volunteers who were helping people who were down at the scene. Those of
    us who watched it throughout the night last night could not have been
    failed to be impressed by their courage, their competence, their real
    heroism under pressure.
        Last night I was awakened by Mr. Panetta shortly after the
    explosion, and I continued to receive reports and follow events until
    the press conference early this morning. Then this morning the Vice
    President and I spoke to the president of the International Olympic
    Committee, the president of the Atlanta committee for the games, the
    Governor of Georgia, the mayor of Atlanta, the Attorney General, and the
    Director of the FBI.
        I want to make clear our common determination. We will spare no
    effort to find out who was responsible for this murderous act. We will
    track them down. We will bring them to justice. We will see that they
    are punished. In the meanwhile, we are all agreed the games will go on.
    We will take every necessary step to protect the athletes and those who
    are attending the games.
        I know that the people who've worked so hard to put on these
    Olympics, the people of Atlanta, the thousands and thousands of
    volunteers, are more determined than ever to see them to a successful
    conclusion. Already we see the spirit at work this morning. The mayor

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    spoke about the significant numbers of people in the streets in Atlanta.
    President Samaranch reported to me on the events that are already taking
    place and said there were large crowds of spectators at them and that
    the people were clearly determined to go forward and attend the games
    and follow them.
        Let me say finally that an act of vicious terror like this is
    clearly directed at the spirit of our own democracy. It seeks to rip
    also at the spirit of the Olympics. We are doing everything in our power
    to prevent these attacks. There's been an enormous effort made to
    establish security at the sites of all the events. At the park itself,
    the investigation will continue today and then there will be additional
    security measures taken there.
        But we must not let these attacks stop us from going forward. We
    cannot let terror win; that is not the American way. The Olympics will
    continue. The games will go on. The Olympic spirit will prevail. We must
    be firm in this; we cannot be intimidated by acts of terror.
        Thank you very much.
        Q. Mr. President, do you think this reflects on the United States in
    terms of its ability to protect the people?
        The President. Well, actually, I believe, first of all, that
    there's--everyone says, including all the people who have participated
    in Olympics for decades, that this is the best and most extensive
    security effort ever undertaken at all the events. I think they would
    all say that there was more concern about the Olympic park than any
    other place because it was thought that there had to be some place where
    the general public could congregate, people who did not have tickets to
    the games but were there in town, wanted to participate, wanted a place
    where they could go and swap the pins and do all the things that they
    can do. And they wanted to make some entertainment available to the
    public for free.
        Now, I would point out that even there, a place that was more open,
    someone spotted that suspicious package last night and alerted the bomb
    squad and helped to clear the area and dramatically minimized the loss
    that would otherwise have occurred. So they are looking now at what else
    can be done to secure that particular area when it can be reopened after
    the investigation has been completed.
        Q. Would you support the death penalty for whoever is found to have
    done this?
        The President. Well, I support the death penalty for terrorism that
    leads to murder; I always have. And we--if you look at what we did in
    the crime bill, you know that. I believe that people who deliberately
    kill each other--kill other people, excuse me--particularly under
    circumstances demonstrating this kind of cowardice and designed to
    intimidate and cower large numbers of others, deserve capital
    punishment. I certainly do.
        Q. Mr. President, can you definitively eliminate the possibility of
    any type of attack at the Olympic games?
        The President. I don't think anyone has ever been in a position to
    definitively eliminate an attack anywhere in America, you know, or
    anyplace in the world. But I can say this--I will say what I have said
    before: If you talk to anybody associated with these Olympics, they will
    tell you that the security effort is the most extensive ever made. And
    if you talk to anyone involved in American law enforcement where there
    are many different agencies at different levels of government, I think
    they will tell you this is by far the best coordinated effort that has
    ever been made.
        And let me say again, as much as I grieve that this incident
    occurred at all, I want to reiterate the fact that people on the spot
    there were alert enough to see this package, to call the bomb squad, to
    clear people out, and to save a lot of lives. As much as we grieve for
    the injuries that were there, I think that is important.
        So I would say that they have done as good a job as could be done,
    particularly at the events. They were always concerned about any open
    area, where you have so many people operating in an open area. And they
    are examining what can be done, what should be done there during this
    period when the criminal investigation is going on.
        Q. Mr. President, Chelsea has been at the Olympics all this past
    week. Speaking as a father, what is your own personal reaction to this?
    Would you not feel some sense of anger that more might have been done to
    prevent this tragedy, but what is your first personal reaction to this?
        The President. Well, my first personal reaction was--I thought about
    it last night, of course, because she was in the park quite often and
    visited the pin exchange place there. And I

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    was--my first personal reaction was that I hope nobody else's children
    get hurt down there.
        But I would say to you that these people have done a very good job
    planning and bringing off this Olympics. And I don't think anyone
    believes that we live in a risk-free world. And I think it's important
    not to jump to any conclusions about who did or didn't do what here.
    We'll look into this, and we will find who's responsible.
        But on balance, I still would say to you I feel good about the
    efforts they have made there. They've worked very, very hard. And we
    just have to keep working. And they are examining, even as we speak--you
    know, the Vice President's been heavily involved in this. And we talked
    about it last night when he and I both were awakened, and then we had a
    visit and talked about it again this morning. They're examining even as
    we speak whether there is some way to increase the security at the
    centennial park and still make it a place where a larger number of
    people who cannot either obtain or could not afford tickets to the
    events themselves can come and go. Everyone always knew that was the
    most open and most vulnerable place.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Briefing Room at the
    White House, and the address was broadcast live on radio and television.
    In his remarks, he referred to Juan Antonio Samaranch, president,
    International Olympic Committee; William P. Payne, president, Atlanta
    Committee for the Olympic Games; Gov. Zell Miller of Georgia; and Mayor
    Bill Campbell of Atlanta, GA.