[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[November 29, 2001]
[Pages 1459-1462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the United States Attorneys Conference
November 29, 2001

    Well, John, thank you very much for those 
kind words. And I appreciate your strong leadership. It is a principled 
leadership; it is a steady leadership; and it is a leadership that is 
good for America.
    I guess we call you General. [Laughter] That means you all are in 
the Army. [Laughter] And I am glad you are.
    I also want to thank Larry Thompson 
for his good work. Thank you for being here, Larry. And where's Al 
Gonzales, who is my--Al led the effort 
to scour the country for the best to serve as U.S. attorneys, and I 
appreciate his hard work. And I suspect you new U.S. attorneys 
appreciate his hard work, as well. [Laughter]
    But Al has been my lawyer for a long 
time and was a lawyer for the State of Texas and was a judge for the 
State of Texas. And he is a pretty special guy, and I'm glad he's here 
in Washington with me. And I'm glad you all are here, as well. Thank you 
for coming. I want to welcome you here.
    I want to welcome the new U.S. attorneys. I want to congratulate 
you. I must tell you that we set a high standard, and you met it. And 
for that, I hope you're proud. And I am grateful that you are willing to 
serve the country, particularly at this time.
    I know you know this, but I want to remind you that you have got a 
significant commitment to the security and safety of the American 
people. We all do. That's our job, and it's a job we will keep.
    The security and safety of our people was threatened before 
September the 11th. In many neighborhoods, there's too much gun violence 
in America. Despite all the progress against crime, teenagers--almost as 
many teenagers die from gunshot

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wounds as from all natural causes combined. And that's not right, and we 
are going to do something about it.
    We must help people reclaim their neighborhoods and their streets. 
We must help those who want to live in a comfortable environment feel 
safe. That's one of our primary jobs. And so I proposed a program called 
Project Safe Neighborhoods. And you have a clear charge to fight gun 
violence in America.
    U.S. Attorneys will work with State and local authorities in an all-
out campaign, in a focused and vigorous effort to cut gun crime. By 
September of this year--of next year, 2002, we hope to have 200 new 
attorneys hired to prosecute crimes committed with a gun, 200 new 
attorneys to help you stay focused on an important mission, which is the 
safety of our citizens.
    Investigators will have the best training and the latest technology 
available. We want to enhance the technology so we can find those, track 
those, communicate better with each other to bring people to justice who 
commit a crime with a gun.
    We'll improve data-sharing and criminal recordkeeping to ensure that 
people who shouldn't have guns don't get them. We've got to prevent 
those people who want to use guns to hurt our fellow citizens from 
getting them in the first place.
    And finally, we want to make sure that the Federal Government works 
more closely with communities and community-based programs and faith-
based groups to steer our children away from guns before they take a 
life or lose their own. In other words, on the one hand, I want you to 
be tough, and on the other hand, I want you to rally the compassionate, 
loving souls in neighborhoods who can teach children lessons from right, 
from wrong.
    This is an important calling. The methods work in those cities where 
they've--we tried a program that I just outlined; they work. Statistics 
show it, and now we've got to make sure it exists all across the 
country.
    This is an important charge for you. It's one of your top 
priorities, because it's one of mine. We have got to send this message--
and I mean a clear message, an unambiguous message--that if you 
illegally carry or use a gun, there is one consequence in America: 
arrest and jail. The best way to make sure our neighborhoods are safe is 
to enforce the laws on the books, and to the best of our ability, we 
will give you more tools to do that.
    The safety and security of America also faces a new threat, and that 
is the threat of terror. It is the calling of our time to rid the world 
of terror. And it is the calling of our time to protect the American 
people.
    You know, it's interesting--I can't imagine what a speech like this 
would have been like prior to September the 11th, but I doubt I would 
have ever said, ``You are now on the frontline of war.'' And that's 
where you are. And make no mistake about it, we've got a war here just 
like we've got a war abroad. And we have a huge responsibility, and 
that's to defend America while protecting our great liberties. And I'm 
confident you can do the job; otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here.
    Our enemies are resourceful, and they are incredibly ruthless. They 
hide, and they plot, and they target freedom. They can't stand what 
America stands for. It must bother them greatly to know we're such a 
free and wonderful place, a place where all religions can flourish, a 
place where women are free, a place where children can be educated. It 
must grate on them greatly, but that's what we're going to keep doing, 
because that's what America is about.
    And we owe it to the American people. We owe it to our citizens, to 
the families, to be relentless and methodical in tracking down 
terrorists and bringing each and every one of them to justice. That's 
our calling. It's the calling of the 21st century, and it's a calling 
that we will not tire for. It's a calling that we will keep in our 
minds,

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and you must keep it in your minds, because I can assure you I'm going 
to keep it in mine.
    The Government and the people are determined. And I have been able 
to travel our country some, and I know you can--if you were to report 
back to me, you would tell me you've seen the same determination and the 
same patience and the same unity to achieve this objective. I like to 
remind people that the evil ones have roused a mighty nation, and they 
will pay a serious price.
    Abroad, our military and our alliance is making good progress--good, 
steady, significant progress. We're disrupting their cashflows. We're 
finding their bankers, and we're shutting them down.
    And it's not just America. There are a lot of other countries who 
have participated with us, and that's heartening. We've got great 
intelligence-sharing now, around the world. I've been able to say to a 
lot of leaders, face to face, ``You tell us when they're coming, and if 
we find out something about you, we'll let you know, too.'' And that's 
important. It's important to know as much information as possible about 
the enemy. It's important to try to figure out where they hide and their 
intentions. It helps to have a vast coalition willing to share that kind 
of information.
    And we're bringing a lot of terrorists to justice around the world, 
as well. I think we've arrested over 300--we, the coalition, has 
arrested over 350 Al Qaida members and terrorists. I was able to thank 
President Aznar of Spain this week, for 
arresting eight--eight terrorists, eight people who hate freedom are now 
in jail, where they should be. And hopefully, they'll give us some 
information that we will share with other coalition members, to keep us 
all safe.
    And as we speak, we're enforcing the doctrine that makes it plain 
that not only do we seek the terrorists, but we also hold governments 
that harbor them and feed them and house them and hide them accountable 
for their behavior, as well.
    Afghanistan is the first overseas front in this war against terror. 
And I'm pleased to report the military is performing really well. In a 
short period of time, most of the country now is in the hands of our 
allies and friends. We've rescued the humanitarian aid workers. We've 
destroyed the Taliban military. They're in total confusion. The 
Government that used to hate women and not educate its children and 
disrupt humanitarian supplies and destroy religious symbols of other 
religions is now in rout.
    And we've got Al Qaida on the run, too. Now, they think they can 
hide, but they can't hide for long. And they think they can run, but 
they can't run forever, because we will patiently, diligently, pursue 
them until they are brought to justice.
    And on the homefront, terrorist violence must be prevented and must 
be defeated, and it will be, with vigilance, aggressive investigation, 
and certain punishment. Already, we've committed significant new 
resources to homeland security. We've improved our ability to detect and 
stop terrorist activity, but we've still got a lot of work to do.
    I'm pleased to report the culture of the FBI is changing; the people 
you'll be working with in the field is changing. Now, one in four 
employees of the FBI are directly involved with the efforts to track 
down every lead and to disrupt the evil ones. And our new investigations 
are moving forward. And as we do so, our laws are being enforced fairly 
and in full.
    We'll hear from material witnesses. We'll give them a chance to 
participate in the war against terror by telling us what they know. We 
will apply the immigration laws. We're interviewing people on a 
voluntary basis. We're saying, ``Welcome to America. You have come to 
our country; why don't you help make us safe? Why don't you share 
information with us? Why don't you help us protect innocent people, 
women

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and children and men? Why don't you help us value life? As you enjoy the 
freedoms of our country, help us protect those freedoms.''
    But there is no doubt about our intentions, and there shouldn't be. 
Those who plot terror and those who help them will be held accountable 
in America. That's what we're going to do. Protecting the innocent 
against violence is a solemn duty of this country. It is our most 
important responsibility now. And all of us in this room accept that 
responsibility. And we will tell the American people plainly, we will 
fulfill that responsibility.
    To meet that obligation, a wartime reorganization is underway at the 
Justice Department. More investigators will go to frontlines. The 
Federal Government will work more closely with State and local 
authorities, and so will you. Agents will receive better training and 
new technology to help track and capture terrorists or those who support 
them. And these changes are essential, and I want to thank the Attorney 
General and 
Director Mueller for beginning this transformation.
    I have also reserved the option of trial by military commission for 
foreign terrorists who wage war against our country. Noncitizens, non-
U.S. citizens who plan and/or commit mass murder are more than criminal 
suspects. They are unlawful combatants who seek to destroy our country 
and our way of life. And if I determine that it is in the national 
security interest of our great land to try by military commission those 
who make war on America, then we will do so. We will act with fairness, 
and we will deliver justice, which is far more than the terrorists ever 
grant to their innocent victims.
    Ours is a great land, and we'll always value freedom. We're an open 
society. But we're at war. The enemy has declared war on us. And we must 
not let foreign enemies use the forums of liberty to destroy liberty, 
itself. Foreign terrorists and agents must never again be allowed to use 
our freedoms against us.
    Many of you will play a crucial part in our victory against 
terrorism, and make no mistake, we're going to win the war. Decisions 
important to millions of Americans will be made in your offices. Your 
work in the cause of justice will help ensure the security of this 
Nation. And as you join this fight, you will honor the Constitution. You 
will not only protect our people, but you will uphold our values.
    Every Federal prosecutor has the unique privilege of standing up in 
a court and telling the judge that you are there on behalf of the United 
States. In a time of war, these words are even more deeply felt, are 
even more significant.
    Yours is a great trust and one of the great professions. Today you 
carry not only the confidence and respect of the American people, but 
you carry our deep gratitude, as well.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 3:06 p.m. in Presidential Hall in the 
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he 
referred to Attorney General John Ashcroft, who introduced the 
President; and President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain. The military order 
of November 13 on detention, treatment, and trial of certain non-
citizens in the war against terrorism is listed in Appendix D at the end 
of this volume.