    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [August 7, 2004]
    [Pages 1544-1546]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    August 7, 2004

        Good morning. My most solemn duty as President is to protect our
    country, and in the 3 years since our country was attacked, we have
    taken important steps to overcome terrorist threats to this Nation.
        We have pursued terrorists across the world, destroying their
    leadership and denying them sanctuaries. We are working with other
    governments to break up terror cells and stop planned attacks, on
    virtually

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    every continent. We've created a new Department of Homeland Security to
    win the battle against terror on the homefront. We are working to secure
    our borders, air and sea ports, and critical infrastructure. We are
    bringing the best technologies to bear against the threat of chemical
    and biological warfare.
        We're using the tools of the PATRIOT Act to track terrorists within
    our borders and stop them before they kill our people. We have
    transformed the FBI to focus on the prevention of terrorist attacks.
    We've established a Terrorist Threat Integration Center to merge and
    analyze foreign and domestic intelligence on global terror in a single
    place. And we are sharing that intelligence in unprecedented ways with
    local officials and first-responders who need it to protect our
    communities.
        I agree with the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission. Because of these
    steps at home and abroad, our country is safer than it was on September
    the 11th, 2001. Yet, we're still not safe. The elevation of the threat
    level in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC, is a grim reminder of
    the dangers we continue to face. Information from arrests in Pakistan,
    taken together with information gathered by the U.S. intelligence
    community, indicated that Al Qaida has cased financial targets in New
    York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC, and has recently updated their
    targeting information. This information was buttressed by other
    information we already had.
        We and our allies are working to protect our people from these
    threats. As we fight the ongoing terrorist threat, we will continue
    moving forward with additional changes to protect our country.
        This week I asked Congress to create the position of a National
    Intelligence Director. The person in that office will be appointed by
    the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and will serve
    at the pleasure of the President. The Director will serve as the
    President's principal intelligence adviser and will oversee and
    coordinate the foreign and domestic intelligence community. The CIA will
    be managed by a separate Director. The National Intelligence Director
    will assume the broader responsibility of leading the intelligence
    community across our Government, and he or she will have the resources
    and authority to meet that responsibility.
        This week I also announced that we establish a new National
    Counterterrorism Center. This new center will build on the excellent
    work of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center and will become our
    Government's knowledge bank for information about known and suspected
    terrorists. This center will also be responsible for preparing the daily
    terrorism threat report for the President and senior officials, and its
    Director will report to the National Intelligence Director, once that
    position is created.
        We will act on other valuable recommendations made by the 9/11
    Commission. In the coming days, I will issue a series of directives to
    various departments on essential steps for the Government on the war on
    terror. As we take these steps, our Nation is grateful to the dedicated,
    hard-working men and women of our intelligence community who are working
    day and night to keep our country safe.
        We're a nation in danger. We're doing everything we can in our power
    to confront the danger. We're making good progress in protecting our
    people and bringing our enemies to account. But one thing is certain:
    We'll keep our focus; we'll keep our resolve; and we will do our duty to
    best secure our country.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 8:51 a.m. on August 6 in
    Kennebunkport, ME, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 7. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    August 6 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his
    remarks, the President referred to the Commission on Terrorist Attacks
    Upon the United States (9/11 Commission). The Office

    [[Page 1546]]

    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address. The related Executive orders of August 27 on the National
    Counterterrorism Center, management of the intelligence community, and
    sharing of terrorism information are listed in Appendix D at the end of
    this volume.