[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 2 (Monday, January 18, 1993)]
[Pages 37-39]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the National Security Medal to Admiral Jonathan T. 
Howe and an Exchange With Reporters

 January 13, 1993

    The President. John, welcome. This is a surprise. [Laughter] 
[Inaudible]--are very proud to award you the National Security Medal. 
And I would ask Bill Sittmann to read a very quick citation. We're sorry 
to blindside you like this, but the only way we knew that

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you'd show up is if you didn't know about it. [Laughter]

[At this point, William F. Sittmann, Executive Secretary, National 
Security Council, read the citation, and the President presented the 
medal.]

    The President. Well, that is the understatement of the year, but we 
are very, very proud of you. And it is well deserved, and great, 
honorable service to your country. Particularly, I want to thank you for 
all you've done here.
    [Inaudible]--this, that goes with it. I thought you looked good 
sitting over there at that desk--[laughter]. I hardly got him out of 
there, I'll tell you. [Laughter]

Allied Action in Iraq

    Now, you wanted to ask a question on the military action. Let me 
simply say that once again the American military, in coalition with 
strong allies, has performed in a superb fashion. Our planes are all 
accounted for. I've not yet seen a damage assessment or results of the 
strike. But they did the right thing, and the coalition did the right 
thing. I have said before that we are determined that Saddam Hussein 
will abide by the United Nations resolutions, and we're very serious 
about that.
    I can say with confidence here, and I think it's important, that I'm 
confident Governor Clinton, the President-elect of the United States, 
feels that way too. I have talked to him before these strikes hit, and 
he as much as told me that, and then I've heard statements out of Little 
Rock. But I think that's a very important message to go not just to our 
coalition forces, that we have every intention of working together in 
the future as we have in the past, but to Saddam Hussein who has 
violated the resolutions.
    Q. Do you think it will work?
    The President. Well, I don't know what ``work'' means, but I am 
confident that when I--I will continue to insist that he abide by these 
resolutions. We've taken action, and I hope that will convince him he 
must do that. And I'm as confident that President Clinton will do this 
and feel the same way after the 20th.
    Q. Did you have any reservations, sir, doing it so close to the end 
of your term in office?
    The President. No, absolutely not. I'm President until the 20th, and 
I will run foreign policy and conduct these--make these kinds of 
decisions as long as I'm President. We will keep the new team fully 
informed. And I believe they've been very generous and gracious in 
saying that we have done that. General Scowcroft is in almost daily 
contact with the transition people from the national security field, and 
then I know Dick Cheney's had good visits with, as has Larry 
Eagleburger, with the people coming in. So we'll just keep it closely 
informed. But I have no reservations at all. You've got to do what you 
have to do. And there should be no question about that.
    Q. Sir, was there any particular action by Saddam that triggered the 
strike?
    The President. Just his failure to live up to the resolutions and 
then his moving around of these missiles in a way that was unacceptable 
to the coalition of the United Nations.
    Q. Are you prepared to order additional sites to be--[inaudible]----
    The President. I will conduct myself until the 20th just as I have 
in the almost 4 years gone by, and that is, I don't say what we might or 
might not do. But I would think that soon Saddam Hussein would 
understand that we mean what we say and that we back it up. And I have 
no intention of changing that approach to life in the last 6 or 7 days 
of my Presidency.
    Thank you very much. I should say I'm very proud of the pilots and 
those who supported the pilots. Once again, we see what superb training 
we have and what dedicated young people are out there. I must say I 
worried when I heard premature stories of this because I hesitate ever--
I would never put a young flyer in harm's way because of leaked 
information. Fortunately the leaks that occurred on this did not result 
in the loss of life for any of our pilots. But I will always--I would 
just urge everybody in whatever administration is here, now or in the 
future.
    Q. Did they encounter any kind of resistance?

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    The President. We'll have more to say about that when we do a fuller 
briefing on the mission itself. But any time you divulge plans when 
somebody's life is at stake, it is not a good thing to do. I just never 
understood it. I don't like it. I saw it happen today. But that's 
history now. But we ought to have more responsibility when you risk the 
life of a single U.S. pilot.
    Thank you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 4:05 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.