[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 9 (Monday, March 3, 1997)]
[Pages 255-256]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on Gulf War Documents

February 26, 1997

Memorandum for the Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on 
Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses

Subject: Gulf War Documents

    I've made it very clear from the early days of my Administration 
that the welfare of Gulf War veterans is a national priority. My strong 
and continuing commitment, reflected in the establishment and recent 
extension of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' 
Illnesses, is to leave no stone unturned on behalf of those who served 
in the Persian Gulf theater. This commitment entails ensuring both that 
sick Gulf War veterans receive the medical care they require and that 
all relevant information that may help us understand the risks they 
faced is brought to light.
    As you are aware, the Central Intelligence Agency, working in 
cooperation with the Department of Defense, has recently declassified 
several documents relating to the ongoing investigation of possible 
chemical warfare agent exposure of U.S. forces during demolition 
operations at Khamisiyah after the Gulf War. These documents indicate 
that: (1) U.S. Army units were warned of the possibility that there were 
chemical munitions at the Khamisiyah ammunition depot prior to seizing 
that objective during the ground war in February 1991; and (2) in 
November 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency prepared a classified 
message documenting the possibility that U.S. forces conducting 
demolition operations at the Khamisiyah facility were exposed to 
chemical warfare agents.
    While the many issues related to Gulf War illnesses are complex and 
entail consideration of massive quantities of information, there must be 
no question of this Nation's commitment to protecting its soldiers on 
the battlefield and then ensuring that they receive the care they 
require upon returning home. This is a joint bipartisan responsibility 
that my Ad

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ministration and the Congress take very seriously.
    Accordingly, in conducting your oversight of the ongoing 
investigation being undertaken by the Department of Defense, with the 
assistance of other executive departments and agencies, into possible 
chemical or biological agent exposures during the Gulf War, I am 
directing your attention to the recently declassified documents. You 
have a vital role in assisting me, the Congress, and the American public 
in understanding their full significance.
    These documents have been provided to the Inspectors General of the 
United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency, both of whom are 
conducting investigations relating to Khamisiyah. There are two 
important questions raised by these recently declassified documents that 
must be resolved by these investigations: (1) When did we have 
sufficient evidence to conclude that chemical munitions were present at 
Khamisiyah and that U.S. forces conducting demolition activities may 
have been exposed to chemical warfare agents; and (2) Once we had that 
information, what actions were taken by whom to investigate this 
alarming possibility and were those actions sufficient.
    Your oversight efforts should take full account of the evidence 
disclosed by these ongoing investigations, as well as the information 
being developed by the Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War 
Illnesses at the Department of Defense. Your preliminary assessment 
relating to the adequacy of the investigations concerning these issues 
should be provided as soon as possible within the next 60 days, and no 
later than April 30, 1997, the date specified in Executive Order 13034 
for your interim status report.
    Thank you for your continuing efforts and those of your fellow 
members and supporting staff. Your Committee's dedicated efforts are 
truly indispensable to ensuring that no stone is left unturned on behalf 
of Gulf War veterans.
                                            William J. Clinton